Rooster suddenly aggressive toward one hen

[Sue Gremlin]

I have a 3 year old crosssbred (BR x EE) rooster who has been nothing but sweet to us and attentive toward his 8 hens until now. I noticed our Australorp hen, of course our oldest and most favorite, has been isolating herself this week, and when I or any of the other chickens approach her, she puffs up and makes clucky sounds like a broody hen would, so I assumed she was just being broody without sitting on eggs. She's I think 7 years old. Today I caught my rooster beating her up. He was standing in front of her, not mounting her, and had picked all the feathers off her head so she looks like a buzzard. He has also torn off pieces of her comb and she is bleeding.
Is he beating her up because she won't submit to him? I don't have a facility to separate him, but I can free range the hens and lock him up inside for a few days or as long as it takes. Is that what you would do?
If this persists, Paulie's going to have to go. His job is to protect them, not beat the crap out of them!

 

[azygous]

I have such a roo. He's very calm with humans, and he's great with the hens, but over his life, he's had violent run-ins with one hen, and just yesterday, I saw him refusing to allow a young hen to eat food from his personal dish. He was physically abusive to her.

When he ravaged a hen years ago, ripping her comb off, I had to keep the hen separated from him. It was no mistaking he wanted to kill her. I can only assume chickens have personality conflicts that defy understanding.

 

[Mrs. K]

With her age, there is a real possibility that the end is near. There is a theory that chickens can detect illness or decline much sooner than people. She may be near her end, and he is driving her off.

 

[coopcarter]

I also have a hen that puffs up and makes a funny sound like a chipmunk when I get near her. She does the same thing with the other hens get near her and then she tries to attack them. She is a 4 year old buff orphington and has always been extremely docile. This has been going on for a little over a week. At first I thought she was just broody because she stayed in the nest box all the time. I was away last week and my daughter said she was in the nest box every time she checked on the chickens. When I returned yesterday, she was in the nest box but I also noticed clear discharge coming from her nose. I have isolated her to watch her behavior and monitor her food and water intake. I haven't heard any coughing or congestion. I've never had a broody chicken but from everything I've read, they don't get runny noses. I'm not sure what to do or what she may have. The other 11 hens seem fine. Any advice?