Fighting chickens! Please help!

[Triple A]

I bought chickens from the store and they were not sexed so I just took a chance. I think I have more roosters now than hens. They are fighting and I want to separate them. I was told they were Easter eggers and they are a little over 4 weeks old...they have almost all their feathers in. Please help!

 

[Basskids08]

I bought chickens from the store and they were not sexed so I just took a chance. I think I have more roosters now than hens. They are fighting and I want to separate them. I was told they were Easter eggers and they are a little over 4 weeks old...they have almost all their feathers in. Please help!

When you say fighting, do you mean their ripping feathers out, poking eyes out, or are you saying they are chest bumping or just deciding who is alpha?

 

[Triple A]

They are chest bumping and pulling feathers out. One had the other by the neck last night and I am really worried one is going to get killed. I took the aggressive one out last night and introduced them again today outside in a bigger area but they started plucking on each other again.

 

[Basskids08]

Cockerels usually do the chest bumping but pullets are also known to do it. I would put the aggressive one in at night and sometimes it he morning will bring about different behaviors. Also they are old enough to be separated so if what I said doesn't work, try it for a couple days, separating the aggressor and reintroduce at night.

 

[donrae]

At this age, it's not about gender, it's usually about space. How much room and how many birds?

 

[Triple A]

Thanks for the info. I took the aggressive one out for the day and put him back in and they are doing better. They do need a bigger space and we are currently building them a bigger coop with lots of yard space.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Chest bumping mean they are developing the pecking order. Give them lots of space and boredom busters.

 

[Triple A]

They are going outside during the day and have lots of room to run but still coming in at night where they don't have a lot of room. We are working on getting them outside at night to bit the coop is not completely finished and I want to make sure that no predators can get to them. They are doing better now...it was cold and they couldn't go out and I think they were frustrated. Thanks for the advice.