Fighting Roosters

[ninadeeputz]

My fiance and I just bought a hobby farm 3 weeks ago. It came with an established flock of 19 hens and 2 roosters. We know very little about chickens. Most of what we learned is from this site! As for the roosters, there's an older one and a younger one. Both are docile. The older one is much larger than the younger one. I spent today thoroughly cleaning out the very large coop. Before I could put the new bedding and roosts back inside, the roosters started fighting intensely. For about 2 hours. I tried breaking them up, but they were determined. Up until this point, I never saw them fight. And the younger, smaller one won! He wouldn't let the older one back in the coop for hours. Finally, when I was shutting the door for the evening, I saw the older one on a roost on the opposite site of the coop, sitting alone. Both roosters had blood on them and the defeated one drooped his tail. Does this sound like a normal squabble and things will be normal again soon? Or are the days of the older guy numbered?

 

[fried green eggs]

Hi &

. Congrats on the new farm! Chickens have a pecking order. They may have been slightly stressed because you were changing things in the coop but, it is normal for a younger one at some point to challenge the older dominant rooster. He needed to prove if he was younger, stronger, faster and should be the top cock. It sounds like the previous pecking order has changed and as long as the older roo accepts his new position - they should be ok and will co-exist.
* However - Any blood should be treated and covered with Blu Kote (available at Farm Supply type stores) a Antiseptic purple spray and it will help hide/cover the red blood. All the chickens will peck at red blood on another bird. They are cannibals when they see blood.
The easiest time to catch them is when they are asleep on their roost. Ware rubber gloves or you will have purple fingers when you are done treating the boys. lol The joys of farm life.

 

[ninadeeputz]

Thank you for the advice!