Separate Cockerel?

[MKetter]

I have 17 week old birds here, one cockerel and six pullets. The cockerel is apparently ready to do what comes naturally. He (a Wyandotte) tried mounting one of the Ideal 236s today. She was not interested, squawking and trying to get away, but he was hanging on with his beak. Since I happened to be there outside, I shooed him off. This is my first time having chickens. Does he need to be separated? Do I let the pullets fend for themselves? Do I let the cockerel do as he wants?

 

[DobieLover]

I would separate him until the girls are ready. They are ready when they squat for him or start laying. Pen him up within their pen so they can still be near him. Letting him go after them when they are not ready for his attention is going to stress them.

 

[Pigeony]

I also suggest separating. If you had older hens or a rooster, they would intervene to teach him manners and respect. But since you only have same-age pullets, he's just terrorizing them and they are too timid to fight back. If you want to keep him, separating him would let the pullets not only mature to the point in chicken adulthood where his advances are more appealing to them, but also hopefully mature into more confident birds. Without older hens or a rooster though, he may just remain a problem bird, but that's depending on his adult personality- which can be quite different from his teenage version. It's easier to introduce a younger cockerel when you already have adult hens.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

My cockerel is the same age. I have two older hens that he hangs out with because they let him do his thing but the pullets his same age are very annoyed with him so spend the day elsewhere. My hens are separating him for me so I agree with the above posts that separation is a good idea.