Timid Rooster

[mizgina]

I have 5 hens, 1 rooster and 1 tom turkey. We got them all as babies 10 months ago. They were all raised in the same inside pen until it was time to go outside. We got them so early that I am guessing they missed the sexing of one of them because we believed were where getting all female chickens. The tom we got not caring about the sex,

The tom LOVES the hens, I will often find him outside laying down and the hens are all around him. He is gobble loudly when they go too far from him. He guards them. The rooster on the other hand is totally docile. He has spurs and he does mount the hens but he is totally uninterested in protecting the hens, He is even more afraid of me than the hens.

Is this normal? I am not really complaining as the are free range on a fenced acre in a place that really doesn't have an danger and if a stray dog even walks down the road my tom just raises the alarm. I am going through all this for the first time, as in the past only had 3 hens

Thanks for any helps.

 

[sourland]

Not all that unusual behavior especially in a young rooster. What about a turkey hen or two for the tom? If he starts breeding the chicken hens, problems will ensue.

 

[centrarchid]

  Not all that unusual behavior especially in a young rooster.  What about a turkey hen or two for the tom?  If he starts breeding the chicken hens, problems will ensue.

I would follow the advice above. Addition of a turkey hen(s) will encourage species to operate less closely enabling rooster to realize more natural interaction with hen chickens and reduce tom's interest in potential girl friends that are too small. Current setup likely has where tom whoops on rooster when he latter tries to interact with hens.