Cockerel bullying the bully?

[Jjdesmo11]

When a cockerel is becoming mature does he assume a higher pecking order? And if a cockerel becomes mature before the hens will there be aggression problems? I recently put a juvenile crew together to accompany my lonely Salmon faverolle cockerel. He got coccidiosis and I had him confined for about a month. I didn’t feel comfortable adding him to my adult flock. I first put him with a younger cochin and they are the sweetest together. I got 2 Wyandottes and while in quarantine I noticed the bigger one plucking pin feathers out of the smaller one so I added the small one to the juvenile crew with no problem. I let a week or so go by and added the “ bully” and she came in and tried to continue her plucking behavior but my cockerel put her in her place. He did this before I could get pinless peepers on her. No blood is being drawn, they have 25sqft of run and 8sqft coop. But my bully is terrified of my cockerel. I know he’s doing his job at taking control but it’s been 2 weeks and she still runs and squawks and then he will peck at her as she runs by. He’s not been aggressive with me. I’ve seen him also peck at the other girls but it’s a squeak and over.. but whatever happened made this “bully” terrified of him. Help me understand his behavior? Is this just normal pecking order stuff or do hormones have anything to do with it? He’s been a big baby to me but now I feel like he’s being overly mean to this particular Wyandotte. He’s 4 months old and they are 3 months old. Thanks!

 

[aart]

At 4 months old the cockerel is just becoming sexually mature,
the 3mo pullets are nowhere near ready for that.
Depending on the bird, cockerels can be quite aggressive in trying to dominate and/or mate immature pullets.
You added the 'bully' to the cockerels territory, so that is a factor.
The cockerel may in fact be 'schooling' the 'bully'.
Your space is tight and that will make things harder if not impossible for peace to reign,
you need twice the space at least.

Here's some tips on.....
Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.

 

[Ridgerunner]

When a cockerel is becoming mature does he assume a higher pecking order? And if a cockerel becomes mature before the hens will there be aggression problems?

He may assume that but the others may not agree. Each chicken, male and female, are individuals with their own personalities and mature at their own rate. Each chicken, female as well as male, have different levels of desire to be dominant. That can be really screwed up as they go through puberty as maturity and hormones come into play. What that means is that it can be a mess when they are adolescents.

Since he is a month older and a male and the hormones have almost certainly hit he will really want to dominate and be the flock master. Some cockerels go wild in this position, forcefully mating the pullets for dominance reasons, not just pure sex. That is probably made worse if there are other cockerels around because of competition. Some are more mature about it.

Because of their age your cockerel may not see the others as pullets yet, just younger chickens. As long as they are submissive and don't challenge him for flock dominance he may be content to be the boss. It's possible your "bully" does not accept his dominance and he is using brute force to bring her in line. I've seen that behavior before with a mature hen and a cockerel hitting a certain maturity stage with no dominant rooster in the flock. One of the responsibilities of a good flock master is that he maintains peace in his flock. It is possible even at four months that he is protecting the others from the bully but I'd think it is more of a battle for dominance between the two. After all, she is probably a bully because she is trying to dominate the other pullets.

Will you see "aggression" problems as they mature? You are not in a usually situation, usually the pullets and cockerels are the same age. I don't call it aggression problems, to me it's how they manage puberty and adolescence. But it can get really rowdy as they sort out flock dominance and pecking order. You may also see that but it is also possible with him winning dominance early because of his more mature level it will be pretty smooth. I'd love to get an update in a couple of months to see how it works out for you in this situation.

There is one thing you can do to greatly improve your chances of things going smoothly. Give them more room, especially if this is going to become a permanent home for them. The tighter you pack them the more likely you are to have behavioral problems and these are pretty tightly packed. It will get worse as they grow and get bigger. Once they mature into a flock where everyone knows their place it will probably become a really peaceful flock. But when you integrate they need additional room. As they go through puberty they need more room. Your space as it is now would be a little tight for a fully mature flock.

 

[drumstick diva]

Excellent responses

 

[Chickassan]

That girl he's pecking will probably end up being his favoriate so don't worry. You do need more space. You really, really need a wider coop door he won't fit through there when he's mature those boys get thick.

 

[Jjdesmo11]

He may assume that but the others may not agree. Each chicken, male and female, are individuals with their own personalities and mature at their own rate. Each chicken, female as well as male, have different levels of desire to be dominant. That can be really screwed up as they go through puberty as maturity and hormones come into play. What that means is that it can be a mess when they are adolescents.

Since he is a month older and a male and the hormones have almost certainly hit he will really want to dominate and be the flock master. Some cockerels go wild in this position, forcefully mating the pullets for dominance reasons, not just pure sex. That is probably made worse if there are other cockerels around because of competition. Some are more mature about it.

Because of their age your cockerel may not see the others as pullets yet, just younger chickens. As long as they are submissive and don't challenge him for flock dominance he may be content to be the boss. It's possible your "bully" does not accept his dominance and he is using brute force to bring her in line. I've seen that behavior before with a mature hen and a cockerel hitting a certain maturity stage with no dominant rooster in the flock. One of the responsibilities of a good flock master is that he maintains peace in his flock. It is possible even at four months that he is protecting the others from the bully but I'd think it is more of a battle for dominance between the two. After all, she is probably a bully because she is trying to dominate the other pullets.

Will you see "aggression" problems as they mature? You are not in a usually situation, usually the pullets and cockerels are the same age. I don't call it aggression problems, to me it's how they manage puberty and adolescence. But it can get really rowdy as they sort out flock dominance and pecking order. You may also see that but it is also possible with him winning dominance early because of his more mature level it will be pretty smooth. I'd love to get an update in a couple of months to see how it works out for you in this situation.

There is one thing you can do to greatly improve your chances of things going smoothly. Give them more room, especially if this is going to become a permanent home for them. The tighter you pack them the more likely you are to have behavioral problems and these are pretty tightly packed. It will get worse as they grow and get bigger. Once they mature into a flock where everyone knows their place it will probably become a really peaceful flock. But when you integrate they need additional room. As they go through puberty they need more room. Your space as it is now would be a little tight for a fully mature flock.

Thanks for such wonderful insight! The coop is temporary and they will eventually be in a coop attached to the main coop and free range with the adults, had 3 taken by predators and not wanting to loose anymore. I do feel he is putting her in her place but nothing particularly brings it on. The bully would pick on her sister and make her squeal even when they had a 4x8 run to themselves. I assumed lack of space or boredom brought it on but i also heard once they are a plucker they don’t stop. I initially thought I’d put her with the adults and let her fend for herself because my other 3 are very sweet and I didn’t want her to pluck at the others. But I felt she’s would have a far worse time integrating there or rehome her because of her aggression. So in hindsight this is better than the alternative! She’s a pretty bird and I hope they work it out. Thanks for the great information. This is my first time with chicks this age

 

[Jjdesmo11]

That girl he's pecking will probably end up being his favoriate so don't worry. You do need more space. You really, really need a wider coop door he won't fit through there when he's mature those boys get thick.View attachment 1525248

I hear they get pretty big!! Haha hopefully he stays nice