Girls for the angry roo?

[Sara Ranch]

I have two roosters (still love them) that are mean and do NOT get along with anyone else. They seldom fight between themselves, but it does happen. This morning, I had to step in and rescue one of the roosters who had been caught and was taking a heck of a beating.

They have their own room and have to be kept physically and visually separate from everyone else. They hurt themselves trying to go through a fence to rape/to kill other chickens. The roosters do NOT attack humans - just other chickens. Every chicken they see.

The one positive thing about them is that if I have a free range chicken missing, I set those two out and they will find that chicken. I literally follow them, walking, and then running to find the missing bird! I only use this method to find a missing bird if the bird has been missing for a few hours and I can't find any sign of them in any of the usual hang outs. Note - the missing bird doesn't get attacked because I am able to run interference during the chase until I get the missing bird cornered to pick it up or the missing bird "hides" and I can pick it up.

These two roosters free range for part of the day and show no signs of being physically ill.

Before I invest in getting them some girls of their own (they just turned 16 weeks old), does anyone have any experience in angry/mean/bully roosters going through a significant attitude change after they have girls to protect? I'll take success stories and not so wonderful happy ending stories.

Note - I am not crock potting these guys. They have their own room, they still get outside time, and I am working to build a mobile Ft Knox coop so they can spend ALL day outside. These guys just require a LOT more patience and TLC than my other kids. It happens. I deal with it.

 

[getaclue]

"The roosters do NOT attack humans - just other chickens. Every chicken they see."
Would the other chickens that they see be girls? Do you have any girls of similar age, and size as your boys?

 

[ronott1]

I have two roosters (still love them) that are mean and do NOT get along with anyone else. They seldom fight between themselves, but it does happen. This morning, I had to step in and rescue one of the roosters who had been caught and was taking a heck of a beating.

They have their own room and have to be kept physically and visually separate from everyone else. They hurt themselves trying to go through a fence to rape/to kill other chickens. The roosters do NOT attack humans - just other chickens. Every chicken they see.

The one positive thing about them is that if I have a free range chicken missing, I set those two out and they will find that chicken. I literally follow them, walking, and then running to find the missing bird! I only use this method to find a missing bird if the bird has been missing for a few hours and I can't find any sign of them in any of the usual hang outs. Note - the missing bird doesn't get attacked because I am able to run interference during the chase until I get the missing bird cornered to pick it up or the missing bird "hides" and I can pick it up.

These two roosters free range for part of the day and show no signs of being physically ill.

Before I invest in getting them some girls of their own (they just turned 16 weeks old), does anyone have any experience in angry/mean/bully roosters going through a significant attitude change after they have girls to protect? I'll take success stories and not so wonderful happy ending stories.

Note - I am not crock potting these guys. They have their own room, they still get outside time, and I am working to build a mobile Ft Knox coop so they can spend ALL day outside. These guys just require a LOT more patience and TLC than my other kids. It happens. I deal with it.

You call them roosters. Does this mean that they are over a year old? If under a year old they are cockerels and still have that teenage hormone rush. Also, eventually one of the two will likely kill the other. It is just the way it works.

You can sell one or send it to a rooster rescue. You should be able to get the remaining boy into a flock with some pullets\hens.

 

[Sara Ranch]

My closest in age girls are 10 weeks. So six weeks younger. And MUCH smaller.

The roosters attack to kill both genders now. At first, they were only attacking other roosters. It didn't matter the size of the rooster - bigger, same size, or smaller. First in their rooster flock, then anyone. (I have several flocks on different parts of the property.) These two work as a team to catch another chicken. They take turns as to who is going to be physically hurt the caught one. One hurts and the other stands guard.

Space isn't an issue. They aren't overcrowded. Lol - these guys have plenty of places to roost, and have more space than my living room, dining room, entry way, and hallway combined.

Food, water, exercise are not an issue. They free range daily for 4-6 hours a day (now when the other chickens are in so no one gets hurt) and receive food, snacks, and water. When they free range, they appear to be normal, happy roosters. If they see another chicken (gender doesn't matter) they go crazy, run, and attack if I can't get there in time. Even if the chickens are more than 25' away! The 8' fence doesn't stop them from trying to go through the fence. (I was trying a variety of things so everyone could be out during the day...the 8' fence seemed like a good idea...)

They are keeping themselves clean.

Their stools look normal.

They sleep at night. They crow in the morning. They talk during the day.

They are just angry a lot. Seeing another chicken sets them off and they go for a kill.

I don't want these roosters to get hurt or go on drugs, like valium or mood enhancers.

I don't want to castrate them. I don't even want to know how.

I have 20 chickens on 18 acres. Right now, there are 4 separate living spaces.

EVERYONE else on the ranch gets along. EVERYONE. So for these two guys are the only two that have to be kept visually separate from everyone else.

Looking for ideas/solutions that might help these guys mellow out, besides time. I realize time may help.

 

[Sara Ranch]

Thanks for the reply. No, not a year or older. They are 16 weeks. I should have used the word cockerel.

When they first started the bad behavior (rape) on other roosters, I thought they were too young to be hormonal. They were, but I also had the wrong age for them. It didn't matter too much because everyone ages/matures at their own rate.

These guys are rescues. They went through training and appeared to adjust and to integrate very well with everyone else on the ranch. Then one day, they appeared to snap and go crazy. First it was one cockerel and then, the next day, it was his buddy. Now the two are a team to attack.

Maybe they got stung by a flying insect? Or they ate a bad bug? I don't know.

They have their own building. I am working to build a mobile coop so they can be outside ALL day, like they use to before the crazy started.

 

[ronott1]

Thanks for the reply. No, not a year or older. They are 16 weeks. I should have used the word cockerel.

When they first started the bad behavior (rape) on other roosters, I thought they were too young to be hormonal. They were, but I also had the wrong age for them. It didn't matter too much because everyone ages/matures at their own rate.

These guys are rescues. They went through training and appeared to adjust and to integrate very well with everyone else on the ranch. Then one day, they appeared to snap and go crazy. First it was one cockerel and then, the next day, it was his buddy. Now the two are a team to attack.

Maybe they got stung by a flying insect? Or they ate a bad bug? I don't know.

They have their own building. I am working to build a mobile coop so they can be outside ALL day, like they use to before the crazy started.

They will calm down. Try introducing pullets\hens to them after 30 weeks old.

At this age, a head of the pecking order hen would usually knock some sense into them. It is funny to watch!

 

[keesmom]

Do you have a picture of these 2? Are they games?

 

[Sara Ranch]

Nope. Picture attached below. Names withheld to protect their identity.

I learned, when I was giving him his chicken massage, that one of the two cockerels had a neck problem. (Yes, I give the chickens massage as needed.) I hadn't realized it early on that he didn't bob his head like the other chickens do. After his neck adjustment, he started bobbing his head/stretching his neck/doing the chicken head movement that is normal for chickens. His neck is back out of alignment, so I've been working on his neck again with massage.

Yesterday, I learned that the other cockerel had a super tight neck. I believe his neck is also out of alignment. He's harder to work on.

*sigh* I work on them both (massage, one on one time, outside time, etc)

It should be noted that chickens can misalign their neck from being in a box, from fighting, from running, and probably just because. It happens to a lot of animals and to humans. It can be adjusted. No biggie. Sometimes it's easy. Sometimes it takes quite a bit of massage.

Back to my original question - if people had experience with roosters (and I guess cockerels) with calming down if they had girls. I'll wait to see if these two grow out of this phase and mellow with age. It sounds like they will. And if their necks have been causing discomfort, then having them in proper alignment will certainly help their disposition.

I have a lot of patience and love for the chickens.

 

[Sara Ranch]

Update - the boys now have big brothers who keep an eagle eye on them and follow them around the yard. So there have been no more attacks on other chickens. (Big bros are like 2x their size. I am sure that has something to do with it.)

I still work with the two one on one daily. They are becoming lap roosters. For that matter, I spend time with all my animals one on one each day. These two just a get bit more positive attention than the others.

They still sleep separately from everyone else at night.

Things are moving along in a better direction. Yeah!!