Rooster Problem/Aggressive Rooster

[Chick_Crazy]

I didn't know what to put this thread under, but I guess you could call this a chicken behavior! Hello! I have a year old frizzle bantam rooster who is really mean to my hens. He is nice to me, but not to them. So, I will just make a list of all the things he does.

-He focuses on breeding all day, and doesn't even protect the flock.
-He randomly attacks the hens, and rips out their wing and neck feathers
-He is also slowly kicking out a couple of my hens. Like, he chases them away when there is food nearby, and he won't let certain hens eat when he is around.
-He chases down hens so he can breed them, even tho they run from him.

So yeah. I haven't really had a rooster before, and maybe these are just normal activities of a rooster. But I don't like the way he is treating my hens. I know a lot of people will just put the rooster down because he is mean. But I want to give the little guy a chance. Maybe he is just immature? If there is anyway I can make him nicer to the hens, plz let me know!

 

[sourland]

I'd separate him from the hens and give him a couple of months to mature. If upon reintroduction he remains a jerk, he'd have to go if he were mine. Some roosters breed frequently, but fighting hens and chasing them away from feed is not normal behavior in my opinion. There are too many good roosters to tolerate one that does not treat his hens properly.

 

[Chick_Crazy]

Yeah, I agree. He just doesn't seem normal. Thanks for the info!

 

[Ridgerunner]

-He focuses on breeding all day,

A young vigorous rooster does seem to put mating as a priority. It's not always about keeping eggs fertile, it may be about establishing his dominance. This isn't necessarily a bad thing.

and doesn't even protect the flock.

Not sure how you can tell. What does "not protecting the flock" look like?

-He chases down hens so he can breed them, even tho they run from him.

Within limits, not necessarily a bad thing as long as they are not being injured.

He randomly attacks the hens, and rips out their wing and neck feathers
-He is also slowly kicking out a couple of my hens. Like, he chases them away when there is food nearby, and he won't let certain hens eat when he is around.

This is where it goes too far. He is a year old and should be acting more mature. Part of the mating act is that the rooster grabs the back of the hen's head. That head grab is her signal to raise her tail up out of the way so he can hit the target. Without the head grab there would be no fertile eggs. An immature cockerel may have bad technique and can pull out the feathers or bloody her comb if he grabs that.

It's not that unusual for a hen to occasionally lose a feather where the rooster's claws are grabbing her back. That's not necessarily a big deal unless he creates a bare spot. If he does, his claws can cut her. Some immature cockerels can have bad technique but he is getting older.

So yeah. I haven't really had a rooster before, and maybe these are just normal activities of a rooster.

Within certain limits these are normal activities. But I think he is past those limits.

I want to give the little guy a chance. Maybe he is just immature? If there is anyway I can make him nicer to the hens,

It is possible that his behaviors will improve as he matures, so Sourland's suggestion is a possibility. Keep him separated for a few months and see if he matures as he ages. At a year old I don't hold out a lot of hope but it is a chance.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

What are your goals for having a rooster in the first place?

How does THIS rooster fit into those goals?

How much effort are you willing to put into rehab?

Personally, if he's really that rough with the hens that he's causing stress and injury (as opposed to chicken sex just looking rough from a human perspective), I'd eat him and try again with a different male.