fighting roosters

[eelarol]

We currently have 18 hens and 2 roosters. All but 3 hens were hatched last spring,The other 15 were mostly raised together. The roosters are Red, and Cogburn. Red matured much earlier. He acted the gentleman and caretaker of the flock, and completely dominated Cogburn. Over the winter Cogburn has continued to grow and mature, and with the weather warming up, both roosters have been feeling frisky. This evening all the chickens (who free range most of the time) were gathering to the barn, and Cogburn saw Red doing his deed and went and knocked him down. Then they fought until they were both bloody but neither one would quit. They seem to be very evenly matched and determined to win. After about 10minutes and they weren't even slowing down, we managed to separate them. We shut Red up but they kept biting at each other through the fence. We locked Cogburn up across the yard. I'm worried about what will happen tomorrow. Does anyone have suggestions? How can I keep them both safe? If they're so evenly matched can I expect they will establish dominance or are they likely to keep up the violence until someone is maimed or killed? Neither one was seriously injured this time, but both were bleeding some. any ideas on how to help them come to a peaceful resolution?

 

[kacklinkelly]

I'm curious if you have the room to split the hens between the two roosters. If so, it seems like an easy fix
(although time consuming to construct the 2nd pen area). Easy for me because I have never had roosters
and only have 3 hens.

Looking forward to see what others have to say.

 

[Den in Penn]

You really can't help them come to terms, they have to do that by themselves. So its either let them go at it until one gives up, or a permanent separation. The two separate flocks with alternate free range times is something that has been brought up here before. But ask yourself if you need two roosters, or two flocks.

 

[Bill B]

You cant keep mature roosters together and for the last poster to say "let them go at it until one gives up" is irresponsible to say the least. You have done the best thing by separating the two cock birds, now you have to decide whether you want or need both of them and if so can you house them separately?

 

[jrward]

pick one make some soup out of the other. they may stop fighting for now but it will start back up eventually.

 

[gryeyes]

I have three mature roosters in a flock of 50 hens. They do not fight.

At one time I had 12 roosters & cockerels and only ONE fought others. He was also too rough on pullets, injuring and killing three. He's no longer above ground. Others were re-homed as there just too many roosters here in this formerly quiet area.

My flock has a dominant rooster and two subordinate roosters. In order of highest to lowest rank, it is the Easter Egger, then the Silkie, and finally the Brahma mix.

You CAN have more than one rooster. You just have to survive the adolescent drive of the roosters to establish the pecking order. It is the chicken way of things.

 

[Mimzzie]

Thanks everyone. They have found peace at the moment. If it comes to removing one, my choice is clear. Red, who was first to mature, is much kinder and more responsible than Cogburn.

 

[LearningChicken]

My tiny bantam roo and my much larger polish roo decided today to fight. I have never seen such a fight before. They were rolling around on the ground grabbing each other and there were feathers everywhere!! The only funny thing about it was that my little Einstein (my tiny guy) was ducking under the legs of Rod (our polish). They fought off and on for a while (I couldn't stand it for more than about 5 minutes) and I separated them. They were both panting and there was blood on their faces. Should I allow them to have a"supervised" fight so they might be able to work out their pecking order but no one gets hurt or am I wishing for them to get along when there is no chance? There are many different opinions but my roos are SO different in size I just don't know if there is any hope! They are about 5 months old and just so you know my little roo is the boss all the girls follow him!