To Roo or not to Roo... that is the question!

[2ndTink]

From my short experience, I have 2 coops, one with 3 hens and one with 8 hens, no roosters and they are very peaceful. There is a boss hen in each group but they all seem healthy and relaxed. Last year I put the boss hen from the larger coop in isolation along her coop so she could see but not get to her flockmates. She was stirring things up to a frenzy constantly and it was driving me nuts. After a few days apart I put her back in and it's been peaceful ever since.

I have a new flock of 14 chicks I bought this spring and one is a whoops rooster, we are giving him a chance but his living arrangements will depend on his ability to be a benefit to the flock and not a hindrance.

 

[Stephine]

I don’t know what’s wrong with my flock, they are driving me batty. Had to rescue a second hen today (a Speckled Sussex, she’s the one who thinks she’s mine), found her with a bloody vent. I observed a bit more and also got my daughter to look for a fresh set of eyes on the situation, and I think my gorgeous Swedish Flowerhen turned from bossy to bully. And the little flowerhen that used to be near the bottom of the flock and harassed because of her feather crest (the only crested bird besides the roo) has now joined in the bullying. Grrr. Love the look of the SFH but they are some mean, loud, obnoxious hens....
So I will give out a round of pinless peepers to the troublemakers tonight And see if the situation improves. I now suspect that the older SFH is also responsible for picking the roos neck feathers out little by little. (Those two were brooder mates and are best buddies). Still no idea WHY she would be doing that - they have plenty of space, get out for most of the day every day, have plenty of food (including protein). Grrr. And I am getting 4 chicks next week to replace the latest losses - integration will be interesting....

 

[Stephine]

From my short experience, I have 2 coops, one with 3 hens and one with 8 hens, no roosters and they are very peaceful. There is a boss hen in each group but they all seem healthy and relaxed. Last year I put the boss hen from the larger coop in isolation along her coop so she could see but not get to her flockmates. She was stirring things up to a frenzy constantly and it was driving me nuts. After a few days apart I put her back in and it's been peaceful ever since.

I have a new flock of 14 chicks I bought this spring and one is a whoops rooster, we are giving him a chance but his living arrangements will depend on his ability to be a benefit to the flock and not a hindrance.

Thank you - that is good to hear. A peaceful, relaxed flock is what I dream of. I will definitely give the no rooster flock a try if I should lose this one for any reason. I have realized I have a bully hen as well and I will put her in isolation for a bit once these two pecked ones are healed, see if that calms her down...
Good luck with your accidental roo!

 

[Ribh]

I've always had an all hen flock of mixed breeds, both bantams & standards. My lead hen does everything a rooster would do except fertilise eggs. I have a lovely calm, peaceful flock that handles integrations well. I love roosters but feel my girls are better off without one.

 

[Stephine]

I've always had an all hen flock of mixed breeds, both bantams & standards. My lead hen does everything a rooster would do except fertilise eggs. I have a lovely calm, peaceful flock that handles integrations well. I love roosters but feel my girls are better off without one.

That sounds lovely! May I ask what breeds you have - and do they free range? So the lead hen watches out for hawks and things just like a rooster?

 

[Ridgerunner]

A good rooster does calm a flock. They break up fights and can make integration easier. They take care of all members of their flock. They don't attack humans. But not all roosters are good.

they have plenty of space, get out for most of the day every day

I'm interested in what this looks like. How much room inside and out and when is it available? Is there a specific time or place this bad behavior occurs? Also how many chickens total and ages involved. Limited room can aggravate behaviors and age (or maturity) is often a factor when one is being picked on. It sounds like you have had an unusual run of bad luck, more than your share. I'm looking for possible explanations.

Bad behavior by one can sometime trigger bad behavior from others. Chickens can be bullies. If they see one getting picked on sometimes they want to join in.

I try to solve for the peace of the flock. I don't keep individual chickens, I keep a flock that can have changeable parts. I have removed hens and roosters that interfere with the peace of the flock and my enjoyment of the flock. As far as I'm concerned there are too many good hens and too many good roosters out there to put up with a bad one.

I have had both success and failure when trying to change behaviors by isolating an individual. Good luck with that hen, that's probably what I would have tried.

 

[Ribh]

That sounds lovely! May I ask what breeds you have - and do they free range? So the lead hen watches out for hawks and things just like a rooster?

I live in a very low predation area so my girls can normally free range most of the day. Our biggest threat is roaming dogs but, yes, a hen will give the alarm & lead the girls to safety. My lead hen is a Barred Rock. My standards are BRs, FavorelleX, Wyandottes & Wyandotte Frizzles, Aracaunas & Campines. My bantams include Wyandottes, Belgians, Japanese & frizzleX. I've always had bantams & frizzles so my flock doesn't freak out about them & I have deliberately chosen breeds normally considered less domineering. I am in Australia & there seems to be considerable difference in general breed characteristics but I don't like bully girls & have avoided those breeds with a reputation for bossiness.

 

[Stephine]

A good rooster does calm a flock. They break up fights and can make integration easier. They take care of all members of their flock. They don't attack humans. But not all roosters are good.


I'm interested in what this looks like. How much room inside and out and when is it available? Is there a specific time or place this bad behavior occurs? Also how many chickens total and ages involved. Limited room can aggravate behaviors and age (or maturity) is often a factor when one is being picked on. It sounds like you have had an unusual run of bad luck, more than your share. I'm looking for possible explanations.

Bad behavior by one can sometime trigger bad behavior from others. Chickens can be bullies. If they see one getting picked on sometimes they want to join in.

I try to solve for the peace of the flock. I don't keep individual chickens, I keep a flock that can have changeable parts. I have removed hens and roosters that interfere with the peace of the flock and my enjoyment of the flock. As far as I'm concerned there are too many good hens and too many good roosters out there to put up with a bad one.

I have had both success and failure when trying to change behaviors by isolating an individual. Good luck with that hen, that's probably what I would have tried.

Thank you! So, I have 7 hens that are 5 years old (among them the bullied Brahma with ascites and the bullied SS who’s always been clinging to me), and one hen (the mean SFH) and a roo that are 4 years old. Those are my (surviving) firewalkers, who had to go without feed or water for 3 days and then be evacuated for 4 months when our home burned down in 2017. The stress of that experience might have affected their health. I have lost 4 since then and 3 of the remaining have chronic health issues. Then I also have 3 two year olds (the crested SFH and two Superblues).
Their coop is 6x10’, roost along one short and one long side, long trough feeders under the poop boards, 4 nest boxes external on one wall. Run is 6x13, with a shelf and a 8’ roost to hang out. I let them out of the coop in the morning when I get up any time between 7 and 9 at the latest, and they get let out of the run at about 11, most days until 6, sometimes later, seldom earlier. We have to stick to mid day hours because we are on a wildlife corridor (our creek) and we have ALL the predators from cougars over coyotes to bobcats AND hawks all day every day. Our dog stays with them when they roam and drives away anything that doesn’t belong.
Writing this I wonder, because they behaved much better during all those years when they couldn’t free range hardly ever because we weren’t living on the property... I wonder if the recent hawk attack and subsequent loss of the top hen and a middle hen contributed to this mayhem now... But that was in March...?
Anyway - yes, it looks like my 4yr old SFH bully inspired the young SFH... Hopefully the peepers and a bout of isolation will help. Meanwhile, the rooster issue of course remains...

 

[Stephine]

I live in a very low predation area so my girls can normally free range most of the day. Our biggest threat is roaming dogs but, yes, a hen will give the alarm & lead the girls to safety. My lead hen is a Barred Rock. My standards are BRs, FavorelleX, Wyandottes & Wyandotte Frizzles, Aracaunas & Campines. My bantams include Wyandottes, Belgians, Japanese & frizzleX. I've always had bantams & frizzles so my flock doesn't freak out about them & I have deliberately chosen breeds normally considered less domineering. I am in Australia & there seems to be considerable difference in general breed characteristics but I don't like bully girls & have avoided those breeds with a reputation for bossiness.

Yeah, we’re on the opposite end of the predation spectrum, unfortunately - though our coop and run are Fort Knox and our dog only allowed one hawk attack on his watch so far (poor thing didn’t see it coming - now he is super aware of the airspace as well). We have to limit outside time to when we can have the dog watch them, but they are out a lot.
I will definitely focus on mellow breeds from now on! No more SFH no matter
how beautiful they look...

 

[Stephine]

A good rooster does calm a flock. They break up fights and can make integration easier. They take care of all members of their flock. They don't attack humans. But not all roosters are good.


I'm interested in what this looks like. How much room inside and out and when is it available? Is there a specific time or place this bad behavior occurs? Also how many chickens total and ages involved. Limited room can aggravate behaviors and age (or maturity) is often a factor when one is being picked on. It sounds like you have had an unusual run of bad luck, more than your share. I'm looking for possible explanations.

Bad behavior by one can sometime trigger bad behavior from others. Chickens can be bullies. If they see one getting picked on sometimes they want to join in.

I try to solve for the peace of the flock. I don't keep individual chickens, I keep a flock that can have changeable parts. I have removed hens and roosters that interfere with the peace of the flock and my enjoyment of the flock. As far as I'm concerned there are too many good hens and too many good roosters out there to put up with a bad one.

I have had both success and failure when trying to change behaviors by isolating an individual. Good luck with that hen, that's probably what I would have tried.

Forgot to add: bad behavior seems all day long. Worse when I first let them into the run and after I call them back into the run from outside. I throw treats to get them to come back, so of course that makes it worse. Then again at roosting time. My SS just goes and hides in a nest box until I put her on the roost after dark. The only time they are really good is mid day when it’s nap time.