Fratricide

[pharmchickrnmom]

I have a flock of 26 rir, sex links and barred rocks that are 17 weeks old. There were 7 roosters in that flock. Today I let out all the girls to freerange and left the boys in the coop/run so the girls would not have to worry about being jumped all the time while they were out. I sat out with them all afternoon and ran into the house for a minute to get a drink. As soon as I hit the kitchen, I heard noises and ran out to see that 5 roos had ganged up on the self appointed head roo, Mr. Big, and killed him. I was very shocked at how fast it happened. Why would they do this? They have all been raised together since they were a day old. We were going to keep Mr. Big as he was shaping up to be a nice rooster. How do we choose a good roo from the remaining boys? Will the killing continue as I notice one of the ringleaders is going after another roo. We plan on processing 2 more roos this weekend. Help! This is our first experience with roos and we want to keep 1 or 2 so we have a self sustaining flock.

 

[bluemusefarm]

Sorry about Mr. Big! I don't think 5 roosters would ever be a good idea -- they'll probably keep fighting each other until there's just 1 or 2 left. Everything I've read, and everyone I talk to, says that 1 rooster is best, but if you really want multiples, then never have more than 2.

 

[Indigosands]

I'm so sorry. I think you just have too many roosters for the number of hens you have. I would keep just one.