Fighting chicks?

[Beaglegal]

I have a mother hen who hatched 11 chicks. She’s a free ranger and has raised the chicks near the house and a wooded area near by so they have plenty of room. They are a month old and 2 chicks in particular have started fighting with each other. Its never over food, just when they are milling about on the lawn. My husband is convinced they are going to be roosters. Would they be fighting this early if they were male?

 

[centrarchid]

Pictures of hen chicks and father?

 

[slordaz]

They will start young if you have more than one from what I have seen in the brooder, luckily my broody only had one rooster the others were all pullets. I have 2 3 day old that keep really testing each other, bumping chests the whole 9 yards and they are only 3 days old

 

[Beaglegal]

Pictures of hen chicks and father?

Some of the chicks, I can’t tell which ones are the fighting chicks because they all look basically the same.

 

[Beaglegal]

Pictures of hen chicks and father?

Mama, the buff Orpington, father is unknown. We have a copper maran rooster and a recently matured EE rooster. The third and most likely option is the orange, white with green tail feathers rooster that roams the neighborhood

 

[Beaglegal]

They will start young if you have more than one from what I have seen in the brooder, luckily my broody only had one rooster the others were all pullets. I have 2 3 day old that keep really testing each other, bumping chests the whole 9 yards and they are only 3 days old

3 days old? Yikes. Mine only started about a week ago. Mama comes and breaks it up but since she has 11, her hands are full.

 

[slordaz]

yeas I only have 6 chicks that just hatched and are in a brooder still, I haven't seen that in all my hatches, thinking they are gonna be a super handful, I feel for your broody

 

[Beaglegal]

yeas I only have 6 chicks that just hatched and are in a brooder still, I haven't seen that in all my hatches, thinking they are gonna be a super handful, I feel for your broody

maybe I should put her on the thread so you can commiserate with each other . How long do broody moms mother their chicks?

 

[Folly's place]

Sparring can start early, between both cockerels and pullets, and as long as nobody's injured, it's fine.
My concern would be if daddy is a game cock, and produces cockerels who are serious about fighting at an early age.
At this point, just watch and see how things develop.
And make sure they all have access to a good chick starter or all flock diet.
Mary

 

[Criticalicious]

On average, a broody will mother chicks until 5 or 6 weeks old, sometimes shorter or longer. I have a BCM broody right now with 3 chicks who are 6 weeks and she's still mothering them, more at night when it's chilly and they want to snuggle with her.