my rooster is "racist"

KSALguy · #1 03/20/11, 04:45 PM

its been almost two full weeks sence i got the leghorn hens, they are settling in, even laying, but my EE rooster wants NOTHING to do with them, even to the point he attacks them, not like he does another rooster, but i even saw one of them squat for him and he pecked her head and sent her on her way, and then another one of them he pecked and gave a good kick, i dont get it, this is the seccond EE rooster i have had that for what ever reason does NOT Like Leghorn Hens, the first one was an old big Partridge color EE who wouldnt accept a white leghorn hen and would pick at her as well, now this young EE and brown leghorn hens, i just dont get it,

seriously contimplateing selling the all the leghorns and getting some hens he will accept, anyone else seen this kind of thing?

Sanza · #2 03/20/11, 04:58 PM

Have you tried to take him away for a couple days and then put him in with the leghorn hens only? He might decide they're better then nothing....lol
My splash silkie roo doesn't have anything to do with the red silkie hens, only breeds the blue and black ones. Jeez I need 2 more breeding pens!

Otter · #3 03/20/11, 05:20 PM

I'd keep the hens and start looking for an EE roo who isn't so picky!
Perhaps next time you raise chicks you can raise some together. That does the trick.

fffarmergirl · #4 03/20/11, 06:54 PM

Our rooster only had 3 hens and their backs were bald from too much mating, so we got some more hens for him. He refused to have anything to do with them until "his" hens accepted them. I think the hens tell him who he can like and who he can't!

suelandress · #5 03/20/11, 07:05 PM

Wish you were closer. just gave away an EE roo who couldn't get enough....the girls already had a purebred roo, and wanted nothing to do with the handsome mutt.

KSALguy · #6 03/20/11, 08:15 PM

oh he does his job well with all the other mix mash of hens i have which makes me scratch my head, he has two wheton game hens, one black australorp, one black game mix, one sumatra mix, two EEs, a silki mix (that apparently lays blue eggs) and three bantams (that he LOVES) all of these birds are a mix of sizes and shapes and colors, so its not like he is pre programmed to a particular TYPE of hen, i just dont get it, all the other hens get their fair share or MORE of his attention,

i am going to sell all but two of the hens maybe eventually he will accept them, but maybe he knows i am not real wild about their crazy high strung personalitys, two of the hens are calmer and dont bother me lol, but the rest are just so zippy and high strung and stupid acting i will sell them with the rooster and put that money toward something both He and I can agree on lol,

katydidagain · #7 03/20/11, 10:58 PM

I have never met an EEer roo who wouldn't flog me regularly or cared what color or type of hen he conquered. Of course, mine apparently didn't have blue genes...hmmm....

Energy Rebel · #8 03/21/11, 08:49 AM

Why Ah am, Ah say, Ah am offended by yo' remahk!

KSALguy · #9 03/21/11, 10:45 AM

oh snapp!! lmaohahahahahaha thats great.

MrsSurplus · #10 03/21/11, 04:38 PM

LOL on the cartoon. As another poster said, I'd get rid of the roo - plenty of those around! I LOVE my leghorns. I bought some WL chicks on a whim last year (heard that a WL has the record for most eggs) and my WL rock! I have 2 RIRs, 4 WL, and something I can't identify that was supposed to be a Barred Rock - all from last year. I also have some awesome EEs that are 4yo and still laying regularly. But those WL started laying earlier than anyone else and rarely ever missed a day - even through winter here in Oregon and I don't heat the coop in the winter. I'd get rid of nearly any old roo before I got rid of my lovely WLs!

KSALguy · #11 03/21/11, 06:01 PM

i may keep two around but this is just one more strike against these birds, they are just not what i would class as farm life fowl, these in particular, not the breed, only two are laying regularly it seems, and the eggs are small for a leghorn, i have six sexlink pullets and two BR pullets comming up so eggs are not going to be too big of an issue when they come up,

now if i could find some Egyptian Fayomi hens i would be thrilled lol,

Uncle JD · #12 03/21/11, 09:33 PM

Funny that you say your roo is racist. My Black Australorp roo seems to be more gentle with my three Australorp hens than he is with me 3 red Sexlinks. Unbeleivably so, the three red hens hang together, and the 3 black hens hang together with my rooster. But, my red hens have torn up feathers on their backs, and the black ones do not. Anyone got anything on this? It is quite disturbing. I am about to start a new thread and ask what to do to butcher the rooster. He is 1 year old and I fear that if I don't do it now, I never will. So I will look forward to comments in the new thread entitled,
"how to butcher a rooster"

Shalom V'berekot,

jd

KSALguy · #13 03/21/11, 09:48 PM

some hens are predisposed to broken feathers for a number of reasons, mostly fluffy soft featherd hens, but australorps are fluffy too, so its POSSIBLE he breeds the three red ones before they have a chance to contract their feathers, and the three black hens automatically assume the possition so to speak and all he has to do is mount and go,

why are you wanting to butcher him?

Uncle JD · #14 03/21/11, 10:14 PM

Shalom KSALguy, I basically want to butcher him because I want the experience,,, we have chicks on the way, and he is 1 year old now. He is a good Rooster, but, I don't necesarily need him after we get the new chicks. Plus,,, we are all curious how our birds will taste having not been vaccinated, injected and treated badly. We intend to maintain two flocks,,, one for eggs and one for meat. He is our research bird so to speak. Thoughts????

Blessings,,

jd

KSALguy · #15 03/21/11, 11:21 PM

let him age in the fridge in an ice bath of salt water for a couple days before cooking or freezing, this will help tenderize, also cook LOW AND SLOW< he is not a young bird anymore so you dont want to cook him fast and hot, other wise it wont be tender,

laughaha · #16 03/22/11, 01:42 PM

Mine are racist to a degree, all 10 or so of them. They definitely seem to prefer their color, although a couple (the not dominant roos) will sneak attack any hen they think they have a chance with. My three main roos- The Blue Orp, The Buff Orp and The Cuckoo Marans mainly just breed their breed although the cuckoo will breed the barred rocks.

My BA hens are much more dominant than my red sexlink hens, and will fight off the unwanted advances of a rogue rooster. The hens usually win. The Red sexlinks are much softer tempered and usually lose. Could that be what you are seeing?

KSALguy · #17 03/22/11, 11:23 PM

no he flat out attacks them. pecks them on their way by, ignores their attempt at assuming the possition, etc.

InvalidID · #18 03/22/11, 11:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KSALguy

no he flat out attacks them. pecks them on their way by, ignores their attempt at assuming the possition, etc.

I had a similar issue. I let one of my roo chicks stay with the flock instead of eating him, intending to replace the old roo.
First time the young guy let out a crow the old roo found he was more interested in ALL the hens. Do you have only 1 roo?