When might a roo stop being chicken of older women??

[ChooksChick]

I have a 21 week old roo who is much larger now than the older girls- they're just over the one year mark.

He's quite the gentleman and woos all the younger girls, of whom there are 10, and yet he's still being beaten up by the hens.

He's docile and friendly and we love him dearly, so we don't want him to be terrified of these other birds...when does a roo overcome the age difference?

 

[gritsar]

Is he crowing yet? Once they hit maturity they should have established their place at the top of the pecking order. Having said that, I have a hen that my adult roo never touches. He's scared to get his butt beat.

 

[ChooksChick]

Oh, yeah- he crows...and he's getting plenty of business done, but only with the girls his age. He wasn't alpha roo until 3 weeks ago when I got rid of the banty cochin roo. He wasn't alpha to start with, despite being a big, strapping EE, because he had a beak prosthesis and couldn't defend himself from the little guy.

He and all of the younger birds cower from the big, mean BR every night- in a tiny little area of the roosts, while the BR stand guard over about 16' of roosting space, not allowing the younger (almost grown, 21 week old) birds on the roosts with them. They split up and pace over the length of the roosts, biting the crud out of the younger ones that might brave a second on the 2x4s.

I'm reeeeeeeeeeallllllllllllyyyyyyyyyy tired of this, too. They all have a huge yard to share and get along fine, for the most part, but at roosting time, the BR are just mean and nasty, and have been so since like June!!!

I'm tired of waiting for them to just chill, and the attacks on the roo are unfair, too- he doesn't even do anything but dance for them and point out treats!

ggggggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

 

[ChooksChick]

Double post....yikes!

 

[ChooksChick]

Triple post...see what happens when the cable company is wonky?

 

[Happy Chooks]

Here's a bump for you. I want to see the answers too, as I'm contemplating getting a roo. I don't know if I should try to get a grown up roo, or I can get one next year as a chick.

 

[rhodiegal]

Same thing here - I have a young Turken roo (that was supposed to be a pullet) who was showing signs of being aggresive towards people and was attacking some of the pullets he was raised with. I put him in the pen with 3 old hens. Good gravy - I felt sorry for the poor guy (kind of). Anyway, he is the lowest on the totem pole now and those old biddies do not let him forget it!