Rooster terrorizing flock! Please help

[Maureen&chickens]

Okay, started with a RIR roo and a white silkie who have grown up together. They are now 6 months old She seems to like him nearby but not too close as he was constantly trying to mate. Last week, we added 4 more hens to the flock: a N.H. Red, BO, another who is black with brown lacing all over and feathered feet, all of indeterminate age but at least 1 laying and a chick who is probably 6-8 weeks. Everything seemed fine. The roo mixed it up a bit with the NH but she won every time.

Fast forward to this week. My Silkie has been sitting in a nesting box all week and I'm not sure she's even leaving to get food and water. Everyone else is hiding in the coop all day as every time they enter the run the roo chases them back in. So, I decided to give everyone some space this afternoon and opened the coop for free-ranging. The NH, the BO and the chick all happily came out to play. As soon as the roo figured out it was freedom time he came out and seemed like he would just scratch and be happy. Then all of a sudden he charged at my 10 year old daughter and chased every hen back into the coop. Having had enough I went out, cornered him, picked him up (no easy feat!) and carried him around a bit. I was worried that he wasn't breathing well after holding him pinned a bit so I let him loose in the dog kennel and essentially condemned him to a chicken time-out. Checked on my Silkie who looks fine, took her out of the nesting box and set her free. Much to my delight she started free ranging, drinking and chowing down at the feeder. Everyone else is now very relaxed and happily pecking around. I think the other hens convinced the Silkie to be terrified of him!

Can I re-train him? Break him of this terrorizing? Or is freezer camp or solitary the only solution? My son is very attached to him (god only knows why!) so I've been patient and tried to make this work. However I'm running out of ideas. It's going to be a LONG winter if he continues on this path.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Sorry so long, but I felt I should give all the details.

 

[NellaBean]

I have a RIR currently in solitary as well. He is too overeager with the mating and some of the girls are hiding in the coop all day to avoid him. I am looking to find him a new home (or pot) but he may eventually calm down a little also. The biggest problem he has is that "his" girls are too young...not laying yet....so he goes after the older girls. They have always been higher up the pecking order and so won't submit to him. He ends up chasing and tackling them instead. The only ones he can easily catch are the poor slow, sweet cochins. So he breeds them repeatedly ALL DAY LONG.

He is just being a hormonal teenager. Doesn't make it easier to deal with, but at least there is an explanation!

 

[The Zoo]

I have the EXACT same thing. He's driving me nuts. He's going into solitary as soon as we can build a pen for him.

 

[Maureen&chickens]

At this point he's not even trying to mate with anyone; just chasing them all day long. If I thought he'd fit I'd move him to the dog house coop and put the 2 bantam roos in the large one. How much space does he need? I'm not sure he can fit through the door!

 

[fla_native]

Its what roosters do.
Some more than others and some less but it their nature,,,especially younger ones.
You cant apply human traits to them, I love our chickens too but they ARE chickens!
Eventually he will calm down but right now hes gonna show them whos boss!

 

[Judy]

I don't mess around with problem roos; not fair to the hens; life is too short. Too many good roos in the world, easy enough to get one.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I usually defend young roosters. Usually he is a hormonal teenager and he is very likely to grow out of it. However, he attacked your 10 year old daughter. You can cary him around and teach him to not attack you. That does not teach him not to attack other people. You daughter is old enough that she can carry him around and teach him not to attack her. But do you have any nephews or nieces that are around 4 or 5 years old? Any neighborhood children that age that could conceivably come into contact with him? Especially when he gets his spurs, he will be dangerous to them.

Also, at 6 months, he should be trying yo mate with the hens, not chase them. A good rooster is great to have around. To me, it sounds like he is not a good rooster. You said your son is attached to him, so it sounds like he needs to spend the rest of his life in confinement. And I would not raise any chicks from him. I would not want those traits to be genetically in my flock.

Good luck!

 

[Maureen&chickens]

Thanks for the feedback. I do have a 5 year old daughter that he has gone after in the past. She now won't go outside if he's out. That's it, lifetime of solitary. If he was just going after people to protect the flock that would be one thing but my 10 year old was on the other side of the yard from the coop/flock!

 

[LesGan]

My Mom used to have RIR's and the roos were sooo mean. I have a BO roo and he is the sweetest ever, takes the best care of his girls and an excellent roo daddy. Good luck.

 

[mulia24]

em, can anyone help me? what's solitary? i think that's a name of game.

sorry, i just don't know the meaning. thank you.