4 week old cockerel behavior...normal?

[MontanaDolphin]

Ok, so I realized out of my 6 Barred Rock babies, I have 4 cockerels and 2 pullets. I posted about this before, and I had a few to disagree with my conclusion...I'm just mentioning this because after you see the following pics, there's no doubt I was right...

Which brings me to my question. I spent the entire day today building a movable run for my chicks. I took them out once before and there were hawks circling, and I knew how quick one could swoop and grab. So I decided to build an enclosure that I could move around so that my chicks would be safe. After 7 hours I finally finished, and took my babies out for some play time.

After about 15 minutes, Zeus, one of my cockerels, raised his feathers on the back of his neck. Like he was raising his hackles...like a dog does when aggressive. Then he attacked another cockerel. I have never seen roosters fight before except for on t.v., and that's what this reminded me of. He went after Boring Boy. Then Boring Boy went after Pixie. Then Zeus went after Brave Boy. All cockerels. This continued off and on for about an hour between all four cockerels. It probably would have continued, but it started to get chilly, so I brought them inside.

Is this normal behavior for cockerels only 4 weeks old? Also, is it to determine pecking order, or is this something that will continue even after pecking order is established? The way Zeus went after one of them, with his feet forward, all I could think of is the damage he could have caused had he had his spurs.

Here's the pics...

 

[Johnn]

My male Cuckoo Maran and female Buff Orpington used to fight a lot when they were chicks. I wouldn't be worried if I was you as long as no one gets hurt.

 

[BarredRockGirls]

i have a VERY bossy hen . shes the biggest in my batch. and let me tell ya - she uses her size. before i saw your pics - you actually had me 2nd guessing if she was a hen hahaha cuz she squares off w a lot of the hens face to face. i think its a pecking order thing- and in my case my hen is letting em know they are all beneath her. thats also my theory on why she jump/ hops on everyones back.
a chick will be totally minding her own business and this one ( i think ima name her Queen Elizabeth

) may walk by and if she comes close she hops on the peaceful one... which sends that one running and the rest scattering ...total Bully

you may have serious issues w more than one rooster . ive never heard of having more than one two is realllllllly iffy - a rooster and a Drake is Iffy but can happen. they are yours tho you can attempt it. if anything in another month they will be dinner.

 

[MontanaDolphin]

Oh, no no no. I never even considered attempting to keep all four of these boys. As soon as the extras make it to the proper weight, on my dinner table they will go!

The whole time the boys were fighting, my two girls just went about their business...scratching at the the dirt, pruning themselves...none of the cockerels went after either of the pullets, and the pullets didn't go after the cockerels, or each other! I did notice some strange behavior from Athena, though...after Zeus finished fighting with one of the other boys, she strutted up to him and pecked at his beak repeatedly. I thought it was sooo funny, cuz I was like "Oh, look! The Queen is giving her King a victory kiss!!"

Here's the girls while the boys were fighting:

 

[my sunwolf]

That is VERY normal! Mine start to do that at 2 weeks if they have enough space to run around and "fight." As long as they don't draw blood, I let them go at it; it helps them work out their own baby hierarchies so that they will actually get along better with each other as adults--at least until they decide not to allow the other guy access to the hens.

 

[lazy gardener]

Awesome pictures, by the way!

 

[BarredRockGirls]

oooooooo ok haha my mistake OOPS haha well yay then .

 

[MontanaDolphin]

Awesome pictures, by the way!

Thanks! I'm a picture-taking addict!

 

[my sunwolf]

oooooooo ok haha my mistake OOPS haha well yay then .

No, you're absolutely right, when those hormones hit (anywhere from 3-12 months) it can turn from pecking order fun to really brutal! Just when they're that young and all the same age, they usually can't do much damage to each other.