Rooster, What did you do to my hens?

[gumsadma]

My wife and I were at a local market the other day and this guy had some roosters and this how the story begins.

We bought a beautiful Rhode Island Red rooster that is about a year old. He is a very well mannered and just great all around rooster. Right out of the box he was doing his "Rooster Dance" and trying to impress the hens.

Whenever I brought him home from the market I just basically threw him out of the box and let him be (I think this is my first mistake). He went straight to doing his duties with the hens, at first with a little hesitation, but was quickly accepted. The First night the hens went back to the coop to slept there. The Rooster took home in my building. I ran him out quite a few times because I didn't want him pooping in my building. I worked on a few things in the building till around 8:30. It was dark. I picked him up to take him to the coop but him flailing around I couldn't keep ahold of him. I gave up and let him sleep in my building (second mistake). The next morning I woke up and let him out and he went straight to doing his work. This is where the problems start. The whole purpose of us buying this rooster was to have some baby chicks. We were wanting another rooster and egg layers.

Now these chickens have lost their minds. They are laying ALL over the yard and whenever they do lay the egg they are eatting the eggs. Last night I had to go outside and take ALL of them to the coop because they would not go into it. After placing a couple of them inside of the coop they ran right back out into the darkness. I placed the Rooster inside of the coop and they still ran out. I am not understanding this whole situation and that's why I am turning to this forum. If this can be corrected I would love to keep him but I don't think it's looking good.


Please help! Thanks in Advance.

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

To stop egg eating you can put a rock/wooden egg in their laying box.

 

[Eggsoteric]

You've admitted your mistakes so, I won't bore you with my quarantine speech since you've already let him out with your hens. Is there a way you can separate him from the hens in the coop/run so that they can get used to one another (a crate in the coop perhaps and/or a fenced off area in the run)? Maybe he could then learn to buy the hens dinner first before taking advantage.

 

[gumsadma]

Yeah I can do that. I hate for the hens to be cooped up again. We lived on .3 acres in the middle of the city when we first purchased these birds. They were cooped up for the first year of their lives. Now we live on acreage where they run and are free. I can put him in a crate and close off the run on the coop. Do I need to really put him in a crate? or Do I just need to close them all in together in the coop/run?

 

[peepmommy]

I would separate him from the flock, but inside the coop using a dog crate or such. I would keep all of them inside the coop for a week. I would then let him out with the girls and keep them inside the coop for another couple of days. Then let them out together. The girls will hopefully go back in the coop to lay and they will all figure out the new pecking order. Good luck.

 

[gumsadma]

I guess I kind of posted this prematurely. I went outside and they are laying back inside the coop. A guy come by today and he said that if a rooster is a around the hens will crack the eggs that are not feritilized. I watched a couple of hens lay their eggs and neither one of them cracked their eggs. I read that it takes 25 hours for them to start laying fertilized eggs and it's getting about that time. If they do not return to the coop tonight I will try enclosing them for a week even though it seems they are back to their old ways.

I am hoping that my hens are settled now. The real test will be tonight when it's time to return to the coop.

 

[Den in Penn]

Never heard that they know which egg is fertile. In fact I'm purty sure they don't know. The introduction of the rooster like that can in your case did produce chaos for a time as the rooster asserts himself. If they don't return to the coop, confining them all to the coop/run for a time should help.

 

[peepmommy]

That sounds like some old wives tale going on to me!

 

[Den in Penn]

Thinking about the fertile egg thing. Maybe the guy was thinking of a broody knowing when an egg goes bad.

 

[Mrs. K]

There is no point in separating them now. However, if they are not returning to the coop/run, a few days locked in there will have the hens laying where they are suppose to.

If you separate them again, they will have a reintroduction fit again, you are over the worst of it now, IMHO.

Good Luck