I am new to raising chickens, this is my first flock. We bought 8 chicks in May that were about 3-4 days old. We were told they would all be hens but we ended up with a rooster. He has been with all the hens since day 1 but recently is getting mean and aggressive with them. He chases them around, corners them and then pecks at them. They try and stay away from him for the most part. I'm not sure what to do about him. Would he be the reason none of our hens ( 4 months old) are laying eggs? Any advice?
What you are seeing is very typical and normal.
Males reach sexual maturity at a younger age than females do, he is trying to dominate and/or mate them and has no idea 'how'.
They can cause some real havoc and it can be disturbing to see for the uninitiated.
16 weeks is early for laying, unless you have sexlinked/high production breeds...18-24 weeks is the average age for onset of lay.
You'll need to decide if you
want a male in your flock.....I put my extra cockerels on the grill, or sell/give them away, before 16 weeks.
If you want to keep him, separating him until the pullets are ready to mate/lay is an option.
Lots of space and places for the pullets to get away from him can help too.
But if he's cornering them, pinning them down, and drawing blood, it might be best to separate or get rid of him.
