rooster stay or rooster go??

[Hennyhandler]

I have a rooster that i do love but I'm starting to feel he is too aggresive. What do ya'll think? He is a RIR and he is roughly 10 months old. He does cacklet to the hens to show them food and he puts them to bed as well. He crows a lot which I love but on the other hand... Almost all of my hens have bare backs and just today i started to notice a beginning bare spot on the back of one or two of the heads.
I haven't got to see them as much lately because I get home late but I was out there a little earlier today and I saw him right in front of me grab my Americauna, which is one of the rare ones that has no bare spot, by her head feathers. she cried out and when she got away from him he had a long feather in his mouth which he dropped. This is when I realized she had a bare spot on the back of her head and it had to have happened recently as I do look them over. This really upset me. I think he tries to grab her to mate her and she won't allow it hence the head feathers gone not the back feathers.

They seem stressed to me now that I get to being honest. I thought that bare backs were pretty normal in most cases and had bought them saddles but some of them haven't even grown theose feathers back yet. I know realize that he aint calming down and if it stays like this then the hens will always have to wear the saddles. That kinda uspets me too.
I have no need for a rooster really. Don't need fertile eggs as I can buy them, my hens are in a run so protection isn't horribly needed, and I don't eat them so... I think I have someone that will takehim for me. He has some hens himself. I hate doing this as I don't like giving up any animal but would it be best for the hens and everybody?

Also, i forgot to mention that he has started flogging which isn't one of my top concerns. I know I could handle that and have but this does add to the list. PLEASE give me your opinions.

 

[joedie]

I have one rooster and 24 hens and he does the same thing with his "special girls" that he likes to breed with. He only seems to breed with about 10 of them. Their backs are bare from his attentions but he's not mean to people and I think that's just part of life in the animal kingdom. I don't think I'd want to put up with the flogging though! If it bothers you, send him to your friends place. I like my rooster and I've never thought of getting rid of him for this behavior.

 

[luvmypyr]

i think the flogging would bother me and it seems it could get worse... we just made some soup out a rir rooster that i just had the last straw with.. he flogged me and broke my skin THROUGH my jeans... i didn't even see it coming!! I think their are too many unwanted roos to keep one that is tearing up your girls and being human agressive.. but thats is just my opinion.. u have to do what is right for you.

 

[City Gardener]

what is flogging?

 

[luvmypyr]

flogging is when the rooster jumps in the air with feet forward and kicks the offender... in my case it was me although i wasn't doing anything.. he kicked me in the shins and his spurs cut me .. ouch.. and it happened so quick i had to ask my son " did he just kick me?" as i was doubled over from the pain.. ( he was laughing as he said yeessss) .. but i was over it .. i had given him many chances..

 

[RockyPhoenix]

try this:

hubpages.com/hub/Taming-Wild-Roosters

hope it helps!

 

[Hennyhandler]

thanks yall. I don't know. I really don't need a rooster and I don't know if it is fair for the hens to be penned in with a rooster that won't leave them alone one minute out of the day. They scream when he grabs them and it makes me feel bad. For awhile I said the same things yall did. The "It is nature, everyone has this problem, and this is how a rooster is till he gets it together." But as i said it's been awhile now and the hens are not getting any better actually they are getting worse in appearance.

I also am afraid that this is causing them stress and could lead to pecking among them as I have seen a hint of nibbling at themselves. I think I worry way to much.

Thanks for all of your help and sorry for the double post. Please lend me any other stories or opinions.

I want to know everything I can before I make such a decision.

 

[wood&feathers]

Not everyone has the problem. As mentioned above, there are lots of unwanted roosters around. The gene pool doesn't need the nasty ones.

For 2 years I took and ate a friend's unwanted roosters. Then this fall I took a batch and kept the poor guy with blood all over his comb - bottom roo. He is a total sweetie. We now have 4 hens for him. He sweet talks them to where he doesn't even hardly mess feathers to breed them. Has never pecked or flogged. Likes tummy rubs.

Nasty roos - "Hey you, OUT of the pool!!"

 

[gocrow77]

Yup, I agree - I would rehome or get rid of him some other way. He hasn't outgrown the behavior at this point and may not ever. Some people don't mind these behaviors and others don't care to see their hens torn up. I have one now that is on "probation" to see if he gets nicer to the ladies, right now he's kinda rough and some of the hens flat dislike him. Even the ones who submit are treated only a bit less roughly. I will probably find another roo to breed my girls to. I mostly like having a rooster around because, as is the norm in the bird world, they tend to be prettier than the girls. Well, also I am a hatchaholic........ lol!

 

[Hennyhandler]

I read another post where somone had hens with bare spots and was wondering what it was. Someone answered that they had a hen they found was the problem as she would peck them and after getting rid of this hen everything went back to normal. So I got to thinking about this and went outside to take a look for a minute.

I did notice what I would consider pecking order pushing but one of my hens did out of the blue reach over to a nearby hen and peck her on the back and pull out a feather. Now she has a bald spot too and is wearing a saddle so she can't be the main culprit, maybe just plays a factor in it. On the other hand, she could have saw the bare spot and soft feathers and shown the other hen her place by pecking her there and I by chance saw it.
The rooster did mate once and followed the hens around. This was over maybe thirty minutes.


I guess I need to think some more, make a decision and see what happens after that. Anyone else in the same boat as I or does most know who is the culprit?