Beta Rooster Challenged Alpha and won

[Lelilamom]

Both my Alpha (Renegade) and Beta (Thunder) Roosters are ~ 2.5 years old. Both EEs. They grew up together and have always had a harmonious relationship. This spring two more roos hatched. The Alpha injured both and one was so severely injured he had to be put down. The other had a leg injury and survived and is now fully recovered, but well knows his place. Six more roos were born this fall and are now separated from the flock. Two days ago Thunder challenged Renegade and won, leaving him exhausted and bleeding heavily. I patched him up and kept them separated for two days.

Today they are both back in gen pop and Thunder now seems to be the new Alpha and he's picking on everyone. He chases the Renegade and the young rooster around, pulls feathers off the hens and pecks 16 and 10 week old hens in the head.

I have 36 layers and three feeding and water stations. Neither rooster has every shown any aggression toward another chicken or person. Both roosters have protected the flock well and I hate to lose either. Does anyone have suggestions on how to handle this situation? Or should I let nature take its course? Will Thunder kill Renegade to ensure his position? What makes a Rooster change his disposition so suddenly? Was it all the new roosters born in the coop?

 

[abpatchy]

Being aggresive towards another rooster is one thing. Being aggressive towards hens is a totally different story! Maybe he is just mad because they haven't accepted him yet. I would keep an eye on him. If the situation doesn't improve I'd either rehome or send him off to camp freezer. Personally I wouldn't rehome. I don't think there is anything else you can do.

 

[Lelilamom]

....Maybe he is just mad because they haven't accepted him yet.

You might be right. Most of the hens are still following Renegade around but he is no longer mating with them. I'm keeping an eye on him but I'm inclined to send him to freezer camp myself. I have no use for aggressive roosters. This leads me to another question. If Thunder is the new Alpha and I get rid of him, with Renegade, who is clearly NOT the alpha anymore, pick up his old position or will he never be Alpha again?

 

[azygous]

Rooster flock behavior is complex, and yes, introduction of new cockerels into the mix just adds more stress and possible conflict. You should expect more conflict, not less, as these cockerels mature.

@abpatchy has put things succinctly into context. What is taking place between Thunder and Renegade is normal. I have two roosters in my flock, father and son, and every so often the son challenges his pop, and gets hammered, and things are mellow for a while. That's one side of the coin.

The other side of the coin is how the dominant roo treats the hens. It appears that Thunder has abused the new found power of his office and is using it to bully the rest of the flock. While the hens don't have the power to impeach this little thug, you do. This is where you need to step up to your role as flock manager and do some rooster sorting.

You have many options, but the decisions are yours alone. It would be wise to sort out the aggressive boys, from top to bottom, rehome or add to the freezer, or establish a bachelor flock where the boys can shuffle the social order among themselves without creating stress on all the hens.

 

[NNYchick]

Space might have something to do with the change too.

 

[Lelilamom]

...It would be wise to sort out the aggressive boys, from top to bottom, rehome or add to the freezer, or establish a bachelor flock where the boys can shuffle the social order among themselves without creating stress on all the hens.

I really only want 2 roosters, but I can have 3 with all the hens I have. The 6 young cockerels that are currently separated are going to the freezer. I don't want any of them to manage the flock. Can I keep Renegade and get rid of Thunder or will Renegade no longer protect the flock since he's been usurped? Or will the young 6 mos old Roo (who we call Idiotboy) challenge him (and probably lose since he doesn't have spurs yet) once Thunder is gone?

 

[Acre4Me]

I really only want 2 roosters, but I can have 3 with all the hens I have. The 6 young cockerels that are currently separated are going to the freezer. I don't want any of them to manage the flock. Can I keep Renegade and get rid of Thunder or will Renegade no longer protect the flock since he's been usurped? Or will the young 6 mos old Roo (who we call Idiotboy) challenge him (and probably lose since he doesn't have spurs yet) once Thunder is gone?

Renegade will likely take his role back as flock protector. Since they are fully mature at 2 years of age, I think you are seeing Thunder’s leader personality (which seems to be problematic). Have any of the top hens put Thunder in his place? Has he tried to woo any of them? If not, and it has been several days or longer, then just get rid of him.

 

[azygous]

Chicken society is complex, but basically it involves each chicken working out a relationship with every other individual in the flock. It's much more involved and complicated the more chickens you have. Imagine yourself trying to work out a relationship with very single human in your town. It would be exhausting, if not impossible. Chickens in a flock do it every single day.

Just looking at the relationship between two roosters shows you how complicated this can get. With roosters, though, it can get bloody and even result in death. Add a third rooster to the mix, and you have even more possible conflicts as each day, the dynamic is subject to change. This past summer I eliminated an eight-week old cockerel from my flock when I saw his temperament was emerging as very aggressive. By eliminating him, I decreased the potential for conflict by 33%, maybe more given that I could see his true colors developing.

Managing roosters takes vigilance and effort and courage. Reducing the rooster population to something more manageable will free you to enjoy your flock instead of having to worry about fighting and injuries, not to mention stress that can affect egg laying and individual physical health of your chickens.

 

[Lelilamom]

..Have any of the top hens put Thunder in his place? Has he tried to woo any of them? If not, and it has been several days or longer, then just get rid of him.

Thunder mates with several of the hens and has for well over a year. They used to give him grief over it and if they could avoid it, they would and still will. Renegade, up until two days ago, would chase him off certain hens. Pretty much daily I tell him "Nobody likes you Thunder" or "Really Thunder? She's old enough to be your Grandmother, oh wait, that IS your Grandmother". Idiotboy, the 6mos old roo has started mating with some of the 6mos hens he was raised with and Thunder is chasing him off them.
The last three nights Thunder won't let Renegade in the coop at all. The hens scatter around the coop and do a lot of squawking because of the commotion. Thunder struts around the coop and growls and the hens hide under the roosting bars. The last three nights I've had to pick up Renegade and put him onto the roosting bar and once I do, several of the hens hop up and crowd around him for the night. I have to put Thunder in the penalty box (portion of the coop fenced off) for the night to calm things down.

 

[123RedBeard]

Sounds like Thunder needs to visit the penalty box called "Kenmore" ...