Surrogate mama hen attacking and fighting 16 wk cockerel

[sherrenae]

You all know this is my first time raising chickens. Earlier this week, I noticed Pippa (Dutch bantam, surrogate mama hen) was limping. She has just come out of her broodiness AGAIN but was still sleeping in the laying box at night. The 16 week old little Serama rooster that she raised from 1 day old, was pecking at her and she was limping away from him. I brought her in the house hoping she didn't have bumblefoot. She sat in Epsom salt water for about 10 minutes, then added triple antibiotic ointment and bandage. She slept in the bathroom. Next day I figured out it was scaly leg mite on her right foot. So I stood her up and soaked her foot in vegetable oil. All the scales are now gone and she is walking normal (and pooping every 3 feet). (I let her know that 2-ply Cottonelle was not cheap!) Finally today (Sat.), she woke me up crowing just like the serama rooster. HA After her breakfast of tuna, I took her back out to the shed/coop. She immediately went for the rooster and started fighting him. It was beak to beak, chest to chest, up in the air and he would dart under her legs and come around and start fighting her again! This did not let up. So I put her in the shed part and left him and the serama hen in the coop and run. I ran here to ask about this. He is still out there crowing. Is she attacking him because he was picking on her when she was sick? Also, I have a concrete floor in my shed and the back (coop) has shavings on the floor. I am presently cleaning that out trying to remove all the dirt and dust. Thanks in advance.

 

[Chickassan]

She's doing it because she's done he is grown and coming up on sexual maturity from the sound of things.
She wants no part of it and is letting him know.
He's a man now, not a chick and she's a mama with sore feet just looking to rest and recuperate..

 

[Mrs. K]

I would pull the rooster, not the hen. I am not sure if you have other hens? Pulling a hen from the flock is very hard on the pecking order and often causes more problems than it fixes.

However, roosters tend to be more aggressive and can work themselves back into the flock.

Often times pulling a juvenile rooster, just makes the hen flock much more happy. A juvenile rooster can be such an obnoxious bird, but often times a couple of months will help, however sometimes it doesn't. Roosters are a crap shoot.

Mrs K

 

[sherrenae]

I just went back out there to check on them. She had knocked the screen door out of the frame and was inside the coop calmly walking around and eating. Samson (the cockerel) was up on one of the roosting bars with his mate. I guess Mama let him know she ain't playing.

 

[sherrenae]

She's doing it because she's done he is grown and coming up on sexual maturity from the sound of things.
She wants no part of it and is letting him know.
He's a man now, not a chick and she's a mama with sore feet just looking to rest and recuperate..

Thank you. He has a lot to learn about women.

 

[sherrenae]

I would pull the rooster, not the hen. I am not sure if you have other hens? Pulling a hen from the flock is very hard on the pecking order and often causes more problems than it fixes.

However, roosters tend to be more aggressive and can work themselves back into the flock.

Often times pulling a juvenile rooster, just makes the hen flock much more happy. A juvenile rooster can be such an obnoxious bird, but often times a couple of months will help, however sometimes it doesn't. Roosters are a crap shoot.

Mrs K

Hello. I only have a young serama pair and one bantam hen. Just 3. + 5 cats

 

[Chickassan]

He does, he's very small so he'd better learn fast and be nice to the teachers.

Thank you. He has a lot to learn about women.

 

[sherrenae]

He does, he's very small so he'd better learn fast and be nice to the teachers.

Well I guess her foot is no longer sore. This evening around 6:30, I was giving them some grapes. Right before my eyes she let little 4 month old himself show her just how manly he is. OMG! His aggressiveness must have got him back in. Just shake my head.