rooster trouble

I have a problem with a roo . He is my top dog roo. I love him a lot. He loves people and has a good disposition with the children. My problem is integrating new chickens. They are not old enough to breed with so he hates them and tries to kill them. I only have one area to keep my chickens so I had to pull him out to solitary confinment. (The tractor) I started my flock this summer. I made the mistake of hatching them in three waves. I did not realize the whole pecking order thing. Crash course I guess. My eldest is a rooster (problem child) and a hen. Then I have 3 more hens. (Having gotten rid of 4 roos in that batch) And the I have 5 hens and a roo in the third batch. The last batch was born in August so they are still young. I just added them to the hen house and it was disasterous for the newbies. Duke keeps jumping on the little girls and ripping their feathers out. They were so stressed they would not move in the yard. Hence, solitary confinment. I really want Duke in the mix. His old girls love him. They are all stressed out. My hen wont lay either. Having hind sight I now know not to mix all ages but does anyone have any suggestions about creating a symbiotic home with this motley crew?

Well... I had 2 chicks that were like 5th graders.. I got 2 new ones about the same age and even though they were the same age and size, the original ones tried to kill the new ones.
I put a wire mesh divider in and split the 2 original ones I had.. I put the mean one by himself.. and left the smaller one in with the 2 new chicks. It kinda stressed them out.. but they missed snuggling with each other so much that they forgot about the new kids.. The second day I took the divider out and they were all best friends.

So what I'm trying to say is.. if you can divide them with wire so they are still close enough to see each other every day... and can get used to living together till they get to be the same size.. maby that would help?
LIke put Pop back with his women.. and keep the smaller ones real close but divided with wire.. is something like that possible?

If the youngers ones are geting along with everyone else, just leave them where they are and return the rooster after everything calms down. They aren't reall smart and forget who belongs and who doesn't. After a few weeks, all the hens will thing that they are one flock and protect the smaller ones.

If they haven't integrated yet, the wire seperation is a good idea for a week or so. Annother way is to let them all out in the yard to get to know each other before putting them back in together. After a few days of this they will usually integrate. It is always easier to add several newbies rather than just one as they stick together and the other hens can't decide just who to pick on. A rooster will have favorite hens, but it is the hens who establish the pecking order in the flock.

No matter what you do, the rooster will have to wait till the pecking order is established by the hens. They will take him back when everything is ready.

I cant seperate the pen with wire, but I could move the tractor closer so they can see each other. Would that kinda do the same? So it isnt just the age that made the wedge. Good to know. Looking at his picture , what do you think he is?? He has a really soft fuzzy butt and feathery feet. He is like my dog. He comes running when I call.

We dont have very many nice days but I will definately take your advice and let them out in the yard (outside the pen) to free range awhile each day so the babies can get away but get to know him too. The old girls will LOVE that. They do miss him.

Thank you so much for your help. Its my first rodeo, so to say. LOL And I dont know what to expect. None of my hens have layed yet. Not even my spring chickens. I read alot of the other postes and believe I found a possible answer. Maybe all my integrating has them out of sorts. And removing Duke probly did not help. Its okay though. I love them anyway. They are really sweet. I love to be the first out in the morning because they are all happy to see me. :D

One more question ;) Can I let them out in the snow, or will that give them frost bite? Central New York winters can be cold. What is your rule of thumb for temperature? Thanks again. You both have been a big help. I feel so much better. I have shed a few tears thinking about having to get rid of Duke. He was my first hatch and we use to watch TV together. He loves to be held still. LOL

Wow, you poor thing sewincircle. Sounds like you are having your troubles with old Duke. All the advice you are getting sounds right to me. Duke needs to cool his jets in the tractor until the little ones become part of the flock. I did the same thing. I got a batch of little ones from the hatchery and could not get the second batch that I wanted until a month later. I had a simular problem, but all calmed down in a couple weeks and everyone gets on famously now, except for the mean old guineas. They do run bys and pluck feathers off of anyone they can. If they weren't such good alarms, they would be dinner. Hope everything calms down soon. Can't believe that Duke has not turned on you yet. Most roos that you make pets and pick up etc. try to set dominence over you. I guess they see you as another roo. Hope he stays nice.

He loooks like my Brahma. They are very docile and are good cold weather birds. They do take longer to mature though so eggs don't come till about 6 months old.

Are you providing extra light in the coop? I have a string of LED christmas lights on a timer that makes them think it's still summer and keeps them laying.

I also let mine out to play in the snow. Frostbite is usually only a problem at night when the temps are waaay below 0 or outside with sever wind chill. I live in Northern Michigan with zone 4 tems and have only had frostbite once on the tips of a roosters comb. ometimes I have to clean balls of snow of the featherd feet of my brahmas though.

You are doing fine. We learn as we go.

LOL, The old guineas sound like a riot! Maybe I need a couple. Funny stuff. They look like dinosaurs. I have never heard one though.
I am winterizing Dukes tractor with plexi glass and wood. I filled it with hay so he will be warm. We got snow today. I have a light in Dukes tractor as well as the hen house. Its really bright! They are often up in the night. (I can see them through the window) Once they see its still dark out they make it back to the roosts. I am sure they will lay sometime. Like you said some mature later, maybe thats what mine is doing.

Brahma huh? Cool name for a cool bird. He is very bottom heavy. Does not jump much and does not fly at all.
These are the newbies. I think they may be marans (black and copper and black) and one that looks like a hawk. (Humphry) Any ideas?
I am going to let them all out to play today. Thank you all sooo much. Jean