Suggestions for helping a rooster to accept a hen please

[AlJoy]

Hi everyone, I would like to hear suggestions from anyone who has been successful in getting a rooster change from attacking a hen to accepting her.

Behavior suggestions only please, not rehoming or culling.

We have a good hen to rooster ratio and plenty of space, water and food - no issues there.

The rooster was hatched by us, so he grew up in the flock. He is 9 months old now. The hen who gets attacked, Ivory, came into the flock when the rooster was a few months old. She was a little bit older than him and started laying eggs shortly after she became part of the flock. She is healthy and well liked by the other hens.

In the beginning our rooster really liked Ivory but once he 'became a man', he started attacking her. He plays nicely with all the others. Every day he chases her and will attack her, even drawing blood, unless humans intervene. When she sees him come towards her, often she squats down for him. If he is running towards her in attack mode however she runs.

I keep them separate, except for supervised interaction.

What are some things you have done and been successful in resolving something like this? I look forward to hearing and learning from you. Thank you!

 

[The Moonshiner]

Are you sure it's a pullet?
That's odd behavior.

 

[Mrs. K]

Pictures would be good. Measurements would be good. It might not be a pullet.

But you need to separate someone. Either the victim or the bully. You could try pin-less peepers and see. But generally you want your rooster to be aware of possible predators.

Always solve for peace in the flock, always. Even if they are not getting attacked, it is upsetting to the other birds, and the flock is tense. Not a good thing.

Mrs K

 

[AlJoy]

Are you sure it's a pullet?
That's odd behavior.

Thank you for your reply. I think I was tired and not clear enough in my writing. The rooster attacks the hen. The hen was a pullet when she became part of our flock. At that time she was a few months older than the rooster. She began laying eggs about a month after she came to our flock.

 

[AlJoy]

Pictures would be good. Measurements would be good. It might not be a pullet.

But you need to separate someone. Either the victim or the bully. You could try pin-less peepers and see. But generally you want your rooster to be aware of possible predators.

Always solve for peace in the flock, always. Even if they are not getting attacked, it is upsetting to the other birds, and the flock is tense. Not a good thing.

Mrs K

Thank you for your reply. I separate them except for supervised interaction. But it's stressful and I don't want to keep them separate forever. It hasn't moved forward yet. I am looking for peaceful resolutions, yes, always do.

 

[Brooks_]

Thank you for your reply. I think I was tired and not clear enough in my writing. The rooster attacks the hen. The hen was a pullet when she became part of our flock. At that time she was a few months older than the rooster. She began laying eggs about a month after she came to our flock.

Could it be very aggressive mating that you're witnessing?

 

[Mrs. K]

Thing is, sometimes they don't resolve. Sometimes you get a bird or two that does not fit, no matter what you do. Just a fact of chicken keeping. I don't like that stress on me or the birds, my chickens are suppose to be fun for me, and peaceful for them.

 

[AlJoy]

Could it be very aggressive mating that you're witnessing?

Thank you Brooks for making suggestions for me! It could be. He never mates with her. Just chases her down and bites her neck, draws blood, and doesn't mate. Or he bites her neck and flies over her (best case scenario, because he just lets go after biting once and flies over). I'm worried that he will kill her because he will continue to hold her down and bite her. Sometimes this has happened and I've seen her just barely get up and sit still, then recover later.

 

[Mrs. K]

Really this is rather odd. Can you add some pictures of the set up? He should not be doing that. Maybe some video of the attack?

Something is wrong somewhere.

Mrs K

 

[McChooky]

My hen only flock chased my cockerels after I separated them from the pullets and refused to mate them. They are now chased by the same cockerels if they get close to the pullets I released a month ago. They all eat and lay in the same run but free range and roost in 2 separate areas and coops.Some chickens don't get along.