I have a flock of 10 hens and 1 huge one year old rooster. (4 four year old Autralorpes, 4 one year old Wyandottes, 2 three year old Leghorns We also have 3 Americauna chicks brooding in the garage) The Rooster and 3 of the Wyandottes are bullying one of the leghorns. She is hiding in a nesting box in the mornings until everyone is let out to free range and then stays solo. She is not being allowed to eat or drink in the run, so I am letting them out earlier now. I went to let them out today and she made the near fatal mistake of trying to leave the run with the rest of the flock. The rooster chased her and 3 Wyandotte's jumped her and were trying to peck her too the death, so I quickly broke it up. She immediately ran to the water that is outside the run and hid under the shed, where the rooster can't fit.
Soooo, HELP! Please any advice. My thoughts were 3 options, but I am emotional right now, so please add your thoughts:
1. Cage the Roo in the chicken hospital in another part of the property for a week as a "time out".
2. Pull the leghorn from the flock with her sister, who still tries to hang out with her and also gets a little picked on and let them live as a separate pair elsewhere on the property.
3. Pull the 2 leghorns now and start a new flock with the Americana chicks when they are fully feathered in a couple weeks.
Additional info: Coop is large, a children's playhouse shed converted to a coop with plenty of space. The run is 16'X16' and we have tried putting hiding places in, but they blew over, so honestly I know I need to make permanent hiding structures. It also has a roosting pole.
This rooster was hatched on our farm with another Roo and his brother went to the neighbor's. The same exact thing happened where the rooster and some hens attacked a hen, so they culled him immediately. This Roo does a very good job protecting, so keeping him would be preferable.
TIA!
Soooo, HELP! Please any advice. My thoughts were 3 options, but I am emotional right now, so please add your thoughts:
1. Cage the Roo in the chicken hospital in another part of the property for a week as a "time out".
2. Pull the leghorn from the flock with her sister, who still tries to hang out with her and also gets a little picked on and let them live as a separate pair elsewhere on the property.
3. Pull the 2 leghorns now and start a new flock with the Americana chicks when they are fully feathered in a couple weeks.
Additional info: Coop is large, a children's playhouse shed converted to a coop with plenty of space. The run is 16'X16' and we have tried putting hiding places in, but they blew over, so honestly I know I need to make permanent hiding structures. It also has a roosting pole.
This rooster was hatched on our farm with another Roo and his brother went to the neighbor's. The same exact thing happened where the rooster and some hens attacked a hen, so they culled him immediately. This Roo does a very good job protecting, so keeping him would be preferable.
TIA!
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