AshlyMommaWard
Chirping
I searched for a couple hours for a similar thread to no avail. Anyone with any suggestions or similar experiences please help.
I have 35 chicks. 30 are 4 weeks old and in the "big girl" coop (although if sexing is correct they are 18 pullets and 12 cockerels). They have begun working out their pecking order and all was well, until today. I spend usually about 3 hours a day observing them, broken into 1/2 hour to hr increments. I've now got one, possibly 2 cockerels who have became unnecessarily violent.
The plan was to put all 12 cockerels thru intense scrutiny to chose the 2 we plan to keep, and if any others are good boys possibly try to rehome, and send the remained to freezer camp.
The culprit begins with typical chest bump and stare down with almost always another cockerel, but even when the loser of the staring competition lowered his(her) head and attempts to leave, he goes for a full attack, I saw him pull an entire beak full of down from another's head today and continue to chase even after I began yelling (I know bad move, terrified them all, but it totally caught me off guard).
None are game birds. They have tons of space 144sq ft coop and 144 sq ft run. And multiple feed and water stations.
Basically my question is, what on earth do I do with him?
I do not take a life easily, and to do so without even being big enough to be a nuggett seems totally wrong.
My brooder is occupied by the 1 gimpy 4 week old pullet and 4 1-2 week old chicks. I cannot plausibly build and or section off part of the coop for him.
The only means I have to separate him would be a cat carrier, which he'll quickly outgrow.
Is this normal behavior (as normal as a chick who's going to grow into a mean jerk of a roo) or is it cause for elimination? He is a white leghorn or California white by the way.
Obviously I'm new to this, feel free to be as straight forward with me as need be, I'm not going to cry
I have 35 chicks. 30 are 4 weeks old and in the "big girl" coop (although if sexing is correct they are 18 pullets and 12 cockerels). They have begun working out their pecking order and all was well, until today. I spend usually about 3 hours a day observing them, broken into 1/2 hour to hr increments. I've now got one, possibly 2 cockerels who have became unnecessarily violent.
The plan was to put all 12 cockerels thru intense scrutiny to chose the 2 we plan to keep, and if any others are good boys possibly try to rehome, and send the remained to freezer camp.
The culprit begins with typical chest bump and stare down with almost always another cockerel, but even when the loser of the staring competition lowered his(her) head and attempts to leave, he goes for a full attack, I saw him pull an entire beak full of down from another's head today and continue to chase even after I began yelling (I know bad move, terrified them all, but it totally caught me off guard).
None are game birds. They have tons of space 144sq ft coop and 144 sq ft run. And multiple feed and water stations.
Basically my question is, what on earth do I do with him?
I do not take a life easily, and to do so without even being big enough to be a nuggett seems totally wrong.
My brooder is occupied by the 1 gimpy 4 week old pullet and 4 1-2 week old chicks. I cannot plausibly build and or section off part of the coop for him.
The only means I have to separate him would be a cat carrier, which he'll quickly outgrow.
Is this normal behavior (as normal as a chick who's going to grow into a mean jerk of a roo) or is it cause for elimination? He is a white leghorn or California white by the way.
Obviously I'm new to this, feel free to be as straight forward with me as need be, I'm not going to cry
He hasn't shown any aggression to me, and I fully intend to cull him, but I was hoping to grow him(all the extra roos) into a decent meal. Looks like he's just going to have to go.we were considering building a secondary coop for all of our cull roos too grow out in if it became a burden on the flock having them all together, which I'm sure it will, so I'll speak to my husband and see if construction can begin this weekend and move him and the other few whites, who I know will not be my permanent roos. Think that would surfise? Seeing as they're no where near sexual maturity I don't know that its a testosterone fueled aggression, and therefore whether separating from the girls will help anything, or simply give him fewer targets. Even if they're going to be dinner, I don't want all the whites to live a life of abuse. Has anyone experienced separation(with a few more cockerels) helping anything?
