You will definitely be able to tell when a rooster is becoming too aggressive with the hens. If you notice that he is drawing blood or making the hens are distressed, it might be time to take steps to curb the rooster's aggressiveness. To start, you might want to consider clipping and rounding off the rooster's spurs.
Poultry farmers are often faced with injured hens and at times even the death of their hens because of an aggressive rooster. At times, the aggressiveness is so severe that it can even result in cannibalism. Poor diet, cramped coops and boredom among roosters seem to be the main causes of aggressive behavior.
Unless your rooster is causing the hens injury, pecking hens on their backs and heads is actually no cause for concern. It is courting behavior. He pecks them on their backs or heads as a signal that he would like to mate.
Chickens fight. In a coop with a rooster, the “boss” will usually settle disagreements between hens, but chickens don't always get along and squabbles may range from shoving matches at dinnertime to all-out brawls that may leave the loser bloodied and missing a few feathers.
Run Him Down
You will get the rooster to move but keep in mind, he might view this as an attack and will act accordingly. To do this, simply take one large step while staring him down. He will back up and might look towards the ground as he admits defeat. That's all you need to do – walk away slowly.
Roosters are not very harmful. Roosters often protect the flock against predators. They are much more aggressive than the hens. Sometimes the roosters will attack the farmers.
Owning a rooster so that you can breed your chickens is generally not a good idea. In allowing your hens to have chicks, you will end up with several more roosters. Although roosters can be kept together when they are young, as they mature they will often start fighting, which can lead to serious injuries.
So while the answer to the question of "Do you need a Rooster to lay eggs?" is no, you can certainly have a happier flock with a rooster. Although uncrowded hens generally get along with each other, a flock with a rooster is usually more peaceful. There is less fighting for the top spot by the hens.
Many chicken keepers, to assure fertile eggs are from the desired mating, simply put the hen and rooster together, then wait two to three weeks before collecting the eggs for hatching.
Aggression typically becomes apparent in cockerels when they reach puberty, generally any time after four months old. Sexual maturity ushers in the full load of testosterone, which is a behavior game changer for some.
When you have both a rooster flock and a hen flock, you will want to make sure they stay completely separate from each other. Each sex should have their own coop and enclosure. If you free-range your chickens, allow the roosters to free-range separate from the hens.
It's natural for roosters to want to be the king of the flock. So they'll fight for their position and their favorite hens. Many times, rooster fights end in death. So it's important to attempt to stop the fight and separate the birds.
So when your rooster begins to show signs of aggression, or starts to chase towards you, make him retreat, by walking boldly towards him. Another option is to grab a spray bottle or a hose (on a gentle setting), and to spray him when he tries to attack.
Yes, a rooster can be an egg eater too. Just like a hen, a rooster will peck and consume an egg because of dietary reasons or he is bored.
In the case of an overeager rooster who is a little too affectionate on his hens, the spurs can injure her back from excessive treading.
When the rooster attacks by charging you, raise your arms and move them around, I flap mine. This makes you look fierce and even larger to him. Take a few steps or even run toward him. DO NOT walk away from him or turn your back to him until he has surrendered to you.
Recognising the signs of stress
Abnormal feathering. Constant preening of feathers even in the absence of external parasites. Increased aggression like feather pecking. Cannibalism.
A rooster may mate from 10 to 30 or more times per day, depending on the availability of hens and competition from other roosters. However, the number of sperm per ejaculate is seldom less than 100 million which is the minimum required to maintain high fertility.
A rooster often has his favorite girl, with whom he spends most of his time. She is not necessarily at the top of the pecking order, but he will treat her like a queen. It's possible that other hens might be envious of her role, because when the rooster is removed, his favorite hen is sometimes picked on by the others.
This is a behavior where the rooster clucks softly and moves his head up and down while picking up bits of food and dropping them. A rooster's long wattles are said to be helpful gaining a hen's attention while he's tidbitting. The hens will then eat first and the rooster will eat anything that's left over.