Lost my Golden Cuckoo Maran--time to get rid of rooster?

[Kjenkins18]

Hi all, I was traveling for work this weekend and just got home to the sad news that I lost my favorite pullet on Saturday. My little flock of 7 that I raised from chicks was supposed to be all girls, but the blue splash americauna turned out to be a roo. They are nearly 5 months old and a couple had just started laying (not the maran yet). My boyfriend came home Saturday evening to find her not doing well in the corner of the run with obvious injuries on her back. He separated her and was administering first aid when she passed away. He had already buried her so I did not get a look at the injuries. She seemed to be about in the middle of the pecking order and was not the smallest. It's a tough time to pinpoint what went wrong... I had just switched them to layer food and started offering oyster shell since two were laying. She could have been sick or egg bound and maybe the others saw her weakness and attacked her? Or the roo could have been trying to mate? I wish that I had been home to see if there were any other clues and maybe catch it sooner. Just hoping someone with more experience might be able to help me figure it out. If the rest of my girls are in danger of an aggressive rooster, I guess I have no choice but to try to find another home for him. I hate to do it, but my birds are pets and I am already heartbroken at the loss of the maran. Thanks for any advice you can offer.

 

[cavemanrich]

Of course I was not there ether to witness what happened, but I would not blame the rooster automatically. He is the same age as your other chickens, Roosters tend to protect their hens, and fight with other roosters. (usually). Hens, will attack other chickens when they see a weak one. Pecking order can be viscous.
I suggest, you do careful observation of you pet flock and maybe will be able to determine what happened.
Sorry for your loss. My chickens are my pets only as well. I know how you feel.
WELCOME ........

 

[rebrascora]

As @cavemanrich says none of us were there so there is no way to tell, especially since her body has been disposed of. What I would say is that when adolescent males' hormones first kick in they do not usually display the behaviour of an established rooster to protect the flock....mostly all they want to do is dominate and mate, so pullets of the same age can get a rough time.
An important factor in this phase is for there to be plenty of space and roost bars, not only in the coop but also in the run, for the pullets to get up out of his way when they need to. I've had young cockerels follow them up onto the roost bars and still try to mate them, so it is not fool proof, but if you witness that sort of harassing, then it is probably time to get rid of the cockerel.
It's easy for you to think a coop and run is adequately big enough when you first get chicks, but as they grow they need more room. Usually they muddle along until hormones start to kick in and then they become a bit more temperamental and all of a sudden personal space becomes a big issue. Having a male bird in the flock means that space is even more important.

Also you haven't put your location into your profile page, so I can only guess at what sort of predators you have, but is it possible that you had an aerial predator like a hawk attack her? Were there many feathers at the scene that would suggest a predator?

I hope it is an isolated incident or you manage to figure it out before there are any more casualties.

Regards

Barbara

 

[Kjenkins18]

Thanks for these helpful responses! I guess I did automatically blame the cockerel and worry for the other pullets when they could be the guilty party. I perhaps should have mentioned I previously had a flock of 6 hens living in this coop/run and they spent 4 happy years there without incident. I'm new to having a boy but he does seem to be the biggest "bully" of the bunch. I've never seen him harm anyone though, just sort of boss them around and chase them. My boyfriend also corrected me that the injured area was her head, not her back, if that changes anything. I don't think it could have been anything besides a flock mate(s) because they were in the run when it happened which is covered with 1/4 inch hardware cloth and an actual shingled roof. It's strange because she seemed to be no where near the bottom of the pecking order, which is what made me wonder if something else made her weak first and susceptible to the attack. I feel so guilty that I wasn't home to help her. We do have hawks, and foxes, and lately even a coyote, despite being right in midtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. Because of this the chickens haven't been getting as much time outside of the coop/run as I would like, only when we are home to supervise in the evenings and on weekends. We're on high alert for predator attacks with many neighbors reporting lost cats and even small dogs. Maybe I do need to add some additional roosts/hiding spaces in the run. I can do that and keep a close eye on them for now. I just can't stand the thought of losing any more of my little ones. My boyfriend thinks we should rehome the rooster anyway because we have neighbors, and while they are technically allowed within city limits the crowing may get annoying for them. I can barely hear it from inside the house and they are a little further away from the coop so I was hoping to make it work. Partly because I raised him from a baby chick and am attached and partly because I have no idea where to find a happy home for him that won't end soon in a stew pot. Thanks again Barbara and Rich for your kind words.

 

[rebrascora]

Unfortunately with that added information that predators can be ruled out and that it was her head that was injured, it does suggest that the cockerel is more likely the culprit. They grab hold of the feathers on the back of the hens head both to dominate them and to mate with them. If the pullet is not submissive or ready to allow him to mate, she will struggle to get away and it is not unheard of for them to get scalped in their panic to get away. That leaves their skull exposed and bleeding which can then cause the rest of the flock to peck at it, particularly in an enclosed run and once they taste blood it can become a feeding frienzy. So it could be a combination of factors, but I think you might be right to rehome him. Whilst established mature roosters are usually quite gentlemanly, young cockerels brought up without a dominant rooster or older hens to put them in their place and teach them manners, are not pleasant and things can get pretty nasty for the pullets at a time when they have their own hormonal problems to come to terms with as regards egg laying.

The fact of life is that the vast majority of people want hens/pullets for egg laying and there are very few forever homes for good cockerels, let alone aggressive ones. If you don't want to butcher him yourself, then accept that his best role in life may be to make a meal for someone else. After all, why would someone else want to risk him killing their pullets. This is one of the hardest parts of raising poultry, as they cross the line between livestock and pets.

I wish you luck in resolving your problem. I find that once I witness a cockerel terrorising my pullets, it makes it easier to see him as livestock and potential dinner. They can be brutal.

 

[cavemanrich]

And I agree with contents. Best thing now would be to observe him well. If aggression is there, then rehome him. Yes, he may become dinner for someone. It is better to know that he at least had a simple short life compared to the many day old sexed cockerels that do not make it to day 2.... I wont mention the method...

 

[Kjenkins18]

Aw thanks guys! I am a soft hearted vegetarian type so it wouldn't be easy for me to send him off to be butchered. I guess it is part of it, and your point is a good one Rich. He's already had 5 more months than many get. For now I added a roost and a couple obstacles to the run to help them get away if they need to. I spent some time with them this morning and everyone was minding their manners. I'll continue to keep a close eye on them and put out feelers for options for rehoming. Thanks again for the help.