fighting roosters

[rancher hicks]

Well today the weather was nice so I decided to let Eric and his girls and Nearly headless Nick and his girls out. Eric and his girls have been kept in the coop for days and days as they have no run and it has been cold ,windy and there was snow and ice. None today it's all melted. Nick and his girls have a big run 24x8 plastic covered, etc. Well Nick and Eric have been in the yard together and they pretty much stayed away from each other. Each with their own flock. Today was different. The two of them went at each other right off the bat. A couple of the girls got in each others faces but that ended soon enough. I had to break Eric and Nick up. It looked pretty intense. I haven't checked but when I left they were headed in opposite directions. I like to let them out of the run cuz there is grass and space. Yards pretty big 50x100 and fenced.

Is this something I should be concerned about? Will they eventually go back to the way things were each flock staying away from each other? I never noticed them fighting before. Eric is a CM and Nick is Delaware. I honestly think Eric is the culprit cause he is French after all. He's also a little bigger than Nick.

 

[usschicago1]

How many hens do you have?

 

[Marlinchaser]

Quote:
I would figure if that was the case Eric would be running and hideing

I have found if they have enough room to get away from each other they will stay on thier own side of the yard. Except the women will egg them on(pun intended) by going to the other side of the yard, Hens cant live with them/cant live without them.

 

[rancher hicks]

Eric has 5hens and Nearly Headless Nick has 19 hens, 2 GLW, 3SLw, 3aus, 2bo, 7del, 2Dom's. I also have 2 rd bant friz 1 roo, 1hen, 1rd coch bant hen, but they have their own room and aren't let out. 29 total.

 

[Marlinchaser]

Quote:
5 to 19 if I was Eric I would be fightin mad too, but with our previous revelation about Frenchie (I mean Eric) 5 is probably 4 more than he can handle anyway.

 

[rancher hicks]

Well I now have Nick in a cat carrier for the night. He apparently go into it pretty good with Eric and he's pretty bloody. He stayed by himself in the yard but when they went in for the night his girls started to peck him, so I've isolated him. Eric and his girls of course went to their own side of the coop. It's a 12x8 w/ a pop hole on each end and divided inside. Eric and the girls have a smaller portion. I won't be letting them out in the yard together again. I've learned a big lesson. While they never fought before the period of just a couple month seperation was enough to cause them to feel threatened by each other.
Two of Eric's girls were originally w/ Nick but I put them with Eric cuz they are all CM's and I plan to hatch and sell chicks. I wasn't sure they would take with Eric but apparently some time locked up with him and the other three hens worked as they all went in together. Eric originally would n't roost with them but there he was right between them tonight. two hens are nearly a year and Eric came with 3 hens and are about 6 months.

 

[CountryMom]

I have a couple of roos that hate each other. Winter time for us seems a bit less intense, but in the spring/summer I really have to watch them. Most times I rotate who is let out to free range so that they are not together.

 

[rancher hicks]

I won't be letting them free range together again. Nick and the girls will have to stay in the run until I get one built for Eric and his girls.

 

[rancher hicks]

Bleeding stopped over night and he's back in w/ the girls. Seems ok, but will keep an eye on him.

 

[CountryMom]

Whenever we have had a rooster fight they do get bloody. Sometimes even two roos that live together have off days. Usually they look horrible, but heal up fine. My avatar pic is of my Speckled Sussex roo. He and our EE got into it one time so bad that I thought for sure the EE had ripped most of the SS comb off. As you can tell from the pic he turned out fine. I did spread generous amounts of neosprin on his comb for several days. I think his bigger comb was his disadvantage. More to grab onto.