Young Rooster too persistant

[yesterDAYNE]

Hello guys! It's been a long time since I've posted here. We currently have 2 separate flocks of birds, but we've been having trouble with my personal flock. It consists of 1 Blue Partridge Splash Brahma rooster, 1 BPB Hen, 1 buff silkie rooster, 1 silkie hen, 2 EE hens, and 1 salmon faverolle hen.

The issue isn't with the other rooster- he's fine. He doesn't really ever try to breed the hens, he crows a lot, but our dominant rooster doesn't really bother him much. The silkie is kind of dumb and has problems seeing (even though we've trimmed his head feathers) and is overall just kind of a sad little dork.

The issue is that our brahma rooster has just come of age, and is just horrifically horny. He constantly tries to breed our hens when he's in the pen, and its' gotten to the point where they're scared of them and resort to stuffing themselves up on a roost to get out of his reach. Even that's not working anymore. He's so tall that he'll hang out below them, and reach up and yank them to try and pull them down. The girls are clearly not ready to breed yet as they always reject his advances. He doesn't do a dance or anything- he just runs up behind them and yanks their feathers and they scream and run off. The only time I've seen him succeed is when he managed to pin our hen into a corner.

It's not an easy solution though. I can't just get rid of him. Me and my mom are in love with him- he's a giant baby. He's also beautiful. We are so attached to him we can't just throw him off. The same with the silkie rooster- I don't really want to get rid of him either. He's so dumb it's endearing.

We also don't have enough room in our current setup to add more hens. Or the money to buy supplies to add onto it. This hasn't been a problem until recently and now it's becoming more worrying.

What should we do? : ( Should we just let him continue with his behavior, or should we separate him for certain periods of time, or should we just bar him off completely? I know people suggest 10 hens for 1 rooster, but we honestly didn't expect to get a rooster. These were all straight runs that just ended up being roosters, and by that time we already loved them. Our chickens are more like pets with the benefit of eggs then they are just poultry.

 

[sourland]

I would separate him from the flock until the hens are more mature and willing to mate. A large rooster like him is capable of injuring hens that resist mating.

 

[aldarita]

I second sourland, you need to separate the rooster until he matures and the hormones settle down a bit. He is putting too much stress on your hens and that will definitely harm the wellbeing of your flock

 

[yesterDAYNE]

Thank you both! I wasn't sure if it was because he had new horomones and was going crazy with them, or if it was just a typical rooster thing. I'm relieved to hear it could possibly fizzle out at least a bit with age. I'll tell my mom and we'll try and get something set up to move him away with for awhile!

 

[aart]

if it was just a typical rooster thing.

It's a typical cockerel thing.

You say 'new hormones'.....so he's about 4 months old?

FYI.....semantics, maybe, but can be important communication terms when discussing chicken behavior.
Female chickens are called pullets until one year of age, then they are called hens.
Male chickens are called cockerels until one year of age, then they are called cocks(or cockbirds or roosters).
Denoting age of bird in weeks or months is important too.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Remove the Blue Rooster and the so called "Dorkey" silky rooster will come into his own.

 

[Mrs. K]

While we sound tough hearted, most of us hate culling birds. But as you are finding out, when you get too many roosters, or too many birds for your set up, they really are not much fun to watch. It is not good seeing some bird tormented.

You need to solve the problem for the peace of your flock. A peaceful flock is so nice to be around and watch their silly behaviors. A flock in constant high tension is not fun to watch. One feels bad. Wishing they would all be nice and just get along will not work.

IMO, it is better to have fewer happier birds, rather than keep all your pets in misery due to not enough space, too many roosters, and not enough supplies. Maybe someone else you know, could take some birds and you would know that those and your birds that you keep are happier and healthier with enough space and not too many roosters.

Mrs K

 

[yesterDAYNE]

It's a typical cockerel thing.

You say 'new hormones'.....so he's about 4 months old?

FYI.....semantics, maybe, but can be important communication terms when discussing chicken behavior.
Female chickens are called pullets until one year of age, then they are called hens.
Male chickens are called cockerels until one year of age, then they are called cocks(or cockbirds or roosters).
Denoting age of bird in weeks or months is important too.

Sorry, you're right, he's a cockerel. He's only about 6 months or so. His name is Rooster Cogburn so I'm used to calling him Rooster and get mixed up on that a lot. Also brand new to chickens, so my apologies.

I appreciate all of the input, guys! If anything I guess I'd be willing to separate & give away the silkie rooster. I absolutely do not want to get rid of the blue rooster, he's one of our top favorites (alongside my brahma hen and my salmon faverolle). If it requires us having absolutely to get rid of the silkie male, then we can. He's been a lot calmer today, he's bred some and they've been a bit more compliant. He even finally started doing a little "mating dance" that he wasn't doing before. I'm really hoping it's a horomone thing. I guess I'll try waiting awhile and seeing if he continues as he gets older- and if it gets to the point where he's absolutely unbearable we'll separate him.

 

[aart]

You might try taking the silkie boy out(he's also 6mos?), crate him out of sight,
this may calm the other boy down once the competition is gone.

Have had to do this before,
the transformation of the keeper cockerel was immediate and amazing.

Competition can make them behave badly.