did one of my roosters kill the other?

[gardenlizzie]

I came home yesterday afternoon and checked on my 7 month old chickens. We had 12 Ameracaunas (1 was a rooster) and 1 top-hat (Polish?) rooster. We ordered just Ameracaunas, but were given a "free exotic" chick with our order. Initially, we thought the exotic was a hen. Eventually, the hen turned into a rather dominant rooster. The Ameracauna rooster was slower to grow into his size, but they seemed to be doing ok, with only some strutting.
All the hens and the Ameracauna rooster were in the house roosting when I got home. None seemed stressed. The exotic rooster was laying in the yard with just a few feathers strewn about (maybe 5 or 6). His head seemed to be picked at and he was stiff, so he must have died earlier in the day.
Could the other rooster have killed him? If so, should I worry about the cannibalism and pecking?
Our totally enclosed yard (enclosed with hardware cloth) seems big enough at 25 - 30 feet by 10 - 15 feet.
Anyone have ideas or experience with this?

 

[Chickenaddict]

First off im so sorry for your loss

. Did you check the dead roo for puncture wounds? If none found then my guess would be that the ameraucana roo did it or possibly the hens and the roo combined

10 hens for 2 roos is not enough which is probably why this happened. I had a similar problem when i first started raising chickens but i stepped in before it got crazy and rehomed all but 1 roo. I think they say to have 12 hens per rooster.

By the way

-

 

[rooster-red]

If your roo's were in a fight there will be cuts and blood all over both roo's face & wattles because thats what they go for when they fight.

If their faces weren't cut up, then I'd say something else killed your roo, maybe even a heart attack.

 

[ruth]

Does the "totally enclosed" yard have a top? If not, could have been a hawk.

Dominate roo was trying to protect flock from something and it got him. Rest of flock probably ran into coop and stayed there.

I have 14 roos and they all get along but it's easy to tell the top roos. Based on my experience, no second class and smaller roo will suddenly overtake and kill the top dominate roo, especially with just 5 or 6 feathers disturbed and some pecks around the head.

Could also be that top roo died of some sort of natural causes and the others pecked at him awhile as if to say "Hey, get up".

So sorry, in any event. But no, I don't think the Ameraucana roo did it. They're usually pretty secure and settled into their pecking order.

 

[BayCityBabe]

I have two roos who fight. I agree with others: If it was a rooster fight, there would be blood all over the place.

 

[gardenlizzie]

Thanks everyone for your responses.
Yes, our pen is totally enclosed with hardware cloth. After losing all our chickens last fall to a weasel that used a mole hole to get into the yard, we even dug up the ground and put hardware cloth under 2 feet of dirt.
So it would have been either a natural cause or the other chickens. I'll check the dead one tonight for marks (he's in a bag in our garage). It was too dark last night and this morning to check the Ameracauna rooster, but I'll take off early today to see what he looks like.
The Ameracauna hens were all bigger and heavier than the exotic rooster -- he was just an outsider from the start!

 

[MissPrissy]

After he died it wouldn't be unusual for the other chickens to pick his body.