Rooster trouble

[GreatPyrLover]

I have a rooster that was hatched out in May....he is my only rooster....he has 17 hens....but when he is ready to do his thing he chases them down and grabs them by the back of the neck...they are running trying to get away from him.....my question is this his age and will he grow out of it or will he be rough with them from now own???? He is really making me mad...there is no reason to do that when you have 17 to choose from!!!!!!!!!

 

[scooter147]

Quote:
He probably will not grow out of it. Some roosters will only mate when the hen submits others do what you describe. It's not necessarily any more "rough" than when the hens submit it just appears that way. If you don't like it then my suggestion is the stew pot.

 

[Waytoomanyroosters]

What you see is probably what you're going to get. I nearly lost my best hen to a rooster that very same way. He took off her comb and feathers aggressively and other chickens went after her. Luckily I noticed her and was able to nurse her back to health with advice of BYC. Other hens were never hurt! Just keep an eye out initially. You don't need a rooster unless you want fertile eggs. Good luck.

 

[GreatPyrLover]

Thanks for the replies...I feel as if we are gonna get rid of him...I dont like to see him so rough with them...he is ripping feathers out!!

I like to have a rooster just in case I get a hen that wants to sit but I dont like having to put up with this kind of behavior

Guess we will just have to try with another one and see if its any better!!

 

[Pinky]

If you want a rooster, try to get an older one, and if possible one that has been housed with hens before. They are usually more careful with mating.

 

[tdgill]

I used to give treats to the rooster and he would give them to the girls. They seemed to warm up to him and submitted easier after a while. My roosters also improved with age but will still grab a hen here or there that's not in the mood. lol. Never had any real problems though, just a couple feathers here and there. Not so much anymore.

 

[freestargirl]

We had a rooster that wasn't our 'top rooster' and he was mean to the hens, just to be mean, not to do his thing, one would walk near him or eat near him and he'd go nuts. We ate him & his brother (who was the 'top rooster' and was mean to us) before the hens started laying, so I don't know they were doing their thing or not. Our rooster does his thing like clockwork, every egg I've cracked open has been fertilized, and we've never seen him do it, and KNOCK ON WOOD, the hens don't run from him and he never grabs them when we're around. We have some feathers around in the chicken coop, but some are his, and I think just thru normal shedding, most are in the nest boxes... When we take them treats, he makes a noise to call the hens over if they aren't at the corner of the run where we give them their treats. And he stands around and watches them eat. He chases me out of the run every morning when I let them out of the coop, but he's a good rooster for our hens, which is why we have him. He guards the nest boxes when the hens are in there, and he always inspects them after I've gathered eggs.
He gets really aggitated too when I pick up any of the hens.

 

[scooter147]

Quote:
Freshstargirl Please be very very careful with that rooster. Him chasing you is not good, it may lead to flogging. Roosters can be very sneaky and you don't want to loose an eye to an overly protective rooster. He needs to UNDERSTAND NOW that you are the top bird in the flock and you will not tolerate any threat.
Roosters around my place get one maybe two chances to understand I'm the top bird, if they don't get the message then it's chicken something or another for Sunday dinner.

 

[Nambroth]

Quote:
My rooster did this too, and I was really angry, but I did some research and it was simply that he was ready and they were not (they were hatched at the same time as he was and they weren't mature yet). Once they started to get to egg laying age, they would squat for him and now it's much more gentle. How old are your hens?

If your hens are old enough to be accepting him and squatting, it does sound as he's being too frisky. Young roosters (cockerels) can get really hopped up on their hormones and it makes them a little nuts. It's really a best judgement call for you at that point-- you can see if he mellows out (he might) or you could decide he's not for you. It's a personal call.

 

[freestargirl]

Scooter-

Thanks for your concern! I've posted about him several times. We're careful with him. He had some issues shortly after we got him, but we're at a good agreement right now. If he steps out of line, we show him who's in charge.