6 week old sebright cockerels inseparable, but hurting eqchother

[prepperchickens]

I have a very small flock with 2 hens, a suspected male guinea and a female guinea, and 2 sebright cockerels 6 weeks old, one of whom I believes to be female until a few weeks ago. I love my baby boys, they're so sweet and they can't stand to be more than a few feet apart but their play sparring has taken a turn recently, I have started noticing Knicks on their faces and my little Atilla had rings of little Knicks (like shaving cuts, not deep wounds ) around both eyes. Is that how roosters injure each other? The eyes? They are so small it's easy to separate them but they just cry and cry and try desperately to get to each other. Most of the time they are very sweet to one another, and the sparring still seems playful but I can't be sure. What can I do? It breaks my heart the way they cry for one another.

 

[prepperchickens]

Anyone?

 

[donrae]

You're going to have to look at some long term management plans. It's not feasible to keep 2 roosters and 2 hens, especially once the hormones start flowing. You may love those males now, but watch them gang up on one of your pullets and pin her down and mate her repeatedly while she screams and struggles and your feeling will likely change. Sorry to sound blunt, but chicken mating isn't always pretty, and two on one isn't ever a nice picture. I think you need to get rid of at least one cockerel, possibly both to have happier hens. Yes, they'll fuss, but animals always fuss when separated from their friends. They get over it.

 

[keesmom]

As donrae has stated, two cockerels and 2 hens is not a workable situation. Either one or both will have to go. If they are drawing blood at this young age it will likely get ugly when the hormones really kick in .

 

[prepperchickens]

I was told in another thread that my two bantam roosters wouldn't even likely breed my 3 full size hens which is why so far I have kept them. Don't even know where I would "get rid" of them at. If need be, if it comes to it, I would just house them entirely separate from the hens. They're supposed to be no bigger than a pigeon full size.

 

[prepperchickens]

2 hens and a female giunea, the guinea is only a month old and I'm not sure if my 3 month old guinea is male or female but the month old is the one my cockerels are close with, they were brooder mates.

 

[keesmom]

I was told in another thread that my two bantam roosters wouldn't even likely breed my 3 full size hens which is why so far I have kept them. Don't even know where I would "get rid" of them at. If need be, if it comes to it, I would just house them entirely separate from the hens. They're supposed to be no bigger than a pigeon full size.

They may not be successful, but they are certainly going to give their best at breeding attempts. Chasing the hens and grabbing the backs of their heads at a minimum. It's possible the fighting will continue or get worse. Worst case one of the boneheads may decide you are a threat and attack you.

 

[prepperchickens]

See, this is why I got what was supposed to be only one bantam rooster, the idea being they are too small to be a major threat to eke or my much larger birds and even if they become a problem, easier to contain space wise. I'm not going to kill any of my birds, and I don't really know what one does with an extra rooster being that I know exactly zero people in the market for one. I love these little guys, they both still immediately start peeping their little happy nesting song when I pick them up (usually just to transport them or rescue them). I was told by someone with multiple bantam roosters that when raised together they, in her experience, bond deeply and form an alliance and also don't breed the full sized hens but even if that ends up not being the case I don't know what I would do with either of them in terms of getting rid of one or both as killing them is not and would never be an option for any of my birds. So what else would be an option?

 

[red3101]

You could look for a local chicken swap on facebook. There are people in my area that provide homes for wayward roosters.

 

[torilovessmiles]

See, this is why I got what was supposed to be only one bantam rooster, the idea being they are too small to be a major threat to eke or my much larger birds and even if they become a problem, easier to contain space wise. I'm not going to kill any of my birds, and I don't really know what one does with an extra rooster being that I know exactly zero people in the market for one. I love these little guys, they both still immediately start peeping their little happy nesting song when I pick them up (usually just to transport them or rescue them). I was told by someone with multiple bantam roosters that when raised together they, in her experience, bond deeply and form an alliance and also don't breed the full sized hens but even if that ends up not being the case I don't know what I would do with either of them in terms of getting rid of one or both as killing them is not and would never be an option for any of my birds. So what else would be an option?

My friend had a boss rooster who was a bantam. He mated both bantam and full-sized hens, and was able to produce fertile eggs.
Re-homing is a possibility. BYC has a buy-sell-trade forum with a free re-homing section, but facebook is also good. I got my rooster because I posted on facebook and the friend with the aforementioned banty rooster had a Rhode Island red with an eye injury due to said rooster. He's blind in one eye because of that tiny thing!
Roosters are roosters. Banty roosters are just like big roosters, but smaller. Some get along and split the hens up and rarely fight, and some scrap constantly and leave hens bare-backed in competition. No matter what anyone tells you, there really isn't a breed or type that crows less, gets along with other roosters, mates hens gently, etc., it all depends on the individual(s).
I think I'd wait until they grow up a little and decide which one to keep, and then advertise the other on an "online yardsale" page on facebook. You should be able to find one for your area