Sexually frustrated rooster is getting pretty nasty

[motorboat]

I have two roosters. One is older and dominate. That is he gets all the hens and they follow his lead. My other rooster plays second fiddle and it appears it's really getting to him. Last year he started mating (or trying to) for the first time. We thought it was funny at first because he struggled with it a little bit. I even made a video of it.


Eventually he was able to mate. It wasn't a lot. He seemed to fumble a lot but I think the biggest problem was the hens didn't squat for him. Now they completely ignore him and everything rooster thing he does. When he finds food and calls for them they ignore him. All the things a rooster does for the hens they ignore him. Lately it's gotten really bad. He's assaulting the hens. I will hear a ruckus and see him just biting on their necks, not even getting to a mount. Usually another hen or the other rooster will break it up. Then he gets really frustrated and he starts chasing a hen around the pen. He gets real low his wings are sticking out and he just runs them all over the pen like he wants to kill them. Again someone will step in and he runs away.

Am I right that he's frustrated? While I was watching some of this today the main rooster walks up behind a hen, she squats and they mate. I know he sees this and wants to do the same but the hens aren't cooperating and I think it's driving him insane. Also, he basically struts for females ALL DAY. I mean ALL DAY he struts around them and makes calls.

What can I do? I have the room to make another coop and run but that's a lot of work and money for one rooster and a couple of hens.

Please help

Thanks

 

[lizanne]

Oh my gosh, that's so funny and sad at the same time.

Poor guy can't get any ladies. If you are really worried about him, maybe you could separate your flock, or make a pen for him and a couple of the girls away from the head rooster. They might like him a little better if they spent a little quality time with him.

 

[woodsygal]

Awww, poor guy. Do you have enough hens for 2 roosters?

 

[motorboat]

Awww, poor guy. Do you have enough hens for 2 roosters?

Oh yeah. I have 14 hens.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

14 hens isn't really enough for two roosters. In a situation like yours where you have all the birds in one flock together, you want at least 10-12 hens per rooster. I would get more birds or cull one rooster.

I keep up to four roosters in one flock at a time with no issues, but I also have 75 hens.

 

[motorboat]

14 hens isn't really enough for two roosters. In a situation like yours where you have all the birds in one flock together, you want at least 10-12 hens per rooster. I would get more birds or cull one rooster.

I keep up to four roosters in one flock at a time with no issues, but I also have 75 hens.

I have read here that too many hens will stress a rooster out so I was going by that.

If I do build a pen for him (I was actually going to expand the one I already have) I would get more hens but I would think 5-6 would be enough for him. I actually want some Ameraucanas for him to breed with.

He really seems to go off late afternoon early evening. There's something about that time of day where his hormones or whatever drives a rooster's mating instincts really kicks in. During the day he's fine. 5-6 o'clock and he's nuts.

p.s. I can't imagine the eggs you get. Do you sell them or what?

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I have never heard that too many hens will stress a rooster.

Mine don't seem upset. In fact, I just lost two roosters, one to a foot infection and one culled because he was showing signs of respiratory disease, so now I have 75 hens and one rooster. He looks OK to me...

We are having a bad spring, and only get around 50 eggs per day, which is an AWFUL rate of lay right now. Dunno why. I'll probably have to check all the hens and sell the ones that aren't laying on Craigslist soon. Sigh. Yes, we have an egg business. We are very lucky in that we can sell every single egg we produce, plus have a waiting list for eggs.

 

[PeachPie]

14 hens isn't really enough for two roosters. In a situation like yours where you have all the birds in one flock together, you want at least 10-12 hens per rooster. I would get more birds or cull one rooster.

I keep up to four roosters in one flock at a time with no issues, but I also have 75 hens.

Wow that's alot of hens. You keep them in a run or do they roam free? I had 36 at the beginning of spring but because I let them roam free, I have lost 8 to predators.