Sissy Cockerel, also some new ex batts

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rosco

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A while ago I posted about my young cockerel who was being attacked by my two older hens, and had to be separated. I built a new 8'x8' run and put the cockerel in there to beef up a bit, and when he started crowing after a few weeks I put the hens in there with him. He was petrified of them, probably traumatised by the beating he took from them as a kid. But now its been well over a month, probably nearer two, and he is still afraid of them, although not quite as much. He doesnt try and mate with them, having tried once and been battered for it, and he hasn't crowed since they were put in there. Will he ever be man enough to breed? That was my prime motive for getting a cockerel after all. Any advice would be really appreciated.

Also, yestereday I picked up two ex battery hens from a rescue place nearby. They had just been rescued the day before and are totally gorgeous, if a bit bald and amaciated looking. They are in the old run for now until they are up to full strength, then they will be added to the cockerel's harem, if he even knows what to do with a harem!

Cheers
 
I think you had't done intoduction correctly,young cockrels(and not only cocrels) are often bullid by older hens.You should put him in his run separete from the hens and when get use to see eachother introduce a hen to a cockrell teritory but not all at one,just one hen at the time and see how the things going.If she accept eventually her new status in pecking order then intoroduce another one and so on.I would start from hen which is the lowest in pecking order so he would gain more confidence.As he is still very young from what you saing you would get better chance to move all old girls to their old run and put the new gils with the cocklell.As they just arrived they more likely to accept his rule over them hance also giving him more confidence.Wait until you see him mating with the new girls and then introduce the old ones to him one by one.You may going to have to wait till spring to introduce old girl.He will get there but you need to give him a chance to be confident.
 
Thanks for that. After a week or so I'll take the old girls out of the run with the cockerel and put the ex-batts in. I'll let you know how he gets on.

Do cockerels gain more vigour in the spring?
 
you dont mention the breed of cockerel? is he bigger than the hens? how old is he? if he is not fully mature the hens will dominate him. if you are not planning on breeding until next year there is no rush, let him beef up and grow 'some'! ;)
 
Let him mature, feel his feet I was always told( not sure what that meant)
You wouldn't put a 15 year old boy into a host of harridans would you? :D
 
Thanks for all the replies folks. I did the switch on saturday at dusk, moving the ex-batts in with the cockerel and moving the two cuckoo marans out into the old run. A bit of squabbling from time to time yesterday but it would appear the cockerel has now got his mojo back! He was crowing away this morning, which he never had the confidence to do when in with the other hens.

He is a cuckoo maran cockerel by the way. Approx 8-9 months old. And he is bigger than all of the hens. Although the cuckoo maran hens are bigger than the ex-batts in turn.

Anyway the ex-batts have room to get away from him and I let them out free range as much as possible so I'm sure they will be ok for now. Once I see him mating with them I will decide what to do next. Perhaps I will wait til spring to put them all back in together. Don't want him losing confidence now that he has finally got some!

Edit: And just to say the cockerel is totally unrelated to the cuckoo maran hens (as far as I know) and so I am hoping to breed him with them next year, a few friends and family are hoping for some of the young uns.
 
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