Aggression

[misshell]

I have two suspected roosters in my flock of ten. They are pretty aggressive with each other and usually fighting. I noticed one is starting to attack the girls now. He (or she) grabbed one by the neck today and made her scream while having a death grip on her feathers. It was their first day out enjoying an even larger space than they already have. I expected them to explore and have fun, not beat each other up. Would a rooster attack a hen? And what should I do about this? They are only seven weeks old.

 

[Chickassan]

This just sounds like chick fighting to me.
Chicks can be brats very much like any other young creature and often they are just that.
At 7 weeks you've got brats, enjoy.
In about 4 to 6 more weeks the hormones will start flowing and the real fun begins.

 

[Ihavesomechickens]

How about the coop?
Beautiful yard.....but I don't see the coop and run?


Yes, 7wo young cockerels can start to spar and dominate,
and start grabbing the girls.
2 males make exponentially more trouble due to competition.
Might decide now what to do with those boys.
If you don't plan on hatching chicks, a male is unnecessary,
and can be a real pain in the butt and injurious to young children.

Yes, they may act like that, but roosters are a invaluable tool if you are going to be free ranging them. Roosters also make the hens give you fertile eggs, which you can sell. Roosters and Cockerels are also normally just tons of fun to have around after the leave the teenage stage.

 

[Perris]

young cockerels are subject to their hormones, and are liable to behave more or less badly towards any pullets or hens. Mature hens or cocks will teach them a lesson or three, but if your flock is all youngsters, that's not an option.

Make sure there are lots of escape routes for the girls to run away. Put clutter in the run for them to dodge and hide, and avoid dead ends where they could get trapped. They will all start competing for rank, not just the boys, and you just have to let them sort it out. At least at first. It's tough but unavoidable; they are flock animals and they need hierarchy.

 

[LaFleche]

I would like to add that depending on how old they are, the hormonally agitated cockerels will be trying to mate, while the pullets still need at least 2-3 more month to mature and welcome the attention. Continually being roughly attacked and chased around might lead to the pullets not getting enough rest and food making them more susceptible to illness and could even lead to serious harm.

If you want to keep the cockerels, separate them from the pullets and in case you have some adults let them run in their flock to learn the ropes and get taught some manners.

 

[aart]

The run is 13ft long and 6ft wide.

How about the coop?
Beautiful yard.....but I don't see the coop and run?

I expected them to explore and have fun, not beat each other up.

Yes, 7wo young cockerels can start to spar and dominate,
and start grabbing the girls.
2 males make exponentially more trouble due to competition.
Might decide now what to do with those boys.
If you don't plan on hatching chicks, a male is unnecessary,
and can be a real pain in the butt and injurious to young children.

 

[misshell]

How about the coop?
Beautiful yard.....but I don't see the coop and run?


Yes, 7wo young cockerels can start to spar and dominate,
and start grabbing the girls.
2 males make exponentially more trouble due to competition.
Might decide now what to do with those boys.
If you don't plan on hatching chicks, a male is unnecessary,
and can be a real pain in the butt and injurious to young children.

Sorry, I didn’t add the coop because they were fighting in the yard. Here it is. Once they are fully grown the coop will be a little small. It’s 6ft wide and 5 1/2 ft long. You can’t see the nesting boxes extended in the back in this picture. I was expecting to have a few cockerels in the batch and end up getting rid of them, but now I’m having second thoughts. Even though they are annoying the girls sometimes, they’re also showing protection over them which I really like. And really, I’m just going to feel terrible removing them from their family. So the thought is keeping them and expanding. Plus all the free room to roam the yard. My neighbors are fine with the noise too.

 

[aart]

Once they are fully grown the coop will be a little small.

Yes, another reason to reduce your flock size.
Nice coop/run combo tho.
Hardest part of chicken math is the subtraction.

 

[Chickassan]

Really this first lot of boys will be the hardest to thin they are your first.
Once you see how bad one can be versus how good one can be it will become less sentimental and picking keepers becomes very easy.

 

[Perris]

once they've got over the hormonal surge - they're almost all jerks before then