Our new Cock met neighbors Cock, Have Video !

Our new flock is settling into their new home, have about ten days to go before we let them free range. Our close neighbors have many banties that have been free ranging for years. Vicki was able to record a meet up, our rooster (left) is in the enclosed run. Question, any ideas what will happen when they meet in the open for first time? Hoping it's no more then a couple pecks and both move on with their girls.




Dan

Likely there will be blood and torn combs/wattles.

Agreed.

One will have to come out a clear winner by flogging the other.

Best to hope they have plenty of room to retreat...

Could you post a google earth image of areas birds free range in?

centrarchid said:

Could you post a google earth image of areas birds free range in?

Click to expand...

Centrarchid,

My apologies for the delay getting back to you, still trying to figure out how Google Chrome computer works. Here's a satellite pic that I drew on, should give a good idea of our home. Neighbors on left have the banties.

Dan

X2

What I look to aid in splitting adult flocks is distance between roosts / coops, areas that will attract flock foraging / loafing as well as some sort of break in the environment that can demark territory boundaries. Each flock must also have a rooster and the sex ratio cannot be too skewed towards hens otherwise hens will drift. Also there must not be more birds than a territory can support. When roosts are closer together you can cheat within limits where you can encourage one or both flocks to forage away from the rival flock’s territory. You can promote this by getting your birds interested in going to a feeding station in your front yard although proximity of your neighbor’s coop to your yard boundary will make keeping those birds out of your garden area difficult. Your neighbor may be able to deflect their flock with a feeding station on the far side of their property. A boundary might be possible at your mutual property lines if it can be setup to slow chickens crossing it. Once you move your coop away from house, keeping flocks separate will be more difficult unless a proper fence is employed. If you birds are weak flyers like my American Dominiques then fence may go a long way towards keeping flocks separate. Roosters will periodically squabble over territory boundary as promoted by fence-line.

I will try to post a picture of last years configuration to give some insight into how my flocks are kept separate.

Image below depicts two flock territories maintained during much of the 2014 production season. Roosts are depicted by blue circles and feeding station by yellow suns. Blue is ditch going through fen dominated by tall thick grass. Only place birds could cross easily was a bridge crossing near large tree in red territory. Territory outlines depicted were maximal. Ranges contracted markedly when feeding stations where well armed and that was particularly noteworthy for the red territory where the upper and lower lobes where not visited on good days. Yellow territory was not as impacted in part because of foraging demands placed by chicks and center of territory was dominated by lawn that did not provide much in the way of cover. Red territory did not have chicks. Disputes were centered on bridge area. Roosters would drive hens not their own back across bridge but would mate them if they could first.

I'm hoping the squabbles will be minimal with minimal blood and torn combs / waddles. Fencing would be a last resort as we have almost no fence between us and about 25% is wide open, another 25% is only Arborvitaes (chickens walk right under those). Neighbors flocks have roamed the neighborhood for years, suspect if I setup a feed station away from [enemy territory] they'll just park their beaks in it in when not causing trouble with my birds.

We'll just have to wait and see what happens next Saturday, that's the day my flock gets paroled from the coop.