Rooster

[packmomma]

Ok so I've kept hens here for two years and decided to borrow my sister-in-laws rooster because my wives tale pickin backfired 3 times. Anyway he's really nice and want to you know...do what roo's do.. but my 2 year old females are not having it. They had lots of fights with him today. He of course picked on brownie my biggest and she whooped his butt. Then my EE whoot kicked his butt, then my Black aust blackie kicked his butt...so he just kinda went over to where there were no chickens and hung out. I really want chicks but he needs to man up or my girls will walk all over him! Will he get more aggressive or am I doomed to have him fertilize the low totem pole chickens. I know this was his first day and all but sheesh..he's a woosy!

 

[chicks4kids]

He'll man up for sure, just give him some time to settle in. Right now those girls are trying to show HIM who's boss. He'll teach 'em one by one. Give it about a week

 

[donrae]

He'll want to get some more than than he'll be afraid of getting whooped on. Yeah, give it a week or so.

 

[packmomma]

Thanks. I'm glad he is not mean towards me at least. Last night he roosted outside up by the window. I had to go get him. My sister-in-law lets them just free range and if they get eaten they get eaten. I count mine everyday and lock them up. He was like what are you doing, this is my sleeping place! I got him to walk in with the girls but he spent the night on the floor. This morning he was the last one out and just looked at me funny when I through out scratch grain. The girls seemed to leave him alone mostly, its only when he started things did they act up. He hasnt crowed either. I hope he's a silent male lol. I dont want my neighbor complaining. On a side note I think one of my ee's I bought in the spring is going to lay soon. She is crouching and was in the nesting box yesterday. I hope she lays blue ones. Gotta keep my eyes open today.

 

[moetrout]

Maybe you need to break out some Barry White and play that for them to get in the mood!

 

[Ridgerunner]

It sounds like you have an immature rooster in with some mature hens. Until he matures enough to dominate them by the sheer force of his personality, that behavior is fairly common. Mature hens often demand a rooster treat them right. His job is to be the lookout and protect them from danger, find them nice things to eat, call them over, and let them eat the nice things, dance properly, break up fights and keep an orderly flock, and just do all the things a good rooster should do. An adolescent rooster often has just one thing on his mind and the ladies just won't put up with that.

I have had roosters as young as 15 weeks that the ladies would accept, but that is really rare. Usually it takes quite a bit longer.

If he is not able to dominate them, those fights you saw were them establishing the pecking order. That is a different thing than flock dominance. Often a rooster is pretty low in the pecking order among the hens if he is not the dominant rooster in the flock.

 

[packmomma]

I want the adolescent rooster with one thing on his mind lol. I havent been out there too much today because I have my kids at home learning with an online school. Doesnt leave time for much chicken watching. They are ok with him and they all seem to be getting along but I havent heard him crow or seen him try to mount. Maybe I can get outside for a few hours tonight and watch behavior. I'll throw out some cucumbers and see what happens.