New cockerel

[worthysmum]

After losing my cockerel a relative kindly surprised me with another orpington boy. He is a year old and apparently was living with a group of hens and a cockerel. He is a nice lad, really big but still looks a little immature. He has moved in with no problems from the girls aside from a few pecks and squabbles. How ever for some reason he is really spiteful to my two mulberry bantams, not to the brahmas. He chases them off constantly and really pecks them if they dare to walk near him. He chases them off the food and generally is bullying them. Is this normal for cockerels to be so mean. Grayson wasnt at all like this. Im going to give him a couple of weeks to see if he settles down, if he doesnt Im thinking I may have to part with him. I thought cockerels would look after their girls and dont know why he has singled the two mulberry girls out.

 

[chrismahon]

Our normally very placid Orpington cockerel Basil hates Wyandottes Worthysmum. No explanation for it at all. He was with 3 Wyandotte hens but clearly didn't like their company and we separated them. He also hates Claude the TNN cockerel, but he is an irritating little chap so I'm not surprised!

 

[foxy]

It may just be his immaturity, and he sees the mulberry girls as a threat to his position in the flock. This is likely especially as he comes from a flock hierarchy where he was a subordinate cockerel. Give him time and as his confidence grows his behaviour may change to become more tolerant.

 

[worthysmum]

Thanks for the advice, I will give him some time.