Free range roosters fighting

[OHMYCHICKIES]

I've had my chickens since May and the last ones I got were in June. I had 2 roosters out of the batch. They got along great because the Alpha roo (BO) established his roots and he was born in May. The other one LB, was born in June. Well, just yesterday my husband calls me and say the roosters were fighting and they were bloody. (FYI, the youngest is the light brahma and he's the biggest) When I got up this morning and let them out of the coop, the Buff Orp was at the highest point of the coop and flew out. Then the LB chased to fight him. The BO was sooo bloody, it brought tears to my eyes. I had to keep getting in between them so they didn't fight anymore. My LB rooster was always a sweetheart and seemed to be okay not being Alpha, what happened? I do know the other day I saw the BO courting the LB rooster, maybe he didn't like it?

I free range these birds, I have someone I can give it too but this is a person that don't even know if she has a rooster in her flock and sometimes she goes to the pen and sees a dead chicken. I love and care for my chickens and I sooo wish he could go to a good home

- I giving away the BO because he actually had chased my little girl and my girl is so excited to see him gone even if he's all beat up. This hurts me so and I so wish I can keep them both.

 

[WriterofWords]

Man, I don't know what to say there. I have 11 roos that free range together and I've only seen one squabble between them and that was when Blue's lady Penny decided to flirt with Sparkle. I wasn't clear on if it's happened several times or just this once? Maybe it was an argument and they got it out of their systems? I hope it works out for you, I know how you feel which is why I have all my roos. I can't stand the idea of them going to a bad home or something.

 

[EightIsEnough]

Chillin' With My Peeps - Just read you e-mail from May. I have the same problem. Roosters fighting that never fought before. What ever happened to your roosters? Friends? EightIsEnough

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I'm having that prob too just starting up. My Serama roo used to be head roo but now that the cochin roo is getting older he's causing some problems for the little guy. I want to stick my Golden phoenix in the mix and take my little serama out but not sure how that will go. I may end up selling my beautiful cochin roo. He's a doll and SO nice to his chickens and us just not so much the serama, understandably so I guess. He's not a hatchery breed so he's BIG! Not sure who would even have room for him LOL He's lucky to fit out the pop door LOL

 

[Guinea Goonie]

Roos can become territorial. I have several roos in the flock and each knows the others ways and place. I have one that flys from the rafters of the barn and then runs down to the house. This is his territory and he runs the other roos out. When he comes to the barn in the evening, he flys to the rafters from the barn door. There is another roo that has the barn as his territory.

This is just the way they are. You may have to find a different place for one of the roos to come to roost. In free range, they should find thier place and stay away from the others. Cochins, Leghorns, Game birds and Road Island Reds are the worst offenders. A bantam roo can start a fight even though he is small. If there has been blood drawn, you need to keep that roo away from eveyone in the flock, he can be killed just because he has been blood let.
Roos WILL fight to the death and if the one is seriously hurt even the hens will join in on the kill.

Chicken pecking order is a strange thing. If you have a roo that has at least one or two hens that are completely loyal to him, that roo will be left alone.

Our big Cochin is the inside barn roo. The leghorn is the Barn Yard roo, the game is the house area roo and the rest are always on the perimiter getting whatever hen comes thier way. They all have thier spot in the barn at night. I really do not think you have a mean roo, I think you have a territorial bird in a coop and they are jockying for position. We had a Road Island Red that just would not play well with the other roos. He is gone now, we had to sell him. We have had some Banatm roos that were just terrors and they had to be relocated also. We have a few bantam roos that are perfectly happy to be a part of the flock, but they know their place and the stay there.

 

[the1much]

sounds like the lb is alpha now,, he just took the spot from the bo,,and he will continue to "show" that he is now alpha,,, sometimes roo's can get along forever, sometimes they get along for a year,,, then "whamo",,,, no matter how good they get along,, they will ALWAYS have to "show" who is the boss,, and there will ALWAYS be 1 that thinks its time for him to be boss.if they fight,, and cant establish who's bigger,,, then it will end in either a dead roo,, or VERY serious injuries to one or both. these 2 just dont sound like either 1 will take being #2 very well,,,, i would split them up.

 

[OHMYCHICKIES]

the1much, I think you nailed it because as I have them separated, the BO is in the greenhouse and the LB is trying to get at the BO through the greenhouse (windows are not even clear). I don't think they'll ever get along especially when the LB is very consistent to get what he wants. He runs after the girls when he wants one unlike the BO, he normally doesn't run after them.

rimshoes, I wish mine would do that but the LB just tries to go after the BO, I guess to establish that he is alpha and the other one doesn't want to give up that position



Because I want them to free range, I will have to give one away. The hens did so good with the two roosters

 

[cqranch]

I have 8 roos free ranging... the black sexlink is the oldest and was alpha, but after I turned my breeding BA's and BO's out, there were some small battles, but the BO is now alpha. But he will only run to protect his BO hens. If another roo tries to mate with them, he's off and running, if it's not a BO hen, he doesn't care. Two of my roos are that way, will only mate and protect with their original group of hens. The BO with his BO girls.. and the Black Sexlink with the BR girls.

 

[the1much]

now would be a good time to get a roo chick,,, after he's 3 months old,, put him in with the others,, and him and the LB should get along for a few years,,lol,, till the LB gets old and "drops down" the ladder.
but if you get a young one now,, he will grow up with the LB always being the biggest baddest,, and should be a while before they "test" it out. i have 9 or 10 roo's,, some can be together,, some cant.

 

[OHMYCHICKIES]

cqranch - I wish they would stick to their groups. I have 3 different groups that each group were the same age. They used to hang around with their own kind (racist chickens) but the roosters seem to be interested only in the other kind, not his own.

the1much - I probably will do that in the spring because right now it's really cold out there and the chick won't last.