Rooster won’t leave the coop

[Lucy Wild]

hey everyone. I’m a first time chicken owner and our flock of 18 moved in last week (9 days ago). For the first four days we kept the coop closed and then on the fifth morning we opened it so they could free range the farm. The hens run out excitedly each day and roam around but the rooster (our sole rooster) has not left the coop at all. Today when I opened the coop I put a treat of watermelon a few feet away from the door for everyone, the rooster came out for his snack (progress?) and then returned into the coop. He seems quite healthy otherwise so I’m not sure what’s up. I’m thinking of giving him a few more days to warm up and then putting him outside a little farther away from the coop to see what he does. does anyone have any experience with this? thanks!

 

[LaFleche]

How old is your rooster and did you get him from the same hatchery/breeder as the hens?

 

[Lucy Wild]

Hi LaFleche. He is about 1 year old. A few of the hens are from the same source and the rest are from two different sources

 

[50-45-1]

He may have had a tramatizing experiance outside once and is leary of it.
I would not push him but make sure he has to come out for food and water. Dont feed him inside but place his food or treets where he can see them from inside. He will get braver.
He will adjust eventually.
Its a new enviroment and he is cautious.

 

[LaFleche]

Hi LaFleche. He is about 1 year old. A few of the hens are from the same source and the rest are from two different sources

Did he live in the same coop/run with other roosters? I am wondering if he was beaten up by them every time he tried to leave the coop to join the flock...

Anyway, I would de-worm the whole flock, inspect each bird closely for lice and/or mites and spray their legs with Ballistol Spray to prevent scaly leg mites transferring to your coop.

Might as well be that he is not feeling all that well because of internal or external parasites.

 

[Lucy Wild]

He may have had a tramatizing experiance outside once and is leary of it.
I would not push him but make sure he has to come out for food and water. Dont feed him inside but place his food or treets where he can see them from inside. He will get braver.
He will adjust eventually.
Its a new enviroment and he is cautious.

Thanks, I think you’re right. Today he ventured out of the coop on his own without the lure of treats! and foraged for almost 15 minutes before returning.

 

[Lucy Wild]

Did he live in the same coop/run with other roosters? I am wondering if he was beaten up by them every time he tried to leave the coop to join the flock...

Anyway, I would de-worm the whole flock, inspect each bird closely for lice and/or mites and spray their legs with Ballistol Spray to prevent scaly leg mites transferring to your coop.

Might as well be that he is not feeling all that well because of internal or external parasites.

We purchased the flock a few months ago and they have been living altogether in our neighbor’s coop while we finished building our barn. They were kept separate from his chickens without much time outside so I hope he just getting used to his newfound freedom. He went out on his own for a short while today Thanks for the worm/lice/mites advice, that is something I’m learning more about and sometimes the symptoms may not be so obvious.

It has already been such a rewarding experience, I didn’t really know how beautiful and fun they would be to spend time with lol.

 

[LaFleche]

It has already been such a rewarding experience, I didn’t really know how beautiful and fun they would be to spend time with lol.

Yes, chickens are addictive!