Rooster Picking on one Specific hen.

[caralea]

I have a Orphington (Gold) Rooster that started chasing an punishing a Bk Giant hen to the point she hides in the pen when the rest are out eating during the day. Just atarted yesterday and I am confused will he stop when she is submitting or is this a real problem. Until yesterday they were all fine no problem. They will be a yr old in March.

 

[Johnn]

My rooster didnt like my ancona and my light sussex, the light sussex got killed and he stillc arried on beating up the ancona hes calmed down now and likes her she does get a odd peck off him at feeding time though

 

[70monte]

I had that happen to one of my hens but the other hens were also picking on her. I got down to four hens and one rooster when this started. It took getting more chickens to stop this behavior. I now have 13 hens and two roosters.

I tried the isolation thing with her and then the rooster but it did not work. When I added some new chickens into the mix, they started leaving her alone. It actually settled down the other existing hens and they were not as mean.

Wayne

 

[Woodbury]

we are having a same problem. The "victim" hen has been with the flock for a significant length of time whe is one of his and has always been in good graces with the rooster. She never was aggressive with the other hens other than the normal pecking order disputes which have always been minor. A few days ago he began this bullying. This morning when we turned them all out prior to getting to the coop the rooster was being very aggressive toward her.

Im going to isolate the hen when they go to roost so she cant be picked on in the mornings and see how they do during the day. They are free rangers and she can escape if he starts his strange behavior.

He has always been a caring rooster with the girls. Ive never heard of a Rooster getting involved in the pecking order disputes and they have always cooperated when the rooster wants them, Sometimes he can be a little awkward and they do their best to remain in agreement.

There has been a little pecking order disagreement in that the rooster seems to have his main squeeze and interestingly enough its the hen at the bottom of the order. There seems to be some jealously between the two girls.

I'll keep them separate at night and see where it goes. When I open the coop in the mornings I can keep her back until the flock exits (that takes about a moment). I have a separate section we call the brooder pen and we can shoo her into the pen and close up for the night.

Chochins are at the top of the broody list and I expect two gals any time now one is alreay spending more and more time each day after she lays leaving the nest.

Interesting....the rooster just had his rooster way with her with no problem. Maybe they were making up. Very puzzling as he has always been so gentle and protective with all the gals.

 

[bj taylor]

i've had similar issues. my barred rock hen was at the top of the pecking order before all this began. i first thought maybe there is something wrong with her that i can't see & he's protecting the flock from illness. however, she seems fine except she avoids his mating when possible & goes off on her own (they free range) quite often.
i've got one rooster & four girls, so my numbers aren't good. i'm actively looking for more pullets so he will have more girls to manage.

i too had wanted hens to raise babies. i want heavy dual purpose breeds. so far this spring no luck w/anyone going broody.

 

[velma]

I am having a problem similar to this. I noticed it two or three weeks ago. My rooster, will not let one hen eat. He chases her and is just mean to her. She has a bald spot on her back now and I am sure it is from him. The other hens don't bother her. I have ten hens and this one rooster. My flock free ranges during the day and I lock them up at night. They all come running to me when I am out, hoping for a treat, she joins the others but the rooster will try to run her off--she runs from him but sticks around. Also, in the evening when they go in the coop, she wait unitl last because if he is still down, he will try to run her out. When I open the door to do a head count I've also seen him peck her when they are roosting if she is close enough. He is not aggressive towards me at all. Any ideas as to why he is being mean to this one hen?

 

[dgrasseth]

I realize this is an old thread but I desperately need help!!! I got 2 new roosters about 2 weeks ago. They have adjusted to my flock of 22 just fine. EXCEPT, my blue purebred Ameraucana has it out for one of my EE pullets! She is so scared she just hides in the coop all day. I take her outside to be out in the pasture with the rest of them. He sees her and seriously dead sprints toward her?! I'm not sure if it's because he wants to mate with her and she's not having it and won't submit and just runs away, or if he is chasing her off. She hasn't even laid an egg yet. She's squatting so I'm sure she should soon. But I just feel so bad for her! A lot of her beard feathers are broken off and she missing quite a few of feathers around her neck. He only picks on her!! Do I separate her or the mean rooster???

 

[azygous]

If the rooster that's focusing so much on the one pullet is under a year old, that means he's experiencing the madness of hormones and he hasn't learned yet to manage them. I would segregate him. It easier to remove a rooster or cockerel from the flock than a hen. The pecking order is so much more unforgiving with the females members of a flock. You can provide him a small pen within the run or yard so he can still watch the action and be content.

Another thing you can do is referee. Thump him on the back of the head with your finger when he goes after this pullet. If he has a name, yell it every time he does this. They do learn their names and will stop when you command them to after a bit of learning.

 

[dgrasseth]

If the rooster that's focusing so much on the one pullet is under a year old, that means he's experiencing the madness of hormones and he hasn't learned yet to manage them. I would segregate him. It easier to remove a rooster or cockerel from the flock than a hen. The pecking order is so much more unforgiving with the females members of a flock. You can provide him a small pen within the run or yard so he can still watch the action and be content.

Another thing you can do is referee. Thump him on the back of the head with your finger when he goes after this pullet. If he has a name, yell it every time he does this. They do learn their names and will stop when you command them to after a bit of learning.

Awesome. Thank you so much! Yes he is just learning to crow so I would say around 25 weeks. How long should I segregate him for?