what to do with a Roo with raging harmones....

[Mom2Cool]

I posted this yesterday under an older post but I'm reposting here now because I'm really looking to see if I should be pulling this roo out of the coop? He's just like 19/20 wks now and I don't know about "fertility" but it's VERY clear that my Roo is now annoying the hell out of the chickens. And in true male form he waits until the coldest night/day of the season so far to decide he's going to harrass? I couldn't understand why the Austrolorp pullet was so angry today & almost mean to the BO pullets... I have a cam in their coop & I'd seen her actually chase after the BO Roo at one point this morning before I'd opened up the coop. But I went out to straighten a few things in their coop & the Roo came out into the outdoor enclsure area & tried to mount one of the BO pullets. Now they're not laying eggs yet though they are the same age as he. Should I be pulling him out of there? there's 5 pullet hens 4 of which are the BO's & 1 that is the Austrolorp who is about 8 or 9 wks older than the BO's so she's laying already for a few weeks now. I thought someone had said that the pullets who aren't laying shouldn't be having a Roo mounting them. Of course because of all the snow & now cold.... I'm just unsure of WHAT I'll do with him. if it was just a little warmer I'd put him in a smaller/different coop but I think yesterday here it was like 5 below & the smaller coop isn't even completely closed in but has the front of it opened.... I noticed someone else here answering someone about a roo saying that she had a derranged male too & he wouldn't stop till they ate him & I'm thinking this might be the coarse of action at our house. With all the snow it's not like I can even just run out there to check on them or to intervien & they're all in that coop of course now too...

 

[gritsar]

My roos were trying to mate the girls a full 9 weeks before the first girl started laying. Beyond a few lost neck feathers on the girls, there was no real harm. The girls were annoyed, but the minute after he or they stopped the pullet was fine again.
It's what roos do.
Both of my boys grew up to be very good protectors of the flock and of course once the girls were mature enough they stopped fighting it and it's over very quickly.
I can't see seperating the roo, unless you plan to keep him permanently seperated until you eat him. It's something they have to go thru and everybody comes out fine on the other end.

 

[Guitartists]

Soup!

I had 3 like this...... it was pure chaos..... I pulled ALL of the cockerels out of the coop and run one day, and then one by one I added them back into the group to see who was making all the ruckus. I ended up with 3 that were making the pullets NUTS and 1 that was so-so........ I butchered the 3 and showed the 4th the first 3... I think he got the message.... I haven't had any problems with him since.

Maybe coincidence..... but, you should have seen the look in his eye and heard the little sounds he made when I showed him the unlucky 3

Straight away EVERYONE became relaxed and happy again and none of the pullets felt harassed anymore and all came out and stood around... before they were staying up high and away from them.

 

[gritsar]

If you ever intend to keep a roo for all the benefits they provide to the flock, you're gonna have to let them work thru it.
Every roo is going to try and have his way with the girls.
Seriously, it does no real harm. If he's not drawing any blood then he's just doing what all roosters do at some point.
Once the girls are old enough to accept it, you won't even know it's happening if you have your back turned to them.

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Soup.

 

[Mom2Cool]

oh well thank heavens I'm not alone with this issue! I had wanted to hold onto this guy for just a while at least because I thought it would be fun to try to hatch out a few eggs myself & then later to maybe allow one of my hens to do it naturally. Of course initially I'd thought the issue would be if he was like a derranged crower & so far he's been doing his crowing during the night in the coop with the windows closed so I sort of thought just that could buy him some time....

This young fella yesterday was really feeling his oats & thought he was Clint Eastwood as he came out to the enclosed area & sort of "confronted me"? He wasn't aggressive really or didn't *come at me* but just was going to hold his ground & had a look of "Come on lady test me make my day." And you know if it wasn't frigid out I might have given him the fight he was looking for (by telling hubby to ring his neck) but to start he IS so very cute about it I was just a bit in awe of him. I figured that this is just nature taking it's coarse & that they'll work it out & normally I'd just go with that but I felt a little bad that it's I who's locking all the girls in with this manic. LOL The Austrolorp yesterday she was ok & she can handle herself but the poor BO pullet was being bullied by both the roo & the Austrolorp. It was beyond bizarre & frankly past the time that they normally turn in especially on cold/wet/snowy days. I'm just going to play it by ear & I will let him "slide" so to speak unless he's actually hurting one of them. Then yea he's gonna be a stew I think.....

You know I know this is all normal stuff that they all probably just go through but the Mom in me wanted to reach out & "straighten out the scuffle" & you know the little pullets are Buff Orpingtons & when I go out they they just look at me pleasding like "Please take us with you..... He's nuts." LOL I have such mommy guilt leaving them there. Normally they free range the fenced in yard & they end up on the deck & interacting with us all etc. & right now they're all stuck out by the coop because of all the snow... I've a feeling it's going to be a loonnnggg winter... LOL

so he's a pretty good size & a dual purpose bird so a roast, stew or soup?

 

[Mom2Cool]

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Ok good I just wanted to make certain that I'm not suppose to be pulling his butt out of there. You know I didn't want to be come here on Christmas day night asking & have people say "Ohmygod get him out."

 

[Mom2Cool]

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LOL I'd only just saw this & it's been noted.... BTW I love your chicken coop & the humor in your home too.... LOL I'd just been telling hubby about your web page & the note with "turn off the egg machine". too funny.

 

[Poohbear]

Just go out there with a book and pronounce all the hens and pullets "Married" to the rooster. The mounting will stop almost immediately. Always works.

 

[gritsar]

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OMG! Too funny!