Rooster's aggressive morning routine???

[r_gshellhammer]

u know if ur roo is let out of the coop area he will most likely hang out near the coop and his hens like mine do and i havent had any jealousy issues he is just happy to reunite with them later onin the day
oh by the way i have a small flock of 14 12 hens and 2 roo's 2 buff orph 1 buff /americauna mix, 1 brahma, 3 leghorn mixes,6 RIR, and the roo,s 1 is RIR mix and the other full RIR
quite a mix i know but got the mixed up ones from people that couldnt handle them

 

[math ace]

My roo doesn't get jealous - - -he misses his ladies.

He is so funny! The first thing he does when I kick him out of the run is call for his ladies. He finds a tasty plant and calls them over. Sweet little dum dum has not figured out yet that they can not break out of "coop" jail !

Then he hangs out close to the pen, just waiting for his girls to get "time off for good behavior".

It is instinctive for him to protect and care for his ladies . . . As long as he can see them, he stays nearby - - like a good watchdog.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I suggest you read this thread. Several people that I highly respect on this forum talk about their actual experience keeping a very small number of hens with a rooster, mainly in breeding pens. I personally don't keep one rooster with one or two hens, but I trust these people enough to feel very confident in using what they say.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=250327

For those that won't bother reading the link, many people keep a rooster with one or two hens and don't have significant problems. Juvenile roosters are more highly charged than mature roosters, but often the juvenile roosters will mature.

Now to my opinion. I agree the rooster is ready for action after resting up all night. Mine are the same way. I think it may be a dominance thing too. When I separate a rooster for just a few minutes then put him back with the flock, he usually mates a hen almost immediately to reestablish that this is his flock.

Roosters usually mature sexually earlier than pullets and your rooster is a month older than the pullets. The pullets are just not ready for the rooster yet, but his hormones are driving him wild. It is hard being a teenage boy with no one to keep you under control, especially when you are bigger and stronger than anyone else around and can force your way. The pullets also need to mature for things to calm down a bit. It is possible your rooster is and will always be a brute but it is also very possible things will calm down a bunch when the pullets start cooperating and he does not have to force his way to follow his instincts.

Some people seem to think that any chicken mating is cruel and barbaric. They are not humans, they are chickens. They have their own way to do things. When the hen squats, she is spreading the weight of the rooster out into the ground so she is not really holding up all that much weight. The rooster grabs her on the back of the head. Part of that is to hold her, part is to help him keep his balance, part is to tell her to squat, and part is to tell her to raise her tail and assume the position. The hen shakes herself afterwards. Some people may read that as her saying, "I'm glad that is over" but it actually helps get the sperm in the right place in her reproductive tract. There is a reason for the shake.

I currently have 2 roosters, both 10 months old, with 9 hens, some 10 months old and some well over a year old. They normally free-range (no fences) so they have a lot of space. I'll list some of the things that go on in my flock. These almost always start with a rooster dancing for a hen. I very seldom see mine just jump a hen. They practically always dance first.

The hen runs away. One or both roosters chase her down and one forces her to mate. Usually the other watches but does not join in, though he may take his turn. This is not real pleasant to watch, but the hen is not physically hurt.

The hen runs away. One or both chase her a while, but she gets away.

The hen runs away. The rooster ignores her and goes about his other business. This is what happens most of the time.

The hen runs away. The rooster starts to chase her, but she willingly squats after just a few steps.

The hen willingly squats.

In the morning some hens stay up on the roosts until I let them out. I assume this is to stay away from the roosters while they are waiting to be let out. Some get down on the coop floor.

I can't tell you how it will all wind up with your two hens and one rooster. I suspect things will remain unsettled until the rooster and pullets both mature. Going through puberty is rough on the rooster and the pullets but most of them make it through that phase.

I don't know if any of this helps any or not. I wish you luck.

 

[centrarchid]

I also see behavior among juveniles every morning as they come down and move away from roost. Dominant animals systematically peck subordinates within group during the course of just a few minutes. Most evident within groups with < 10 individuals. My birds I think are operating under free range conditions like wild flocks in terms of pecking order.

 

[AlbionWood]

My young Sussex roos were biters, too. I started with 26 pullets and 12 cockerels (several different breeds) and separated the boys out as they started showing their temperament. Really wanted to keep one of the Sussex roos, but both of them were mean to the poor girls - just biting them randomly, never doing the dance or even trying to mate. One of them would get into the coop in the evening, then bite the girls when they tried to come in to roost!

Maybe they would have settled down eventually, but we had better options - a big Delaware who is showing all the signs of a good roo, and a flashy but mellow Partidge Rock. It was hard to kill those Sussexes because they were so gorgeous, but their personalities just weren't good enough to keep. (Very noisy, too.)