The roosters role in the flock

[WaveyCreekChickens]

My rooster went from gentleman to grumpy bum. I kept him out of 5 cockerels because he called the hens when he found special treats. While he still does this, when it comes to regular food, he pecks the hens so they leave. He will go to the food as soon as a hen goes to the food, as if she reminded him of it. (The food is always available.) Then he makes her leave. Not only that, he started pecking the lower ranking hens, just for walking by him. No blood or anything like that, just enough to make them be wary of him. He has never been aggressive with me. I can pick him up, no problem, he is ok with that.
All the chickens are 2.5 years old.
Now I am curious how normal this behaviour is.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Older birds will go out of production to molt and recover during fall and early winter. They generally stop or slow down mating, and egg laying. During those time I'm sure some roosters look after themselves first, and can be a bit more pushy so they get the nutrients to molt faster and get back into production.

In a few months after the winter solstice, the hormones will start to surge under increasing light, and he should start tending the females again. There's probably less incentives to tend to hens when they can't reproduce.

 

[WaveyCreekChickens]

Older birds will go out of production to molt and recover during fall and early winter. They generally stop or slow down mating, and egg laying. During those time I'm sure some roosters look after themselves first, and can be a bit more pushy so they get the nutrients to molt faster and get back into production.

In a few months after the winter solstice, the hormones will start to surge under increasing light, and he should start tending the females again. There's probably less incentives to tend to hens when they can't reproduce.

Thank you so much for taking the time to explain that to me!
I feel so much better about him now. I thought he was going through a personality change.
When he keeps the hens from eating after he had a bunch of food I stick him in the coop and he takes a while to bumble back out. By then he has forgotten was he was doing before.

 

[kerbotx]

My rooster Floyd is great in most respects, but lately he's been very picky about who he lets roost next to him at night. He will peck certain hens away, even if it means standing back up, walking down the roost or over to the other roost, and pecking at them, then going back to his spot to settle down again. I have this one Black Copper Maran hen that went broody this summer, raised 8 healthy babies, and is now working her way back into the ranks. She's always been low in the social order, but she's always been one of Floyd's favorites. He's currently letting her sleep by him... I'm curious to see how his behavior may change the pecking order dynamics!

 

[WaveyCreekChickens]

I now serve their “wet” food on 5 plates/bowls. The rooster does a lot better that way, and the hens have lots of options.
Another thing I have tried that worked was fed him ahead of feeding time, and it took the edge off his hunger/aggression.

 

[LaFleche]

When he keeps the hens from eating after he had a bunch of food

I just butchered my otherwise very good senior rooster for the same behaviour: he stuffed himself with food until he would almost fall over and still went to pick the hens away from the feeder.
During the past three years he was a very watchful, protective and caring rooster, so I took the time and watched his behaviour for almost two weeks until I had seen enough.
The moulting hens getting starved and even slightly injured while he was getting bigger and fatter by the day. He turned out to be extremely heavy with enormous fat pads.

I do not know what led to this change of behaviour, maybe an injury to the head that he sustained while protecting his hens from a hawk attack some weeks ago.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

It is the off season. Are any of your hens still laying? Roosters are dominant over hens, so it isn't unusual, especially if the hens aren't currently fertile.

 

[WaveyCreekChickens]

M

My rooster only hangs out with humans.
No hens in sight, except for when he is watching his videos.
So every once in a while we get our toes pecked.

I am confused Is that a chicken (doesn’t look like a rooster?) watching a rooster on TV?

 

[Hei 20]

I am confused Is that a chicken (doesn’t look like a rooster?) watching a rooster on TV?

That's when he was training how to crow.
He is a few weeks older now.

 

[NatJ]

when it comes to regular food, he pecks the hens so they leave. He will go to the food as soon as a hen goes to the food, as if she reminded him of it. (The food is always available.) Then he makes her leave.

If you only have one feeder, you could try adding a second one, far enough away that he can't guard both at once.