Do Two Roosters Always Fight?

[Ratzy]

Do two roos always fight? Or do some live together without?

 

[NoseyChickens]

I think it depends on your hen to roo ratio. I have 4 roos together right now with my laying flock until we get the rest of our pens up to seperate them. They get along prety well. But for the four of them there are over 20 females. One of the roos is too young to mate though.

 

[jeslewmazer]

It would depend on the rooster and the breed. Some breeds will fight no matter what. Roo to hen ratio is very important in some breeds. Some bantam breeds have been the best I have personally seen where all the roos get along, if introduced properly, no matter the ratio.

 

[justbugged]

Most likely yes, especially as they get older.

 

[Ratzy]

I raised two chicks recently and am thinking they are both roos. We have 4 definite hens and a big coop.

 

[BrattishTaz]

I had three roos that were raised together( Nugget, Archie, and Jazzy). I have no hens. They started "bickering" at about 5 months old. Jazzy acted as the peace keeper and did not allow fighting between the other two. Everything was ok until Jazzy was killed by a hawk. After that Nugget and Archie started charging each other but never really went at it. Nugget hurt his leg and had to be penned inside for a week. When I let Nugget back outside Archie jumped on him and won dominance. Nugget has never tried to regain his position and just runs when he see him coming. Now Archie chases Nugget at every opportunity and Nugget spends most of his time next door. Interestingly enough, the neighbors have at least four roosters that I see Nugget walking around with. They even seem to be sharing hens without conflict.

I know this is not a clear cut answer but it is probably as good as it gets. Some roosters will play well with others and some will not. In any case, you will probably see them challenging each other. If they can't work it out without bloodshed then you may have to separate/rehome some. Also remember that young roos are like teenagers, they are driven by raging hormones and tend to calm down as they get older. I would have to respectfully disagree with those who say "off with their heads" at the first sign of dominant behavior.

Good luck and I hope this helped. I know nothing about eggs and hens but I think I am getting good at this rooster thing.

 

[Ratzy]

Thanks! I've had two roosters and they did fight, but they were an aggressive breed.

 

[booker81]

I have two that are almost a year old now, and still tolerate each other. One is clearly dominant, and one is clearly in second. The second will never be dominant - he's a bit on the handicapped/deformed/what the heck kind of side of things (hunchback, curved keel, curled toes etc). The dominant one is a picture of vitality and health, and HUGE. Between them, they have 15 hens. The handicapped roo tends to the very submissive hens (they are the only ones he can mount, as they squat still for him).

The big roo will chase the handicapped one around a bit occasionally, and when I introduced two new girls in, the second got a bit of a beating with some blood drawn, but things are back to level now, and everyone seems happy with the situation.

Neither roo attempts dominance over humans, big or small, and that's why they are still around

 

[joyous]

I have a Dorking and a Buckeye that were raised together from chicks and are 8 months old. Between them I have only 7 chicken hens and 4 guineas that they also mate with. They get along fine and never fight, of course they are both docile breeds.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
They always challenge each other and one establishes dominance. They may or may not fight to do this.

My #1 chases #2 probably every day, to maintain dominance. Never any bloodshed.