Cockerel behavior

Arok327

Chirping
Apr 21, 2021
44
96
79
VA
I have 2. 4 month old cockerels. 1 is alpha but Haven’t had any issues till this week. The alpha has been chasing the other away into the woods to were he hasn’t gone back to the coop at night. And when he comes out and the alpha sees him he chases him off again. Last night I had enough and locked the alpha in a dog crate in the garage. Am I doing the right thing? And how long should he stay there? 2- 3 days?
I also have 8. 1 year old hens and 16. 4 month old pullets. There is plenty of hens for the both of them however alpha has be grabbing all of them to mount, the pullets cry and scream and don’t know what to do. The hens get very mad and try to attack him most of the time.
Help I don’t know what to do. Also alpha is hand tame never tried to bite us he is very sweet to us. TIA
 
How do I keep alpha from chasing the other cockerel into the woods or out of the flock? And if I separate pullets and cockerels How long should they be separated for?
 
I have 2. 4 month old cockerels. 1 is alpha but Haven’t had any issues till this week. The alpha has been chasing the other away into the woods to were he hasn’t gone back to the coop at night. And when he comes out and the alpha sees him he chases him off again. Last night I had enough and locked the alpha in a dog crate in the garage. Am I doing the right thing? And how long should he stay there? 2- 3 days?
I also have 8. 1 year old hens and 16. 4 month old pullets. There is plenty of hens for the both of them however alpha has be grabbing all of them to mount, the pullets cry and scream and don’t know what to do. The hens get very mad and try to attack him most of the time.
Help I don’t know what to do. Also alpha is hand tame never tried to bite us he is very sweet to us. TIA
When my alpha cockerel chased his brother into the butterfly garden, I kept the brother, Lucien and he is the best roo ever. I am breeding for gentle roos, and he's a good caretaker of tge hens, too.
 
Someone has to be dominant, and caging the Alpha will not change that. Do you need 2 roosters in the flock? I would separate the cockerels from the flock until the pullets mature - the cockerels too.
How do I keep alpha from chasing the other cockerel into the woods or out of the flock? And if I separate pullets and cockerels How long should they be separated for?
 
Someone has to be dominant, and caging the Alpha will not change that. Do you need 2 roosters in the flock? I would separate the cockerels from the flock until the pullets mature - the cockerels too.
So as of right now the past few nights I’ve been putting the alpha in a pen in the garage for the night and letting the lower one stay with the girls overnight and in the morning then at noon I take the alpha out and the lower cockerel takes off to my garden bed at the house with my older hens apparently they like him and Have excepted him into their little crew. But if the Alfa sees him from across the yard he goes to chase him. I’m debating on if I should do a small coop for the boys to rotate out in. They are both great roosters and I’m not ready to give them up yet I would really like to see how they have matured in the next month or two and if I need to give up one of them I would do that at that time. However I do have some pullets as the same breed and even thought about breeding them but I’m not 100% on that yet. Any advice would be appreciated.
 
Your subordinate cockerel may get killed out there, and apparently your hens like him better. Right now he sounds like the better of the two!
Cockerels and roosters can get along, until they don't, and that's where yours are right now. This situation won't improve, and one needs to be gone.
Consider keeping the bossy bird isolated for at least a month, or moving him on elsewhere. Your less assertive bird may be perfect, or he might turn into a jerk too, given more time. Raising cockerels includes having the ability to remove individuals until either there's peace, or none, if that's how that year's crop develops.
Mary
 
So as of right now the past few nights I’ve been putting the alpha in a pen in the garage for the night and letting the lower one stay with the girls overnight and in the morning then at noon I take the alpha out and the lower cockerel takes off to my garden bed at the house with my older hens apparently they like him and Have excepted him into their little crew. But if the Alfa sees him from across the yard he goes to chase him. I’m debating on if I should do a small coop for the boys to rotate out in. They are both great roosters and I’m not ready to give them up yet I would really like to see how they have matured in the next month or two and if I need to give up one of them I would do that at that time. However I do have some pullets as the same breed and even thought about breeding them but I’m not 100% on that yet. Any advice would be appreciated.
Keeping them safe in a pen away from each other and time-sharing the hens seems like a good idea. I did this once I decided which roo I was keeping, then rehomed the others a few days later. It's a lot of work, but a solution!
 
My first thought was to put Mr cocky in with the big girls to teach him some manors. Sounds like you need to make a selection because I don't think it will get better- just worse.
My Sr. roo chases away subs but is never cruel until they take too many liberties. I have made the choice, he is #1 and the rest fall in line. If I have too many problems then I lock up the other or find him a home.
I have 3 types of chickens I like to breed. Any roo after that is extra and needs to get along.

I am curious as to your set up. If you want to keep more than 1 roo have you considered splitting the flock? That or give the unalpha his own digs?
 

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