Rooster mounting hens without consent

[Jemma Rider]

So i got my chickens a few weeks ago, i have four, one year old laying hens and ended up with two young roosters. Only one is crowing and mounting hens the other one should catch up soon, but the one that mounts hens is on a girl every few seconds. For the last month or so he's only been going after two girls because the other girls would fight him off if he tried, but recently he's stopped waiting for permission and started grabbing the feathers on their necks and letting them drag him around until their feathers come out. I'm concerned because my girls are molting and I'm worried he could pull a pin feather out and make one bleed while I'm not around. I've started chasing him off when he goes after the girls without their consent and it just bothers me, since i only have four hens i will be sending him off to another home soon, but until then is there any way i can calm him down just a bit so we don't have any accidents? I know it's unlikely but i figured there is no harm in asking if anybody has any sort of tips.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Most roosters don't wait for permission. It looks more like rape than mating. Especially with young cockerels.
My advice is to lose your least favorite of the cockerels and get about 6 more hens.
With 2 cockerels and 4 hens, your birds will be barebacked. That's not good going into winter.
Or you could house the boys separately and give them weekly conjugal visits.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Is there any way to separate him like now he can injure them he is a juvenile do you have dog of cat carrier he could stay in

 

[Jemma Rider]

Most roosters don't wait for permission. It looks more like rape than mating. Especially with young cockerels.
My advice is to lose your least favorite of the cockerels and get about 6 more hens.
With 2 cockerels and 4 hens, your birds will be barebacked. That's not good going into winter.
Or you could house the boys separately and give them weekly conjugal visits.

The one will be going to a friend soon she is building a coop for him, as for the other one he hasn't done anything yet but I'm building another coop for sick ones and misbehaving chickens so i can separate him. He's lowest on the pecking order and the other cockeral picks on him a lot so i think he may turn out more mellow.

 

[chickens really]

Get rid of one Cockerel...One is dominant and the other is submitting..It could workout and then it might not..Cockerels all mature and breed Hens..

 

[Jemma Rider]

Is there any way to separate him like now he can injure them he is a juvenile do you have dog of cat carrier he could stay in

I'm building a separate coop now but it won't be done before i give the boy away, he's not a horrible roo overall, protects the girls and brings them food just a bit "over excited" i suppose . He'll be on his way to a new home soon with more girls. We really thought he was a girl, he would've laid the prettiest eggs.

 

[Jemma Rider]

Get rid of one Cockerel...One is dominant and the other is submitting..It could workout and then it might not..Cockerels all mature and breed Hens..

We are, the second one will catch up soon i was just wondering if i could mellow the one out a bit before we send him off.

 

[chickens really]

We are, the second one will catch up soon i was just wondering if i could mellow the one out a bit before we send him off.

No...Nothing you can do..He actually might be a great Rooster prospect but only acting out because of that other Cockerel..

 

[rebrascora]

I'm afraid this may get a lot worse before it gets better. Once the other one gets in on the act, they may start tag team forced mating your hens. It can be pretty brutal and is one of the reasons why having a much larger hen to cock bird ratio is important. To be honest, adolescent cockerels brought up in a flock without a mature head rooster to keep them in line and protect the hens, are usually a total pain.
A bachelor pad is the answer or rehoming or eating them yourself. They should get better eventually but it can take up to a year for their hormones to settle down enough for them to become more polite. I find it a lot less difficult to butcher them when they start harassing my pullets and hens like that.
Some people find their hens scalped down to the skull or gashed under their wings, to say nothing of the stress and depression that this sort of behaviour can cause them. If they are moulting, it is the last thing they need as that already makes them feel pretty rough.

Without a mature rooster, it is your job to protect them and that involves taking whatever action is necessary.... only you can decide what that is.

 

[Jemma Rider]

No...Nothing you can do..He actually might be a great Rooster prospect but only acting out because of that other Cockerel..

Alright then i figured there was no harm in asking, he'll be off soon.