Will my flock miss their rooster?

[HollowOfWisps]

All points have pretty much been covered. As far as hens missing him they will not especially in the teenage stage where he is being a terror to them. At this stage they are more afraid than fond of him and even as adults my hens have never missed a rooster. I culled a rooster to put in the freezer that had been in with the hens. I had them all in a 4’ tall fenced area. As soon as they saw the blood from his head being lopped off they flew over the fence then started to drink the blood and try to tear him apart. One even tried to grab his head. It was brutally medieval, but from that point on I fully realized that their attachment and mine were much different.

 

[Muser]

All points have pretty much been covered. As far as hens missing him they will not especially in the teenage stage where he is being a terror to them. At this stage they are more afraid than fond of him and even as adults my hens have never missed a rooster. I culled a rooster to put in the freezer that had been in with the hens. I had them all in a 4’ tall fenced area. As soon as they saw the blood from his head being lopped off they flew over the fence then started to drink the blood and try to tear him apart. One even tried to grab his head. It was brutally medieval, but from that point on I fully realized that their attachment and mine were much different.

They really are garden raptors!

 

[FrostRanger]

I'd cull him. If you want to breed your hens, there are plenty of nice roosters out there that would love a home with you and your ladies. Human aggression is absolutely genetic and it can get so bad that people even have issues out of an aggressive roo's daughters and it can be a bugbear to get out of your lines once it's there. Plus it's no fun being attacked everytime you go to see your birds, and aggression just tends to get worse over time

 

[HollowOfWisps]

They really are garden raptors!

They are. I told my husband that if chickens were T-Rex size I think I would prefer the T-Rex lol

 

[Ridgerunner]

At first I was very stoked to be able to grow my own flock by letting them have chicks (I've read B.O.s are very broody), but having to be super on guard all the time with this little a-hole is getting old already. I'm thinking to cull him, or give him to my chicken sitter, who has a big flock and loves roosters.

The obvious solution, get hatching eggs from your sitter.

My question is: how much is it going to upset my teenage hens if he disappears one day?

As many have said, not much and not for long if they do at all.

I've managed to train a few human aggressive cockerels to not be a threat to me but I'm never comfortable they will not be a threat to others, especially chicken sitters and visiting children. I had that problem with one, he went after my chicken sitter.

As Shadrach said, many of his behaviors are normal and natural and often misinterpreted by someone new to chickens but human aggression is one I've learned not to tolerate. There are too many good ones out there to put up with a bad one.

 

[Molly77]

The obvious solution, get hatching eggs from your sitter.


As many have said, not much and not for long if they do at all.

I've managed to train a few human aggressive cockerels to not be a threat to me but I'm never comfortable they will not be a threat to others, especially chicken sitters and visiting children. I had that problem with one, he went after my chicken sitter.

As Shadrach said, many of his behaviors are normal and natural and often misinterpreted by someone new to chickens but human aggression is one I've learned not to tolerate. There are too many good ones out there to put up with a bad one.

This guy just gets worse every day, I lock my coop-to-run door from the inside at night, so I have to go in the coop and bend down to unlock it in the morning. I have to carry a stick the last couple of days to keep him off me. I haven't hit him or anything, but he respects the stick so I can move around in there without him running up to bite me. Interestingly, my chicken sitter is about to sit for the first time next week, and when we were in the run talking about procedure last week, I said this rooster is getting really aggressive and she said "this guy?" and scooped him up off the ground lightening quick and held him and petted him until he calmed down. He didn't try to bite her which really surprised me. She offered to tame him more while I'm away, so I'm going to see how that goes...

 

[Nicechickens64]

I have a small starter flock of 7 Buff Orpingtons, they are 4 months plus a couple of weeks old, I raised them from 2-day old chicks. For the most part they are very gentle and collegial with one another, and me. One (who has never been friendly even as a tiny chick) turns out to be a large cockerel, he started crowing a couple of weeks ago and is getting more and more aggressive with me, and with the hens. So far the crowing is tolerable, he doesn't mindlessly do it all day. But, I have to be watchful all the time when I'm in the coop or run as he tries to run up and bite me, he growls nonstop when I'm nearby and gets between me and the hens so they can't come sit on my lap anymore, and this morning when I went to open the door to the run for them he squatted down and squared off like he was going to fight me.

At first I was very stoked to be able to grow my own flock by letting them have chicks (I've read B.O.s are very broody), but having to be super on guard all the time with this little a-hole is getting old already. I'm thinking to cull him, or give him to my chicken sitter, who has a big flock and loves roosters.

My question is: how much is it going to upset my teenage hens if he disappears one day? They seem to be very good at knowing when someone's missing. A couple of times I have closed the coop/run door with one outside still, and the ones inside are very worked up until I let the last one in.

Hi, I can tell you my experience. I bought 10 pullets. Different breeds. And one black jersery giant cockerel all day old chics. Well, they gave me 2 extra chics saying just incase…. Should have been my first clue right lol lol. Anyway, I ended up with 2 Amercauna Roosters plus my Jersery giant Roo. Well, my sweet amazing jersery giant boy ended up with a very bad leg. He’s much loved by us and the girls. And then the STUNNING black Amercauna Rooster. Who got very mean a couple of times and certainly would get mean if you even approached the girls. Which would suck as I loved hanging with them. But, he was an JERK and scary one at that. But, if I just ignored the girls, he was ok. Anyway, then there was dog the white Amercauna Roo who doesn’t crow and still has pale comb. The three boys all get along well. But, I’ve been told over and over that I can’t keep three boys, it would be to hard on the girls and the Roos would end up fighting each other . They are a couple days shy of 20 weeks. Anyway, a friend found a great home for the sweet jersery giant and the sometimes mean boy. So, I kept the white Amercauna. Named Dog. As he’s so friendly he’s like a dog. But, he’s not crowing yet. He doesn’t call the girls over for treats he’s so immature. So, the girls ARE REALLY missing their other Roosters. Yesterday was AWFUL. The girls make weird screeching noises and just walked all over looking and looking. Also a couple girls barely went inside before the auto door closed. Russel and ohno would always get the girls all rounded up and inside coop. The girls also started spatting with each other. They never did that before. And today, my buff Orph girl Ginger Rogers is broody???. She’s only laid two eggs in her life and now she’s broody. The other girls are calmer today, but still nothings normal yet, and they are spatting over treats. Never happened with the other Roos here. I’m so hoping Dog will be a great Rooster. He had awesome teachers. And it’s so darn quiet now. Russell and Ohno used to call for me in the mornings, as soon as they heard the door. They knew I was coming with treats and to let them out of their run. It was so sweet and I MISS THEM as well. So, after all that…..(sorry) I’d say, place your Roo AS YOUNG AS POSSIBLE as once they really bond with their girls it’s very hard on them to part with each other… also, just get a older sweet Rooster if your boy continues to be a JERK. I’ve seen how important they are to the girls. My other boys would also get the girls back in the run when they’d see Hawks overhead. Anyway, I’m so hoping the Roo I kept will SOON mature and step up and be a good protector and be kind with the girls and us. I WISH YOU THE BEST.

 

[fuzzi]

I purchased 10 day old chicks, wound up with 7 boys. Rehomed five of them, kept my favorite one, Joel, and the best looking one, Samuel.

Joel pecked my legs a couple times but settled down and was good with the hens. He had a seizure and died. Samuel took over. He was a jerk, never tidbited his girls, flogged me and cut me under my eye. Then he tried to forcibly mate with a broody with new chicks. When he attacked his own chicks that was the final straw. He's having a dirt nap. I kept one of his sons, who has been trained by the hens and minds his manners, so far. Zacchaeus is gorgeous, so I am hoping he turns out well.

When Samuel was culled only one hen seemed to miss him. Hannah is my groupie hen, always cuddled up to the rooster at night. She was irritable for a while but seems better now. I'm watching to see if she starts cuddling up with Zack.

 

[Molly77]

Just to close the loop on this thread, I left town for a few days and my chicken sitter tried to tame the rooster by picking him up and carrying him around a lot. He got increasingly violent with her to the point that she had to use a trash can lid to keep him off her in the coop, and she culled him for me on my last day away (broomstick method). Having him gone is great! The hens seem much more relaxed. I have a little rooster that I saved from a batch of mail order chicks that all died, he is smarter, gentler, and much kinder to the hens, and he trusts me (so far) so he doesn't growl or stalk me. He runs up protectively when I first arrive at the coop, but when I talk to him and he realizes it's me coming he stands down completely and goes about his business. I hope this lasts bc I'm not culling this little baby who slept on my shoulder and cried for me to pick him up for his first week of life.

From about 3 weeks old he stopped wanting me to touch him, so I'm going the opposite direction this time and treating him respectfully and giving him treats when he approaches me so that I am a pleasure dispenser and not a threat. Fingers crossed he doesn't turn mean.

 

[FrostRanger]

Your chicken sitter sounds amazing and I hope the new little guy turns out well!