Hi all. I've had chickens about a year and a half now and can't imagine being without them. I've got 5 laying hens at this time.. We lost 2 hens and a rooster last spring to a raccoon. Since then, the rest have been safely tucked away in my back yard.
I know they need to go back to their pen in the barn with winter coming up so we decided we needed another rooster. My father-in-law took my 9 year old daughter with him to get us one, and she came home with not only a rooster (he's gorgeous!) but also 3 of the cutest little banty chicks you've ever seen. I know more about chickens than anyone else in my family (that's not saying much) and from the looks of the little ones I was pretty sure that at least 2 were little roos, if not all three. Well I was right. I know at least 2 are because they have started crowing (cutest little crow you've ever heard). One of the little roos seems very dominate and I'm afraid we'll have trouble with him later on. He tries to pick fights with my big hens and they just seem to think he's crazy. They dish it right back to him and he scurries away. He has not tried to jump on me or attack the other little ones, but there is one who stays apart from the other two and he seems to bully that one quite a bit. All 3 look so much alike that I can't tell them apart, but I suspect the bullied banty is the other little, (less dominate) roo. With all that said, what should I do to keep that little sweet roo safe? I don't want to get rid of any of them, and also don't want to add to our banty flock either. (Which was started because my 9 year old thought they were cute and begged the owner for some.) Any suggestions are appreciated.
I know they need to go back to their pen in the barn with winter coming up so we decided we needed another rooster. My father-in-law took my 9 year old daughter with him to get us one, and she came home with not only a rooster (he's gorgeous!) but also 3 of the cutest little banty chicks you've ever seen. I know more about chickens than anyone else in my family (that's not saying much) and from the looks of the little ones I was pretty sure that at least 2 were little roos, if not all three. Well I was right. I know at least 2 are because they have started crowing (cutest little crow you've ever heard). One of the little roos seems very dominate and I'm afraid we'll have trouble with him later on. He tries to pick fights with my big hens and they just seem to think he's crazy. They dish it right back to him and he scurries away. He has not tried to jump on me or attack the other little ones, but there is one who stays apart from the other two and he seems to bully that one quite a bit. All 3 look so much alike that I can't tell them apart, but I suspect the bullied banty is the other little, (less dominate) roo. With all that said, what should I do to keep that little sweet roo safe? I don't want to get rid of any of them, and also don't want to add to our banty flock either. (Which was started because my 9 year old thought they were cute and begged the owner for some.) Any suggestions are appreciated.
