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

[U_Stormcrow]

I'm breeding, so I need to have a rooster - but as soon as I'm seeing aggression in the rooster, he goes - even if it means I don't have a ready replacement. And because I'm breeding, I'm always looking for a better rooster. The bird being replaced becomes sausage.

Were I you, I'd cull and replace with another Roo, that fits my circumstances - but if I wasn't breeding? I'd give a lot of thought to going Roo-less for a while. Unlike productive layers, replacement Roos are dime a dozen.

 

[Smiles-N-Sunshine]

I think roos are a blast and can't imagine keeping chickens without one, but yeah, I judge them harshly on temperament. I've had the best experiences with dual-purpose breeds, and *not* showering them with affection as youngsters. It seems counterintuitive but a hen who's comfortable with humans may sleep in your lap, and a roo may try to get away with giving you the ol' wing slap just because he can.

 

[bobbi-j]

I have had flocks with roosters and flocks without. My current adult flock is hens only. We ate the rooster this spring because he tried to kill one hen and viciously attacked another. My hens are perfectly happy not being harassed by him. They free range every day, all day.

As for some of your other issues, your hen with ascites is being attacked because she is sick. Chickens are not kind, compassionate animals. They attack and try to kill them because they instinctively want to eliminate weakness in the flock. Were your chickens penned or free ranged when the one got the bloody vent? If penned, maybe it’s too crowded for them. Does your run have hiding places and different levels for your chickens, or is it a big bare place?

 

[Stephine]

q qa

I have had flocks with roosters and flocks without. My current adult flock is hens only. We ate the rooster this spring because he tried to kill one hen and viciously attacked another. My hens are perfectly happy not being harassed by him. They free range every day, all day.

As for some of your other issues, your hen with ascites is being attacked because she is sick. Chickens are not kind, compassionate animals. They attack and try to kill them because they instinctively want to eliminate weakness in the flock. Were your chickens penned or free ranged when the one got the bloody vent? If penned, maybe it’s too crowded for them. Does your run have hiding places and different levels for your chickens, or is it a big bare place?

Thanks! I am sure you’re right about the aggression towards sick birds. This hen has had ascites for at least a couple of years now and they have been tolerating her fine. She is a big peaceful Brahma who used to be among the top hens. It’s the roo that wants to jump on top of her any time he gets a chance that caused her to hide under the ramp when in the run, but he has eventually worn down her feathers enough that she got a sore. The run has some hiding places and levels. It has a shelf (an old wooden Ikea shelf with a cover on one side to make a box open on the long side) and a roost to get away from others, but the Brahma is too heavy to go up there and the SS had her top wing feathers worn down so much she can’t fly anymore either. There’s an overturned flower pot to make the roost easier to get to, but at five years old and being not that agile, she can’t get there easily...
I should post a picture.

 

[Ridgerunner]

11 hens and one rooster, all very mature, in a 6x10 coop and a 6x13 run. They free range from say 11:00 to 6:00. There are health issues. Behavior is bad all day but worse when they are in the run or going to bed. You lost the dominant hen a couple of months back so the pecking order was shaken up then. Was this when the problems started?

That run is small but when they are in the run they also have access to the coop. I don't think the size of the run is the main problem though I always like more room. Integrating those four young chicks could be interesting, especially with your predator issues. Predator safe space may be at a premium. More room would not hurt a thing. Clutter could help.

Strange as this sounds, what I think happened is that your dominant hen was running the flock more than your rooster. At 4 years old a rooster should not be behaving like that toward the hens. They should not be running away from him. He should be able to win them over by his self-confidence and magnificence. Instead he has to rely on brute strength. He's not going to keep peace in his flock, he's probably afraid of a hen with a strong personality. So he picks on the weak.

To be as clear as I can, I'd get rid or that rooster. He is not part of the solution. That's without even considering that he has attacked you.

It's not unusual for a flock (or certain flock members) to try to run a sick or injured chicken out of the flock. Or even kill them. They can attract a predator which puts the rest of the flock in danger. It's an instinct from when they were feral. It seems cruel and heartless to us but to them it was about self-preservation. If you want to keep the sick you may want to come up with alternate housing.

I have solved some bullying behavior by isolating the bully for a while. It doesn't always work but it sometimes does. I've solved bullying by permanently removing the bully. You don't know who will then rise to the top and how they will behave but it's unlikely to be worse. I've solved behavioral problems by removing the one being picked on. That got me back to a peaceful flock. A friend once called me ruthless when she saw how I managed my flock. I think she was exactly right. To me the flock is the entity, the individual chickens are replaceable parts. It sounds like to you they are individual pets. You may need to go to some extra steps (like separate housing) to achieve what you want.

Good luck with it. This kind of stuff isn't always easy.

 

[mangotangolango]

Maybe a small breed like a bantam (They like to attack your ankles)

 

[LizzzyJo]

I've had my flock with and without a rooster.

I have never had a 'good boy' rooster experience, but there were months in there when I didn't get attacked
As much as I love the idea of fertilized eggs, self sustainability, flock protection, and a nice lawn ornament, I have settled on the no rooster life. He separates me from my hens. They don't hop into my lap when I have a roo. I can't easily pick them up for health checks. I can't let my very competent neighbor girl watch them (attacks).

In my experience, roos make my flock more sustainable and more beautiful, but they lessen my calm enjoyment of my pets and hobby. Plus I hate wearing jeans and they scratch the daylights out of my legs on bad days.

I have lightly considered getting a bantam roo... we will see. If he attacks I could just flick him.

 

[Stephine]

Maybe a small breed like a bantam (They like to attack your ankles)

Ha! I don’t think I like my ankles attacked any better...

 

[Stephine]

11 hens and one rooster, all very mature, in a 6x10 coop and a 6x13 run. They free range from say 11:00 to 6:00. There are health issues. Behavior is bad all day but worse when they are in the run or going to bed. You lost the dominant hen a couple of months back so the pecking order was shaken up then. Was this when the problems started?

That run is small but when they are in the run they also have access to the coop. I don't think the size of the run is the main problem though I always like more room. Integrating those four young chicks could be interesting, especially with your predator issues. Predator safe space may be at a premium. More room would not hurt a thing. Clutter could help.

Strange as this sounds, what I think happened is that your dominant hen was running the flock more than your rooster. At 4 years old a rooster should not be behaving like that toward the hens. They should not be running away from him. He should be able to win them over by his self-confidence and magnificence. Instead he has to rely on brute strength. He's not going to keep peace in his flock, he's probably afraid of a hen with a strong personality. So he picks on the weak.

To be as clear as I can, I'd get rid or that rooster. He is not part of the solution. That's without even considering that he has attacked you.

It's not unusual for a flock (or certain flock members) to try to run a sick or injured chicken out of the flock. Or even kill them. They can attract a predator which puts the rest of the flock in danger. It's an instinct from when they were feral. It seems cruel and heartless to us but to them it was about self-preservation. If you want to keep the sick you may want to come up with alternate housing.

I have solved some bullying behavior by isolating the bully for a while. It doesn't always work but it sometimes does. I've solved bullying by permanently removing the bully. You don't know who will then rise to the top and how they will behave but it's unlikely to be worse. I've solved behavioral problems by removing the one being picked on. That got me back to a peaceful flock. A friend once called me ruthless when she saw how I managed my flock. I think she was exactly right. To me the flock is the entity, the individual chickens are replaceable parts. It sounds like to you they are individual pets. You may need to go to some extra steps (like separate housing) to achieve what you want.

Good luck with it. This kind of stuff isn't

I think you’re absolutely right. It never felt like the roo had much authority with the hens that were in the flock before he arrived. He does rule by brute strength and the younger hens seem to have learned to deal with him from the older hens. The only one that doesn’t run from him is his brooder mate (the bully) but he doesn’t try to mate with her either - her feathers are perfect!
I wish I could be ruthless.... I will try and rehome the roo.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

"Ruthless" is such a loaded word. How about "Pragmatic", or better still, "Practical".