Roosters 101?

[3nglishteacher]

I think I have a problem....4 roos, 22 hens, 4 mos. old, americaunas. The roosters aren't mounting the hens but they love to bite the heck out of their necks and pull feathers out.

I've noticed in the past week that when I show up at the hen house (they're free ranging over 14 acres) whichever roo is around gives me odd, aggressive noises, puffs up, flaps, crows -- I think I'm being cussed out, frankly. Spurs are just little buds on their legs at this point.

So my question is -- when/how do I know when I have a roo problem? When my hens are beaten up? When one attacks me or my dogs? Or do I assume now that aggressiveness will escalate and start building a frat house? I know 4 roos is too many but I had hoped to let them fatten up over the summer and cull 3 of them in the fall. Maybe not?

Thanks!
Karen

 

[ChuckenGirl]

well you have 4 roo's thats room for controversy, anyway you might see a problem when they start attacking anything theres a thread on here i can give to you to learn to calm roosters. link

 

[newchickmom]

I would say it's not too early to cull them if that is what you have planned.
I have have 20 chicks I bought straight run and 10 are roos. They will be 16 wks soon and the roos will be culled then and the hens will be moved in with the bigger girls. I let them all free-range together in the evenings. Right now the roos are starting to fight some and some of them are trying to grab the hens (unsuccessfuly).

 

[Hotwings]

Roosters are funny creatures, just when I think I have them figured out they go do something different. My first encounter was with my friend Denise's roo Jack-Denise is Freebie here on the boards. Jack was susposed to be a pullet but turned into a cockerel! Well Jack turned into a beautiful barred rock roo, he was a very good roo very protective of his flock in all, but he got kinda aggressive to people, not real life threatening but he was sent to another home. Well luck had it that some of his hens were sitting on eggs when Jack left for his new home, and luck would have it three were cockerels-Jacks line lived on! Well these 3 brothers were hen raised and were tight as brothers go. They hung out together a lot. They scuffle but nothing life threatening. One roo died of a accident, but the other two remained close. They turned a year old and were very rough on the hens backs, but they showed no aggression to humans at all. Well the brothers went to new homes, because the hens were looking mightly ragged. Luck again in the fact that one of her hens hatched several chicks and she thinks one is a male! She now might have Jack's grandson! The previous roos did not show any human aggression that their father had, but they neither was as great of flock protector as he was, nor did they get the flock together as good.

 

[mmajw]

You should only have 1 Roo per 8-10 hens and sounds like you will need to get more hens or they may get beaten on or the Roos may start fighting. Keep a close eye.