fighting flock boys aginst girls

[florasbell]

i brought 5 chickens that were 8 weeks old 3 months ago and now they are all crowing constantly all day from 5am they are free roaming around the fields during the day and kept in a trailer at night which is as dark as i can get it i also have 2, 11weeks old chicks in there which i think are hens and 2 -1 year old hens i have to keep these 4 in a pen in the trailer as the 5 boys keep trying to do naughties with them and fighting them 24/7 i cant even let the girls out the trialer during the day its that bad i have tried to rehome 3 of the boys but noone wants them there isnt a homing place i could take them and i dont want to kill them i dont have it in me to do that too them the roos are fine as a little group by them selfs they dont fight amoungst them selfs i have tried to pen them in but they shout even louder till i let them out does any one have any advice i have tried to taake them back to th person i brought them off but she doesnt want them i think she new she sold me all boys an she not being helpful - the girls they have stopped laying i think this is due to stress

 

[silkie_sue]

Have you tried putting the cockerels where they can't see the pullets?....out of sight out of mind.

 

[florasbell]

i have tried this but the cockreals are still the same i cant really get away from the pullet side of things as my naibours all around me have at least 20 hens each and a rooster. thats usally where mine go in the day they work there way around the village servicing hens. but my naibours dont mind this they think its funny that there hens have affairs with the naugty boys next door. there rooster doesnt even fight mine off i bet he feels out numberd lol i have trie to pen mine in but they make such a arguement about it .

 

[florasbell]

you would think after all the hens they visit during the day they would leave my 4 alone were the hell do they get the energy from i dont see them for hours sometimes and as soon as i think its safe to open the door to let my girls out they appear and the fighting starts i feel so sorry for my girls being beaten and raped all day

 

[silkie_sue]

I'd say pick one good roo and rehome or eat the others

 

[florasbell]

thats what i have done iv picked a nice big one but no one wants the others and i cant get myself to kill them ill have to find a nice farmer to o it i suppose

 

[sourland]

The roosters are only doing what roosters do. It's normal behavior not 'raping'. Logically either you should get rid of/kill the roosters or pen either them or the hens up securely. The behavior is not going away. The next step is generally full out war among the roosters.

 

[so lucky]

Your girls would be much happier (and perhaps lay better) without those roos around. Maybe you could find a farmer type person to take them to eat them. If you can't do it yourself, it might be possible to give them to someone else who can cull them. If they are still pretty young, they wouldn't be tough yet. The lady you got them from probably suspected that they were males. At 8 weeks, you can get an idea with some of them. My girls are much happier and calmer since the roo moved to the country!

 

[keesmom]

You need to either pen up the boys and listen to the noise while you find someone to take them, or pen up the girls. It isn't fair for the 2 girls to be constantly harrassed by 5 teenage roos.

I would lock up the boys. Then they can't bother your hens, your neighbors' hens, or bring home any illnesses from your neighbor's flocks.

 

[teach1rusl]

I think it would be a kindness to your hens/pullets to either keep the roosters contained full time (in a run) or keep the hens/pullets contained full time (in a run). So what if the roosters crow all the time - they do that anyway. I'd ask one of your neighbors who has chickens - or post a notice - to process your roosters - they can keep the meat. I understand having a hard time doing it yourself, but not at the expense of your hens being terrorized due to so many roosters.