First serious Cockerel Fight

[jBabychickn]

Ugh… Stressful/Crazy evening yesterday. My first flock is now 6-7mos old. I have Salmon Faverolles & Jubilee Orpingtons with 2 Cockerels (one of each breed) that grew up together and planned to keep. But, this is the difficult time of hormones surfacing…And, the pecking order just got serious. They fought over a particular pullet and my JO badly lacerated the SF’s comb. Needless to say, tons of bleeding, took a lots of Quick stop and pressure, and the Hubs and I were specked with blood from all his head shaking. Luckily, I’m a retired RN, but my poor Hubs just about fainted; we knew this could happen, but doesn’t things like this always take you for a ride anyway!!

Here’s we’re I need some feedback and advice. I’ve got my injured guy, Blue we call him, in a large dog kennel in the house. He’s doing well, thankfully. Eating and drinking, now longer bleeding. Today I still need to try to clean him up and doctor him further.
How do I know when he can go back?
I feel a bit sorry for the guy; he’s crowing like crazy and seems restless.

What should I do with my JO? Right now he’s still out with the flock. Which is bothering me a bit. I kinda feel like he’s thinking he won. Unfortunately, I don’t really have another place to put him other than maybe our shed that I may be able to make shift into something?

Now, we’re seriously thinking of rehoming the JO, he’s a beautiful bird. Emotions all over the place here!

On a happy note! We got our first EGG yesterday too!!!!

 

[K0k0shka]

The JO won by all measures, but that's not grounds to get rid of him if you are going to get rid of one. For the sake of peace and ease of your life, it would be best to get rid of one of them, but you should think about the criteria when picking which one. Why do you want to get rid of the JO? Is he aggressive towards people? Is he rough with the pullets? Just because he won a fight, doesn't automatically make him a bad rooster (or worse than the other one). He just won a fight, that's all, and fights are normal and natural between hormonal males. It's still too early to tell how either of them is going to shape up when fully grown, and either could turn out to be aggressive to humans (or not). But they are forcing your hand, and you have to pick sides now. So, use whatever knowledge you have of their personalities as of right now, and make your judgement based on the full picture, not just on the outcome of one fight. Think about what qualities you want in a rooster, and which one of the two birds comes closer to that. Keep the one that you like more, regardless of who's bleeding at this particular moment.

 

[abpatchy]

In his mind the JO won. For sure. Combs do bleed something fierce... it looks much worse than it probably was. I would add some wound care like blue cote (I think this is what it is called).. it prevents the other chickens from picking at his wound. Other than that just put him back with the flock. Unless you feel like he is not feeling well.
But keeping both will probably not work.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You don't have to answer these questions to me but answer them to yourself. Why do you even want one boy? What are your goals for having a rooster? The only reason you "need" a rooster is if you want fertile eggs. Everything else is a personal preference. Nothing wrong with personal preferences, I have a few myself, but those are wants not needs. You said you planned having one, not two, but why? That may help you decide which one to keep, if any.

The JO is the more aggressive guy, towards us but not too bad, something I think we could correct in the long run; but it is there and

I don't know what that aggressive toward you looks like but that would be a huge flag for me. He may have made the decision for you.

compared to our SF, it’s nonexistent. He’s not aggressive towards us at all, in fact he welcomes us.

The problem with this is that they are both still immature cockerels, not mature roosters. The hormones are more in control now than they will be in the future. The more dominant of the two can suppress the behaviors of the less dominant. His behaviors toward you and toward the girls can totally change when that suppression is removed. And their behaviors, especially toward the girls, can change as they mature. Usually they become calmer as they get their hormones under control and as the girls mature.

What I'm trying to say is that I find it hard to predict how a mature rooster will behave toward mature hens based on how they behave when they are immature cockerels and immature pullets.

Then, there’s the girls. The JO mates without permission and will generally upset them while the SF is much more gentle about it. Now, I’m not saying he’s perfect by any means, I have seen his hormones get the best of him a few times but at least the girls don’t squawk out so he must be gentle somehow, when it’s the JO the girls do cry out and fuss at him about it.

Again, I don't know what this looks like. It sounds like pretty normal behaviors between immature cockerels and immature pullets. I don't see any huge red flags here.

From what I'm reading I think the JO is the more dominant right now. That could change as they mature, SF's are supposed to be slower to mature. I don't know what that fight over a pullet looked like, I'd imagine the SF tried mating and the JO knocked him off. That torn comb may have been more of an accident in the fight or the JO may have been trying to kill the SF. That's how they do it, going for the head because that's where they can do the most damage. If you put them back together they may fight to the death or they may reach an accommodation on how to care for the flock together. The more room you have the better. That accommodation can look differently but a common way that works out is that each rooster claims his own territory so they can stay apart and the hens decide which boy they want to be with. But I've seen two boys hang out together and share the hens that way. You just never know what living animals will do.

So what are your options? First you need to decide whether you keep two, one or none. All these issues go away if you keep none. If you only keep one you can make that decision now and I agree, keep the SF. In the long term he may turn out OK or not, but that's the chance you take.

If you really want to keep both you can permanently house one separate from the other, either alone or split the girls between them. Totally separate housing, separate coops and runs. You can make a bachelor pad where the boys are with each other but no girls allowed. This doesn't always work but it's a pretty common way for people to keep multiple roosters without them hurting each other. It usually works. Or you can let them fight it out and see if they can reach an accommodation. Plenty of people on here keep a flock with multiple roosters and it works, but that often involves having a lot of room. Some people that try this have disasters.

It's your decision and should be based on your goals, not mine. It's not always an easy decision and can be kind of permanent. You don't get any guarantees on how it will work out. But all you can do is the bet you can based on what information you have and your circumstances. It's hard to do any better than you can. Good luck!

 

[K0k0shka]

Very good perspective; thank you for sharing. The JO is the more aggressive guy, towards us but not too bad, something I think we could correct in the long run; but it is there and compared to our SF, it’s nonexistent. He’s not aggressive towards us at all, in fact he welcomes us. Then, there’s the girls. The JO mates without permission and will generally upset them while the SF is much more gentle about it. Now, I’m not saying he’s perfect by any means, I have seen his hormones get the best of him a few times but at least the girls don’t squawk out so he must be gentle somehow, when it’s the JO the girls do cry out and fuss at him about it.

With this additional information, it does sound like the SF is your better choice indeed. Start out by separating the JO somewhere before putting the SF back with the flock (otherwise you'll likely have round 2 of that drama and more injuries). Keep the SF with the flock and the JO separate until you figure out how you can get rid of him. If you're up for it, you can make a nice meal out of him. Orps are bigger and meatier than a lot of other breeds, and can make a wonderful meal for your family! You don't need a lot of setup or expensive supplies either - you can do it easily with stuff you can find around your house, like buckets and trash bags and what not. And a very sharp knife (or wire cutters!)

 

[jBabychickn]

Just an fyi - when you pull one of the roosters, sometimes that changes the behavior of the other rooster. Be aware.

They don't call it cockfighting for nothing. And it is always a bit surprising how violent it can be, and how fast it can go south.

Good luck,

Mrs K

It’s been 4 days since we rehomed our JO cockerel. And, it’s been blissful around here! The ladies are so much happier and I no longer hear any complaints or crying out during the SF’s mating attempts. I’ve seen him back off when his advances aren’t well received too, which I never saw in the JO. He’s still a great protector tho and watches out for his girls.

Thanks everyone for letting me talk thru this and for your support!

 

[Isadora]

Was your original plan to keep both of them? I would start trying to rehome one ASAP.
I have two cockerels I have to either rehome or eat as I'm sure fighting is in the future. It's just a matter of time.
More than one rooster can be kept if you have enough space and ladies plus places to hide, but fights are practically inevitable.
If you are really motivated to keep both, you could also do a separate coop with some ladies of his own.

 

[Mrs. K]

Just an fyi - when you pull one of the roosters, sometimes that changes the behavior of the other rooster. Be aware.

They don't call it cockfighting for nothing. And it is always a bit surprising how violent it can be, and how fast it can go south.

Good luck,

Mrs K

 

[jBabychickn]

You don't have to answer these questions to me but answer them to yourself. Why do you even want one boy? What are your goals for having a rooster? The only reason you "need" a rooster is if you want fertile eggs. Everything else is a personal preference. Nothing wrong with personal preferences, I have a few myself, but those are wants not needs. You said you planned having one, not two, but why? That may help you decide which one to keep, if any.


I don't know what that aggressive toward you looks like but that would be a huge flag for me. He may have made the decision for you.


The problem with this is that they are both still immature cockerels, not mature roosters. The hormones are more in control now than they will be in the future. The more dominant of the two can suppress the behaviors of the less dominant. His behaviors toward you and toward the girls can totally change when that suppression is removed. And their behaviors, especially toward the girls, can change as they mature. Usually they become calmer as they get their hormones under control and as the girls mature.

What I'm trying to say is that I find it hard to predict how a mature rooster will behave toward mature hens based on how they behave when they are immature cockerels and immature pullets.


Again, I don't know what this looks like. It sounds like pretty normal behaviors between immature cockerels and immature pullets. I don't see any huge red flags here.

From what I'm reading I think the JO is the more dominant right now. That could change as they mature, SF's are supposed to be slower to mature. I don't know what that fight over a pullet looked like, I'd imagine the SF tried mating and the JO knocked him off. That torn comb may have been more of an accident in the fight or the JO may have been trying to kill the SF. That's how they do it, going for the head because that's where they can do the most damage. If you put them back together they may fight to the death or they may reach an accommodation on how to care for the flock together. The more room you have the better. That accommodation can look differently but a common way that works out is that each rooster claims his own territory so they can stay apart and the hens decide which boy they want to be with. But I've seen two boys hang out together and share the hens that way. You just never know what living animals will do.

So what are your options? First you need to decide whether you keep two, one or none. All these issues go away if you keep none. If you only keep one you can make that decision now and I agree, keep the SF. In the long term he may turn out OK or not, but that's the chance you take.

If you really want to keep both you can permanently house one separate from the other, either alone or split the girls between them. Totally separate housing, separate coops and runs. You can make a bachelor pad where the boys are with each other but no girls allowed. This doesn't always work but it's a pretty common way for people to keep multiple roosters without them hurting each other. It usually works. Or you can let them fight it out and see if they can reach an accommodation. Plenty of people on here keep a flock with multiple roosters and it works, but that often involves having a lot of room. Some people that try this have disasters.

It's your decision and should be based on your goals, not mine. It's not always an easy decision and can be kind of permanent. You don't get any guarantees on how it will work out. But all you can do is the bet you can based on what information you have and your circumstances. It's hard to do any better than you can. Good luck!

Thank you very much for your post and taking the time to really offer your thoughts. You’ve given me a lot to think about as well as encouragement on some things that I’ve already deduced for myself.

(The fight was similar to what you said, except it was the JO mating roughly with one of the ladies and she was cried out, as he had her neck and the SF knocked him off, hence the fight ensued)

I decided to rehome the JO to our neighbor down the road who has plenty of room and multiple coops. He was thrilled to take him, actually. He will have a happy home there for sure.

We are definitely new and just beginning with our chicken keeping; we bought our 11acre hobby farm in June2021 and are using the 6x8 coop that came with it with plans to build a bigger one in the Spring. I’ve learned a great lesson about maturing cockerels and I know that I will keep learning. However, I want safety of all to always be my priority, and that’s how I came to my decision today.

I “want” a rooster. I realize that we’re not set up for more than one at this time. — The reasons that I want roosters around is that I do love them. I love their Crows and watching how they are so protective of their flock. I also feel better having one around as we do get the occasional hawk searching above, even tho I’m out there too while they free range in the afternoons, a good Roo will be my partner in keeping those ladies safe.

Fingers-crossed that our “Mr. Blue” matures into a great guy! He is doing well so far; let’s just hope this change doesn’t go to that testosterone-laden head of his…

 

[lilbiscuit]

Ugh… Stressful/Crazy evening yesterday. My first flock is now 6-7mos old. I have Salmon Faverolles & Jubilee Orpingtons with 2 Cockerels (one of each breed) that grew up together and planned to keep. But, this is the difficult time of hormones surfacing…And, the pecking order just got serious. They fought over a particular pullet and my JO badly lacerated the SF’s comb. Needless to say, tons of bleeding, took a lots of Quick stop and pressure, and the Hubs and I were specked with blood from all his head shaking. Luckily, I’m a retired RN, but my poor Hubs just about fainted; we knew this could happen, but doesn’t things like this always take you for a ride anyway!!

Here’s we’re I need some feedback and advice. I’ve got my injured guy, Blue we call him, in a large dog kennel in the house. He’s doing well, thankfully. Eating and drinking, now longer bleeding. Today I still need to try to clean him up and doctor him further.
How do I know when he can go back?
I feel a bit sorry for the guy; he’s crowing like crazy and seems restless.

What should I do with my JO? Right now he’s still out with the flock. Which is bothering me a bit. I kinda feel like he’s thinking he won. Unfortunately, I don’t really have another place to put him other than maybe our shed that I may be able to make shift into something?

Now, we’re seriously thinking of rehoming the JO, he’s a beautiful bird. Emotions all over the place here!

On a happy note! We got our first EGG yesterday too!!!!

I actually had a similar situation with 2 Cochin roosters that were hatched and raised together. They got along just fine and then one day they fought over my copper Maran hens. One was on his back and bloody with his comb bleeding something fierce. I brought him in, cleaned him up and coated his comb with Hen Healer blue ointment. After a few treats I took him back outside and it was as if they were best friends again. I actually have 3 roosters in a large shed with a run and they each have their own favorite ladies. They have all gotten along so far. They were all surprises also and are very sweet Roos which would break my heart if I do have to get rid of some of them some day. So I understand what you are going through and hope that things work out for you.