Will separating my 6 month roo cause an issue when they reintegrate?

[citychicks99]

My roo was hatched in October and is pretty sweet for the most part. I think he's rough on the hens though because one of them was afraid of him a few weeks ago and hid in the nest box. She got over it but another hen is having the exact same behavior. I think this hen got it worse because the entire right side of her bum is scabbed raw and featherless. Can roosters even do that? None of the other hens have this issue. She's been hiding for 4-5 days and only comes out to eat when I feed her. She does come out at night to roost but she gets anxiety when she sees the rooster.

I'm thinking of putting him in our doghouse and giving him a small run. How long should I separate him? Will it cause pent up energy that will make him even more aggressive once he's let out? Or should I put the hen there? I feel bad putting her there because she already has a genetic deficiency and is the smallest of the bunch, weighing at around 2-3 pounds. Or should I give it a few more days and see if she gets over it like the other hen?

 

[Mrs. K]

That really doesn't sound like rooster damage to me. Can you give pictures?

Separating a rooster away, will be the easiest to add back in the flock, and it often times is a rambunctious rooster this time of year.

But I am wondering if you don't have other birds being mean to this girl. Problems like this often show up near the 5 month mark, when the birds have reacher mostly their adult size. Often times what was enough space when they were younger is no longer enough space. So a picture of your set up would help with us giving better advice.

Chickens being raised together makes no influence when they reach adult size. Some birds can tolerate a little overcrowding, and some birds can't.

Mrs K

 

[citychicks99]

I feel embarrassed posting these but here's her left side, her right side, her bum and back. She's almost two years old, same age as the older two hens. They molted and are laying now but she never molted. She was laying almost everyday last year but I seldom see an egg out of her now. I posted about her before and people told me she looks sick and maybe has a genetic deficiency but this looks like an external result.

I can't imagine the 6-month old hens picking on her. They're skittish in general, and so is their mama, a cream legbar. The other older hen is a RIR and thinks she's the queen and will pick on the flock but they've been living together since August and I only noticed this a few weeks ago.

I took a pic of her bum to see if there might be mites but I don't think I saw any. They had lice in the summer and this did not happen to her.

I took her outside for a bit to get some fresh air and once the roo approached, she got frantic and paced around. When I was trying to put my gloves back on he chased her into the coop and she won't come back out now.

Edit: sorry I forgot to take a pic of their setup. They have pretty much my entire yard, which is maybe 300 sq feet and their coop is a shed, about 8'x10' so I think it's plenty of space for them. There's six hens total, and two roosters. We were going to cull the younger rooster but I got attached and couldn't do it.

 

[Mrs. K]

I wonder if she is going through a molt now? I hate separating my birds - but try pulling the rooster - but keep a careful eye on her, someone is picking on her, and often times it is a hen.

The wing damage does look like a combination of old feathers and rooster damage. Just keep a close eye on her - you may have to separate her -but it is such a pain getting them back in.

Mrs K

 

[citychicks99]

I wonder if she is going through a molt now? I hate separating my birds - but try pulling the rooster - but keep a careful eye on her, someone is picking on her, and often times it is a hen.

The wing damage does look like a combination of old feathers and rooster damage. Just keep a close eye on her - you may have to separate her -but it is such a pain getting them back in.

Mrs K

Thank you, I may try separating him for a week and see what happens and will definitely keep an eye on her.

 

[babychickens321]

I feel embarrassed posting these but here's her left side, her right side, her bum and back. She's almost two years old, same age as the older two hens. They molted and are laying now but she never molted. She was laying almost everyday last year but I seldom see an egg out of her now. I posted about her before and people told me she looks sick and maybe has a genetic deficiency but this looks like an external result.

I can't imagine the 6-month old hens picking on her. They're skittish in general, and so is their mama, a cream legbar. The other older hen is a RIR and thinks she's the queen and will pick on the flock but they've been living together since August and I only noticed this a few weeks ago.

I took a pic of her bum to see if there might be mites but I don't think I saw any. They had lice in the summer and this did not happen to her.

I took her outside for a bit to get some fresh air and once the roo approached, she got frantic and paced around. When I was trying to put my gloves back on he chased her into the coop and she won't come back out now.

Edit: sorry I forgot to take a pic of their setup. They have pretty much my entire yard, which is maybe 300 sq feet and their coop is a shed, about 8'x10' so I think it's plenty of space for them. There's six hens total, and two roosters. We were going to cull the younger rooster but I got attached and couldn't do it.

try separating the rooster, if she improves then its him.

 

[citychicks99]

try separating the rooster, if she improves then its him.

It's been a while since I first made this thread but since then I have tried to separate the roo on two separate occasions in different areas and he managed to escape both times. He also started picking nasty fights with the older roo. I had to confine the older roo by himself in a smaller area with his first coop, an old doghouse, and he seems to actually be okay being in there by himself but I feel bad for him because he doesn't deserve it but the younger one can't seem to be contained. I have also witnessed the other younger hens bully my smallest hen to the point of pushing her down like they want to jump on her back and mate her but I'm not sure if hens do that to each other? I think the smallest hen is actually afraid of the entire second generation flock. I've been trying to get rid of the younger roo. My brother's friend said he wanted to come get him but he never did. I considered building another pen to keep the older rooster and smallest hen together since they seem to get along and maybe I'll get them a few more friends too from a gentler breed, but managing two coops seems like so much work.

 

[babychickens321]

It's been a while since I first made this thread but since then I have tried to separate the roo on two separate occasions in different areas and he managed to escape both times. He also started picking nasty fights with the older roo. I had to confine the older roo by himself in a smaller area with his first coop, an old doghouse, and he seems to actually be okay being in there by himself but I feel bad for him because he doesn't deserve it but the younger one can't seem to be contained. I have also witnessed the other younger hens bully my smallest hen to the point of pushing her down like they want to jump on her back and mate her but I'm not sure if hens do that to each other? I think the smallest hen is actually afraid of the entire second generation flock. I've been trying to get rid of the younger roo. My brother's friend said he wanted to come get him but he never did. I considered building another pen to keep the older rooster and smallest hen together since they seem to get along and maybe I'll get them a few more friends too from a gentler breed, but managing two coops seems like so much work.

How big is their run and coop? this can lead to picking on chickens and fights. Make sure their run has MORE than enough space. add some distractions in their area like treats hanging from trees/ walls. There are also some treat balls online, which are balls with treats in them, which gives chickens something to play with, and might distract them from her. Add multiple areas in their run with food and water so there are no squabbles and also multiple dirt bathing areas. Add various hiding spots and perches, visual barriers like dividers and crates. Maybe even chop branches from a tree down and create a cool (sturdy) structure in the coop which could distract them as well as giving the younger one a space to be alone.

 

[babychickens321]

you could also try to disrupt the current hierarchy by separating the most dominant hen then reintroducing her. if you can, getting one or two more hens as long as you have enough space might help divert the attention away from the younger hen.

 

[citychicks99]

How big is their run and coop? this can lead to picking on chickens and fights. Make sure their run has MORE than enough space. add some distractions in their area like treats hanging from trees/ walls. There are also some treat balls online, which are balls with treats in them, which gives chickens something to play with, and might distract them from her. Add multiple areas in their run with food and water so there are no squabbles and also multiple dirt bathing areas. Add various hiding spots and perches, visual barriers like dividers and crates. Maybe even chop branches from a tree down and create a cool (sturdy) structure in the coop which could distract them as well as giving the younger one a space to be alone.

Thank you, those are all great tips. I give them the entire yard and their coop is 10'x10'. I've tried mirrors and hanging lettuce but they don't really get into it. They do like to hide behind trees in the yard and there are plenty of hiding smalls for the little one.

As for the roosters, I know I don't have enough chickens. I currently have six hens and two roosters. I wonder if I get six more hens will everyone just calm down and play together nicely.