Rooster Playing Favourites

[skullgrrrl]

I have only one rooster, a Japanese Black Tailed Buff Bantam, and a flock of 15 standard sized hens. He is very gentle with the hens and people, but he definitely has his favourites, some he's indifferent to and one hen that he took a definite dislike to. He wouldn't share food and he'd often chase her away. That hen went off to live with friends and I thought everything would be harmonious but almost immediately he took a dislike to another hen - one, that up to that point, he was ok with.I notice that sometimes at night he is chasing the hen he doesn't like off the roost bars and she ends up sleeping in the nest box.

What's up with that behaviour?Any suggestions for ways to change the balance?

FYI: The hen he doesn't like is not low in the pecking order and gets along well with the other hens. I don't want to re-home her if he is going to pick on another hen once she's gone.

 

[Sonya9]

Maybe give him a "time out" so he appreciates ALL of his hens?

 

[lpatelski]

I rotate my hens into a pen with my one rooster. He seems to enjoy groups of three. This way he covers all in a day. He does not need to "keep track" of who he serviced. If you have fifteen you can try groups of three. I heard the girls really only need servicing once a week. Read up on it. Some people say she'll be good for a week or two.

 

[skullgrrrl]

I don't have the room to house different groups of birds.

I just think its funny how he really disliked one particular hen and then, once she'd gone, he found another hen to dislike. I'm wondering what he finds offensive about them. He is tiny compared to the hens so I'm not concerned with him fertilizing any eggs (he does with the smaller standards - I know 'cause I've hatched a few). I just got 4 bantam hens so maybe he'll be happier with them.