Stupid Roosters!!!!!

[hillbilly123]

Alright folks, here is the skinny:

I have 24 chickens, 20 hens and 4 roos, all about 20 weeks old. I have 17 SS hens and 3 Red Star hens, and 4 SS roos. The roos are being very naughty with the hens, to the point that the hens wont goto their roost at night, and its become a thing to get them to bed. They are also acting aggressive with my youngest daughter, she is 6. They are not flogging her, but they run up to her and bob their head up and down and scare her. I told her to kick a field goal, but she is scared.

The force is out of balance and I need to restore order.

Will eating a couple of the roos do the trick? Should I get rid of all 4 or can I keep one or two? Is this just a phase or is my flock out of whack? I have not killed and eaten any of my chickens yet. I raised these dang things from chicks and actually enjoy having them around the farm, so I feel sore about killing them, but I will to restore harmony.

Need to know what the right thing to do is folks, don't hold back and tell me howto get my flock back to harmony. Also, assuming that some need to go, what do I look for in the keepers? They are all acting up equally.....

 

[Summer98]

I'm having this same issue right now, except I have two roosters. I'm thinking the one rooster needs to go, but I don't want to kill him myself. Maybe someone will want him on craigslist for dinner? I too, raised the little guy and I actually like his crow, but he attacked at me tonight and I did not enjoy that.

 

[ClareScifi]

I have found a rooster solution. I raised my little boy from a tiny chick, and he was so sweet-- until hormones kicked in-- and now he will always run after me to attack.

But I love him, so my SO rigged up a way I can keep him confined in the one run by sliding a glass door closed from the outside. I can go in and do my chores in peace without fear of being attacked.

We have a plastic mesh fence around the runs. If I want bonding time I feed him fresh greens through the holes of the mesh fence, and he loves that. I can talk to him and stick one finger through and rub his chest with it, and he enjoys that. I talk to him a lot. But he can't get me, and that is all it takes to co-exist in peace.

I had thought I had done something wrong raising him, but now I see he is just one fine, exemplary rooster, eager to protect his girls. The other day he had cornered a garter snake, and had his hens encircle it, and he gave them a lecture on snakes. It was hilarious to observe. No one got hurt-- neither snake nor chooks-- although I'll bet the snake was scared.

If I need to do work in the pen without the rooster around pecking at me, I just call him by name, and he usually comes running obediently like a dog into the pen in which I confine him. I think he senses that it is for both of our own good. He's very intelligent.

I love being able to keep my boy. I was so afraid I'd have to give him away, but that sliding window has worked wonders. A simple solution.

My boy is not mean to the hens, though. That would be a harder problem. He is quite chivalrous, and when I take out treats, he makes sure his girls have had their fill of them before he indulges in them, himself. He will also find treats for them, point them out, and stand back and let them go at them first. A rooster adds so very much charm and interest to a flock. I hadn't planned on one, but I'm sure glad I got the blessing of one, via the surprise hatch!

 

[Daisy8s]

1. I told her to kick a field goal, but she is scared.

2. Is this just a phase or is my flock out of whack?

1. Physically harming the rooster is not a solution. You may win the battle but you've then started a war that will have no end, or rather, ends unhappily with a dead rooster. There are hundreds of posts from people who crow about their creative methods for beating up, humiliating, intimidating, their rooster and every one of them says that they then have to watch their backs and repeat their methods regularly.

2. You said your flock is about 20 weeks--just exactly at the point where the roosters are feeling their hormones and figuring out their roles in the flock. With 4 of them there is going to be the added stress of jockying for position. So, yes, this is a phase.

If you search carefully through threads about roosters you will find posts from people who have great roosters. They say that the successful, long-term strategy is understanding the rooster's instincts. Here's a little summary of what I've gleaned from them and what I've experienced first-hand with my roosters.
1. You are not a rooster so don't try to be one--don't try to be at the "top of the pecking order". That's nonsense. You don't need to fight with him to establish dominance--people are mixing up how mammals such as dogs in packs relate to each other with the instincts of poultry. Totally different animals needing totally different methods.

2. The rooster's job is to look for danger. If you move or sound like something dangerous he'll react to you that way. So, move calmly and predictably. Don't accidentally corner him. Don't make loud sounds. Don't bend over or reach over top of him. Be considerate of how you might appear to something much smaller than you.

3. Think of your rooster's stage right now as that of the Terrible Twos for a toddler. They must test everything. The more the parent freaks out the more the kid is excited; conversely, if the parent nonchalantly ignores something then the kid moves on to something else. So, when my rooster did his first testing pecks I completely ignored them. Luckily it was winter so it didn't hurt when he pecked my boots or gloves. I never reacted at all. He pecked a few times...walked away...came back and pecked a few more times. That was it. This happened over a 5 minute time span every day for about a week and then never happened again. He learned pecking a human was as uninteresting as pecking the wall of his coop. I neither retaliated nor did I retreat. I was dead boring.

Once, months later the rooster met my 5-yr-old son as he got off the school bus. I was watching out the window. The rooster began walking around my son in a suspicious manner. I yelled to my son to hold perfectly still. He did, the rooster finished his inspection, and then moved on. The culprit--my son was wearing new shoes. Roosters must inspect anything new in their territory to determine if it is a threat. So long as we don't act as if we're a threat (being aggressive) the rooster will learn to ignore that new thing.

I hope this helps you. I suggest you do lots more reading from people with well-mannered roosters. There is a science to it that is rewarding when you understand it. Best wishes.

 

[Firefly1v]

You don't need all 4 roos for 20 hens. You would be fine with just 2 of them.

Do you have a way to close up the 2 you would get rid of to see how the other 2 act? Give them a week or so and if they are nice then you know you have your 2 keepers. If they aren't try the other 2 or switch one or the other. Give them a week or so to see how they act without all the other boys around. If none of them calm down in pairs try just one. Sometimes they calm down when there is no other competition. Just make sure they do take care of the girls and are gentlemen to the hens. If they have no manners and don't take care of them they probably won't protect them either. Craigslist is a good way to get rid of them if you don't want to process them.

Good Luck!

 

[hearts34]

When the're teenagers, it's kinda funny with their challenges. Getting flogged isn't that big a deal.

A full grown roo is a different story. Especially if you have children. If you do wish to keep an aggressive full grown roo, keep his spurs off. I had one as a teenager and the first thing I did when going into the pen was get him by his feet and transition him under my arm and do the chores one handed. He was a large RIR, about 9 lbs. When the chores were done, I made my way back to the coop door and tossed him in and closed the door behind him.

 

[Mrs. K]

You do not mention your coop size, but I have noticed a big difference in my flock depending on the number of birds I have in the flock. Over the years, I have determined that 12 head fit best in my coop/run set up. In the summer, I can get by with more chickens, as I free range every day, but come the fall, I need to be back to that 12 head. Right now, I have 7 layers, a roo and 12- month old chicks. Last night I noticed a little stress in the coop as they were getting settled for the night, I see two layers are roosting on top of the nest boxes, not on the roost with the others. The chicks are still on the floor, but their mother hen is back to roosting.

You say, that most of the flock is 20 weeks old, they are getting close to full size, and therefore are needing more room.

So my advice to you is to pick your most dominant rooster, that is closest to standard, get rid of the other 3. Then maybe reduce your layer numbers too, say by 5 head. That would bring you down to a flock of about 14, give or take how many you cull. See how that goes for say a month, if they have settled down nicely, you know that you can keep at least that many in that set up, next year, add a couple more, if it gets stressed, then you adjust your numbers again.

I got this idea, cause a couple of times I went from 14-18 head to 8 -12 head, and was rather surprised at the difference it made. They do need space.

MrsK

 

[hillbilly123]

Thanks folks, all the feedback is very informative. Our roos have actually seemed to calm down a little as the weather has cooled off. They are still getting after the hens a little but it has slowed down dramatically. We have been catching them and petting them though, so I wonder if handling them more often is helping some as well.

 

[Mrs. K]

You do not mention the size of your run/coop set up. At 20 weeks all are getting close to full size, and are taking up more room. I have through trial in error, discovered that my coop/run set up, will handle 12 head. More than that, and my flock gets stressed. I tend to run more than that in the summer, as I am adding chicks to the flock, and I free range a great deal of the time, and the days are long. But by late fall, I need to be back to that 12 head. Currently I have 7 layers, and a roo, and a dozen month old chicks. Last night I noticed a little stress as they went into roost. The chicks are still on the floor, but two of the hens have moved to the top of the nesting box, the broody hen is back to roosting.

My suggestion to you, is to cull 3 of the roosters, and maybe 5 of the hens. That would bring down your flock to a size one rooster would be enough, and see how it goes. I think in a week you will see a big difference in your flock dynamics. If that reduces the stress, then next year, you can try a few more head, and see.


I know you can measure your space, and use that as a guide, but experience is important too. I found this out, through the years, I have gone from 15-18 head to 8-12 head, the difference is really rather surprising. They do need room.

MrsK

 

[Mrs. K]

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