Can Two Roosters Ever Get Along Well?

I hatched 8 eggs in June - 7 were roosters. I have found homes as pets for 5 of them - what an accomplishment! But I kept keeping my favorites and now am down to two - Buck Buck, who looks like a white leghorn and Prima, who is part auracana and very pretty. They live in a 10'x10' stall in the barn with six hens and have both started to breed them. They are diligent, brave boys who look out for those hens. When one breeds, the other sometimes rushes over and sometimes tries to get between the other rooster and the hen. There have been no fights yet.

Is there any possibility that roosters can be friends!!!??? Everyone says no. I would love to find a final home for one of these boys - any takers? I live in Western New York. I hate to give up either one - both are gentle and one is particularly pretty and they add so much to my small life. But I can't and won't put one in the pot - they are my hand-raised babies so I keep hoping for a miracle at Christmas! Ann

Ann,

I bought six bantam straight run chicks last spring and ended up with three of them being males. I have kept the three roos together with some pullets since they were little chicks. One is a buff cochin, one a black frizzled cochin, and the other a red pyle old english bantam (photo in my avatar). I think they tolerate each other pretty well considering they are in an enclosed pen all of the time (no free-ranging because of hawks, foxes, etc.).

The buff cochin bantam is top roo and doesn't appreciate the other roos crowing. He gives them a peck now and then if they dare to crow without his permission. Other than that, there are no open fights and they all snuggle together with the hens at night on a bale of wheat straw.

With the breeding behavior it seems like one rooster's exploits encourage the others to get their share at the same time, too. I notice more ganging up on the hens than any fights or differences over who gets to do the deed.

I would say that the behavioral dynamics among roos probably depend more on the individual roosters involved rather than the particular breed. Also, if free ranging they are less confined and that might make encounters less frequent.

Roos that are raised together can stand a better chance of getting along than those who aren't but as noted above, it's really going to depend on the roos, their environment etc. Hoping you will be lucky because it sounds like they've had great care and that they like you too!

In terms of getting along, roos without hens are usually an easier lift than roos with hens. I had a pair of roos show up on my property at a time when I didn't have any other chickens (this happened more than once actually but at this moment I am thinking of BJ and Johnny) and they were the absolute best friends you can ever imagine - the one even protecting the other from a dog attack (grrrr-someone let their dog off a leash...). They ate together, slept together, took walks together. Later, when Johnny died (reason unknown, BJ was the one attacked by the dog but he recovered), BJ wouldn't eat, drink or get up. It was heartbreaking. (I went on a mad search for a friend for him to try to give him a reason to live - it took several long days but I finally was able to find him a hen friend. Being a prince among roos, he rose to the occasion and took such beautiful gentle care of her).

All the best with your roo times 2!.
JJ

I would also think you need to worry about the hens. Two roosters could do a lot of damage to a small flock.

What about game Roos that have been raised together. Can they stay together? I doubt it. Has anyone ever heard of such a thing? My DH has two Roos that are about 5 months old and they are still together for now.

a friend of mine has white, spangled, and black tail red oegb.
they are separated by color, he's had about 10 birds together with at least 2 sometimes 3 being roosters.
I asked him how he kept them from fighting and he said they don't fight long -- actually, they don't really fight, just some pecking here and there
Every time I go by there, all his peeps looked content.

I have roosters together too, but they have been raised together since hatch.

Thats good to know because we hatched these ourselves and these were the only one out of eight eggs that survived. A total of three hatched but one had a severe leg deformaty and we had to.... well you know. My DH would like to keep both of his first time hatches if possible but we dont have enough room to separate as of yet.

Thanks.

We have 2 roos, not hatched together, but both came from the same people. They scuffle now and then and posture but they have not fought They seem to always be together. They even herd hens together. If one hen isn't with everyone else they both will run across the yard at full speed and gather her up! It looks funny! The younger one doesn't like me though, so I don't know how much longer we will have him. I will have no problem at all putting HIM into the stock pot. I tell him that everytime he comes after me.

Monica

Thank you so much for your encouraging stories about roosters being "pals." Mine are not yet six months old; I hope I don't see nasty behaviors later. They both crow together. I so hope to keep them... Here are their photos. Ann

What kinds of Roosters are they?