3 and a half week old chicks violently fighting!!!! Please help.

[Saltysunshine79]

So I finally had a really successful hatch...actually more then I wanted, but that's ok. I had so many unsuccessful hatches that this was a welcomed "to many". So after going and purchasing a very large coop for 15 birds, we safe guarded it and at almost 4 weeks old we put them outside. (We are in east coast Carolina where it is still hot as hattes). The fist couple days everything went swimmingly. That was until this weekend. My husband knocked on the window as I was doing the dishes and says "hey, I think you need to come outside, your babies are trying to kill each other"! Thinking he was being a tad dramatic, I run outside to find my male leghorn and my brown (mutt) going at it like to scrappy, backyard, ally cats. We pull them apart, both bleeding and seeing their better days. I put them each in separate brooders alone to get their bearings back and clean them up a bit. This may have been my first mistake, so I hear. Anyhow my 9 year old daughter says they are crying loud for their families and she doesn't want them to be lonely! Could we please put a hen in with each", she ask? I told her first lets try to put each rooster back in one at a time and see how everyone behaves. By the way there are approximately 5 roosters and 10 hens that hatched, and we already have 2 roosters. One about 6 months and one is a very old man....both very friendly pets who get a long fine. Anyhow I put the leghorn rooster back in and sit and wait....nothing. Him and the other roosters and hens went back to normal life. So now its time to put back the brown rooster, but first we try him with a hen. I watch.....and BAM, they attack each other. I try another hen ( i have 4 sexed golden comets 3 days younger then said rooster) and he goes to attacking her. I read they have to establish a pecking order so I stick him in the coop reluctantly. Hold my breath, close my eyes annnnnnnd...... MAYHEM ENSUES!!!!. They might as well of jumped him like he wanted out of the blood or cryps!!! What do I do??? Now the poor thing has spent the last three days by himself at night in the brooder and in the day I put him next to the chicken coop where they can all see each other so he doesn't feel alone. Don't laugh, I cant help it.....im a bleeding heart, I feel so bad for him. I don't know where to turn. He is so young to already get the chop, but all the other chickens and roos hate him. Any one out there can help I would be eternally grateful! Oh and lets not even mention I have yet to have to kill a bird......I know one day it will come, but its enough to keep your girl up at night!!!

 

[NatJ]

I have read of some people putting an adult rooster in with chicks--the idea is that they all recognize him as dominant, and do not fight among themselves because the top spot is already taken.

If you try it, of course you should watch carefully to see how things go, and be ready to pull him back out if it does not work!

 

[azygous]

Can you post a photo of your coop and the chicks inside so we can see the space availability? Often, overcrowding is the reason for mayhem.

Do these chicks have access to a run, or are they cooped up all the time?

Do you have a heat lamp going day and night? Are the chicks under bright light day and night? What is the temperature in the coop? How warm under the heat lamp, if it's on?

 

[BY Bob]

It would really be helpful to have some photos and even video if possible. I'm going to tag in someone I know who is a rooster expert as well.

@Shadrach What else should we be asking?

 

[Saltysunshine79]

I sure can send a picture for sure! During the day, when I am outside gardening I put them in a pe

Can you post a photo of your coop and the chicks inside so we can see the space availability? Often, overcrowding is the reason for mayhem.

Do these chicks have access to a run, or are they cooped up all the time?

Do you have a heat lamp going day and night? Are the chicks under bright light day and night? What is the temperature in the coop? How warm under the heat lamp, if it's on?

S

I have read of some people putting an adult rooster in with chicks--the idea is that they all recognize him as dominant, and do not fight among themselves because the top spot is already taken.

If you try it, of course you should watch carefully to see how things go, and be ready to pull him back out if it does not work!

Hi Nat, Thank you so much for your response. So we are still at about 85-90 degrees most days here in NC so there are no lights up. Also I am outside most of the day unless its raining and they have a large pen that i put them in. I will forward pictures of everything as soon as I get the kiddos school day started. It say that our coop was large enough to house 8-10 full size chickens. I figured since they were babies and we weren't keeping most roosters this would be feasible. Also all my birds are free range and only go up to respective coops in the evening. Maybe you are right, maybe because they aren't free range yet its just to much. I will put up pictures within the next hour. Thank you again. Question, is it possible to have these baby roosters live in harmony together? People tell me its incredible my adult roosters get along, but they do each have their own posse of hens they stick with....coukd that be the reason? Ok...off to teach these kiddos, pics to follow!

 

[Shadrach]

It would really be helpful to have some photos and even video if possible. I'm going to tag in someone I know who is a rooster expert as well.

@Shadrach What else should we be asking?

There is no information in the post that would give me a clue Bob.

 

[NatJ]

Question, is it possible to have these baby roosters live in harmony together? People tell me its incredible my adult roosters get along, but they do each have their own posse of hens they stick with....coukd that be the reason?

Individual chicken temperaments can make a big difference, and so can the available amount of space.

If your adult roosters have mutually agreed to go their own ways, that could be part of why it works. Those same two roosters might have a lot of trouble if they were forced to share a small space.

And your young cockerels might be fine too if they had "enough" space. But enough might be very large indeed! That way the loser could just stay away from the ones that pick on him.

He is so young to already get the chop, but all the other chickens and roos hate him.

Chickens often do pick on any one that is bleeding, but you say they were both bleeding at first, so I don't know why this one is being singled out and the other one is not.

Given that you have 5 males and 10 females in that batch of chicks, you will need to reduce the number of males at some point-- and it looks to me like this one should be the first to go.

 

[Punkybrewster]

This is a common situation when raising chickens.
My solution is to cull.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I sure can send a picture for sure! During the day, when I am outside gardening I put them in a pe

S

Hi Nat, Thank you so much for your response. So we are still at about 85-90 degrees most days here in NC so there are no lights up. Also I am outside most of the day unless its raining and they have a large pen that i put them in. I will forward pictures of everything as soon as I get the kiddos school day started. It say that our coop was large enough to house 8-10 full size chickens. I figured since they were babies and we weren't keeping most roosters this would be feasible. Also all my birds are free range and only go up to respective coops in the evening. Maybe you are right, maybe because they aren't free range yet its just to much. I will put up pictures within the next hour. Thank you again. Question, is it possible to have these baby roosters live in harmony together? People tell me its incredible my adult roosters get along, but they do each have their own posse of hens they stick with....coukd that be the reason? Ok...off to teach these kiddos, pics to follow!

Personally I don't have many problems with rooster foghrs, but that's because all my flocks are free ranged and have a definite dominant male that's older than everyone so they know better

 

[azygous]

I am in total agreement with @Punkybrewster that culling may be the best solution. I cull at around six weeks if I have observed a temperament in a male chick that is aggressive. It's even more of a no-brainer to cull if you see an aggressive chick draw blood when interacting with other chicks.