- Apr 29, 2012
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I got my first set of baby chicks back in June and they are now 18 weeks old. I ordered 10 hens and one cockerel, but in the end one was mis-sexed and I now have a flock of nine ladies and two roos free ranging in my backyard. At first it seemed to be working out, but a couple of weeks ago I started having problems. One started crowing (NBD, we live on 20 acres), and soon after that the smaller of the two roosters stopped going into the coop at night. I'd go outside and find him hiding under the woodpile. From what I can tell he's the weaker of the two roosters, so I'm assuming that the bigger one is keeping him out somehow.
This past weekend the whole family was in the backyard. The chickens were free ranging with us out there, just like they have done ever since they were a few weeks old. My 3-year-old ran down the sidewalk, close to where the bigger rooster was foraging. He chased her down and attacked her. Then later, my husband was with my daughter on the other side of the yard. The rooster seemed to kind of zero in on my daughter from across the yard, then flew over and started attacking her. We confined him to the run after that.
Yesterday I was closing up the coop for the night and the bigger rooster attacked one of my hens. He didn't peck her, but grabbed her by the neck and started sort of swinging her around. I thought he was going to kill her, so I ran in and shooed at him which made him drop her and start attacking me. At this point every time I look at him I hear "Sic 'em on a chicken" by the Zac Brown Band in my head and start thinking it's time for a home made chicken pot pie.
I have several questions. One, am I thinking about this issue realistically, or am I approaching it from an inexperienced "city" mindset that expects keeping livestock to be sunshine and harmony all the time? In other words, is this the way a rooster is supposed to act? Secondly, the aggressive rooster is noticeably bigger, has a bigger, redder comb and wattles, and overall seems like a healthier bird than my smaller rooster. The small rooster doesn't really crow, doesn't harass the ladies, and has never attacked anyone. Would this change if the larger, more virile rooster were to suddenly fall into my crock pot? Would the larger rooster be likely to father healthier chicks?
I'm torn. I've grown very fond of my hens and hate the thought of keeping an overly aggressive rooster around them. On the other side of the coin I'm not sure if the smaller rooster will be good for the flock either, if the larger one is removed. Advice?
This past weekend the whole family was in the backyard. The chickens were free ranging with us out there, just like they have done ever since they were a few weeks old. My 3-year-old ran down the sidewalk, close to where the bigger rooster was foraging. He chased her down and attacked her. Then later, my husband was with my daughter on the other side of the yard. The rooster seemed to kind of zero in on my daughter from across the yard, then flew over and started attacking her. We confined him to the run after that.
Yesterday I was closing up the coop for the night and the bigger rooster attacked one of my hens. He didn't peck her, but grabbed her by the neck and started sort of swinging her around. I thought he was going to kill her, so I ran in and shooed at him which made him drop her and start attacking me. At this point every time I look at him I hear "Sic 'em on a chicken" by the Zac Brown Band in my head and start thinking it's time for a home made chicken pot pie.
I have several questions. One, am I thinking about this issue realistically, or am I approaching it from an inexperienced "city" mindset that expects keeping livestock to be sunshine and harmony all the time? In other words, is this the way a rooster is supposed to act? Secondly, the aggressive rooster is noticeably bigger, has a bigger, redder comb and wattles, and overall seems like a healthier bird than my smaller rooster. The small rooster doesn't really crow, doesn't harass the ladies, and has never attacked anyone. Would this change if the larger, more virile rooster were to suddenly fall into my crock pot? Would the larger rooster be likely to father healthier chicks?
I'm torn. I've grown very fond of my hens and hate the thought of keeping an overly aggressive rooster around them. On the other side of the coin I'm not sure if the smaller rooster will be good for the flock either, if the larger one is removed. Advice?