My rooster is being bullied!

[GardenJen77]

I have a beautiful Brahma rooster that we have had for 2 years. A very good rooster, watches over his flock, and isn't mean. However we have noticed a problem. We introduced a new flock last year of hens and noticed 3 of them looked more rooster like, but they are indeed hens, as they lay eggs. We call them "rooster hens." Anyways, they tend to be bullies, but most the time were put into their place by either the rooster or other hens.

Now it seems their bad habits have drifted to the other hens. They would yank feathers off our rooster when his back was turned. So, he no longer has his beautiful tail plume, and around his anus is bare. Also, his neck is bare, from them pecking off feathers there.

Our thought, is to remove the rooster, and put him with a new (future) flock of pullets, so he's away from the other hens and can possibly get his plumage back.

Thoughts? The hens don't yank feathers out of the other hens, just the rooster. Also, since they aren't all tagged and we don't have a camera, we don't know exactly which ones are doing it.

 

[Rammy]

Stew pot. I dont keep mean or bullying chickens or roosters. Or seperate the mean hens in thier own yard if you dont want to cull them.

 

[GardenJen77]

Stew pot. I dont keep mean or bullying chickens or roosters. Or seperate the mean hens in thier own yard if you dont want to cull them.

I'm vegetarian, we don't eat animals, we sell the eggs to pay for their feed so they can provide compost for our garden. So if I get rid of them, it will be to someone else.

Also, again, we're not sure exactly which hens out of 22, are doing it. Hard to get rid of trouble makers if you can't catch them in the act.

 

[Rammy]

Can you put up a game camera or even a wifi cam? Then maybe you can catch whoever is doing it. You can get a Wyze cam for $25 dollars from Amazon. Its not outdoor rated, but alot of people mount them under the eaves out of the weather to protect them. You can view them live with an app.
I have a few game cams in my coop area. See alot of interesting things on it.

 

[Pork Pie]

Such behaviours are most likely caused by environmental stressors. Space provisions, diversions etc can all help. Maybe check out this thread - https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1148824/topic-of-the-week-feather-pecking-eating

 

[DobieLover]

As has been suggested by @Pork Pie , you may be having these behavioral issues due to stress.
How many birds total do you have?
How large is their coop? Run?
Do you let them out to range?
What and how are you feeding them?
Can you provide pictures of your set up and your rooster as well as some hens?

 

[Mrs. K]

Actually, I don't think it is a bad idea to try pulling the rooster into a new flock. If the flocks will be kept separate from each other. I tend to solve for peace in the flock. And bullying birds keeps the whole flock in a state of stress, even the birds not being harassed.

When you separate two options will probably happen, either, the rooster will be fine, and stress will be gone from the original flock, or the birds will find a new victim. Then even if they are good layers, they should be moved on or separated or this will be an ongoing problem and your egg production will go down.

The points of space and stress are good ones and should be addressed as space or food problems can cause ugly behavior such as what you described.

The only other point that I will make is, sometimes chickens recognize an illness or poor health long before people, and will try and drive the bird from the flock. So it might be that your rooster is on his natural way out.

Mrs K

 

[GardenJen77]

Can you put up a game camera or even a wifi cam? Then maybe you can catch whoever is doing it. You can get a Wyze cam for $25 dollars from Amazon. Its not outdoor rated, but alot of people mount them under the eaves out of the weather to protect them. You can view them live with an app.
I have a few game cams in my coop area. See alot of interesting things on it.

I will look for that brand. They are all in the coop during this time of year. They don't come out much in the winter, unless it's really warm.

 

[GardenJen77]

As stated in another comment, it is winter here, so the chickens don't come out of the coop if it's cold. They don't free range anymore because of safety issues with predators including vehicles. We have 22 birds total. Edit: Feed is grower crumble, and whole corn. We have two feeders in the coop ( during this cold spell) that are kept adequately supplied. They get one bucket of corn a day, to help them produce heat to keep them warm.


Here are some pictures.

 

[GardenJen77]

Actually, I don't think it is a bad idea to try pulling the rooster into a new flock. If the flocks will be kept separate from each other.

If I end up doing separate flocks, with the rooster, once the new flock begins laying eggs, the others will be gotten rid of. I don't have the space nor desire to keep two separate flocks long term.