Sudden Aggression By Rooster to One Hen

[New Flockman]

Some odd stuff going on here.

Max, our Black Australorpe rooster, has suddenly started being aggressive with one of our youngest hens, Ebony. In fact, this BSL hen was the product of Max and our Buff Orp, Bea, and is barely a year old. Both Ebony and her sister Lacey have been some of Max's favorite mating partners since they became old enough to attract his interest.

Max drives her away from food, water, the dirt bath and the roost bar. Her egg laying has not slowed (she is our best layer!) and he doesn't seem to be stopping her from entering a nest box but she is prevented from any and all flock activities. She sneaks around and gets enough food and water and eventually gets on the roost bar at night after a lot of angst. If he gets within a certain distance of Max, he chases her around the yard. Her behavior when chased is to puff up around her neck, drop her wingtips and run like hell. The other hens are participating in the ostresizing sometimes by sharp pecks when Ebony gets close. Thus far, after about four days of this, there is no apparent injuries to Ebony, but it's not letting up either. What the heck is going on. How can this go from a happy flock where the roo protects his hens against all aggressors to one where the roo is attacking one of his hens?

 

[keesmom]

Are you positive she is still laying? Is she outside all day or does she spend a lot of time hanging around the nestboxes?

 

[Tripp16]

Hi!

This is strange. Quick question though, if there anyway she could be showing broody signs? Puffing up at the others, clucking like a broody? Anything at all?

The reason I ask is, I had a Barred rock hen go broody a few years back and the rooster saw the puffed up and clucking as threat I guess and did the same your rooster is doing. She was his favorite as well. He ended up attacking her one day while I was gone and almost killing. Thank God I got to her in time.

She may not be, just what I thought may could be the cause of this strange behavior. Good luck!!

 

[New Flockman]

Yep, absolutely positive she is still laying daily. She and her sis are always on the nest first thing and we often get to watch them go in and come out, as well as collecting their still-warm eggs. Plus, I have learned to recognize each hen's egg by size, color and shape.

The broody thing did occur to us as well because her posture is similar to those adopted by Bea when she went broody. In that case, Max exhibited no aggression at all. If anything, we think Max has been encouraging the hens to go broody at times by calling them into the coop and demonstrating the use of the nest boxes all the while grunting like he does when tidbitting.

We're clueless and wonder if we need to remove the hen (which creates many other problems).

 

[Tripp16]

Yep, absolutely positive she is still laying daily. She and her sis are always on the nest first thing and we often get to watch them go in and come out, as well as collecting their still-warm eggs. Plus, I have learned to recognize each hen's egg by size, color and shape.

The broody thing did occur to us as well because her posture is similar to those adopted by Bea when she went broody. In that case, Max exhibited no aggression at all. If anything, we think Max has been encouraging the hens to go broody at times by calling them into the coop and demonstrating the use of the nest boxes all the while grunting like he does when tidbitting.

We're clueless and wonder if we need to remove the hen (which creates many other problems).

That is very weird. I don't think I have ever heard of a rooster ganging up on a hen like he doesn't like her. Just solve the problem like I do! Build a new coop and get another rooster! Hahaha

 

[New Flockman]

I want to correct myself above. My wife reminded me that when Bea went broody, Max chased here around a bit... apparently trying to drive her onto the nest. Ebony isn't really going classically broody, or fully broody shall we say, but perhaps she's given Max enough signals that he's now rather forcefully telling her to get her feathery butt onto the nest and stay there until she produces more progeny. Maybe she's saying, "I'm a career girl and don't want any kids."

But what the heck do I know! This is a first for us and none of my research has thus far yielded any broody-like situations this severe. Old Max is usually a pretty mellow guy and he's never been tough on his girls.