Have you seen roosters fight to the death?

[Red Mangrove]

In my experience all non-game breeds will only have one serious fight and then avoid each other from then on. Fighting to the death is foolish from an evolutionary perspective and doesn't happen except in breeds that have had their aggression artificially selected for by humans

Earlier this year on my homestead I dropped off an Indio Gigante rooster into my flock headed by a Cubalaya rooster. Both have gamefowl ancestry. They got into one fight that I broke up with a broom and they then got along from then on

Chickens don't usually murder each other unless sick humans want them to

I have more hens than the neighbor. I have 19 and they only have like 3-5, which I think is part of the problem.

He's going to want to steal hens. No rooster is content with so few hens. Tricky situation

 

[1cock2hens]

.. some breeds of roosters were bred for fighting, for example Old English Game ..

Some breeds are bred to maintain the natural instincts they have always had.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I've had it happen twice. One of my project Wheaten Crele Orpington roosters managed to kill my Welsummer Rooster when I was away. And I had a Sumatra Rooster kill the other as well.

It's not entirely uncommon.

 

[wrathsfarm]

Your neighbor needs to be put on notice that he needs to keep his birds contained on his property by any means necessary.
That applies to you also. Tall fences or a short floppy fence usually works.

 

[TerryBowleg]

I've had it happen twice. One of my project Wheaten Crele Orpington roosters managed to kill my Welsummer Rooster when I was away. And I had a Sumatra Rooster kill the other as well.

It's not entirely uncommon.

Were they in the same pens?

 

[MysteryChicken]

They can fight to the death. It usually happens when you have a more than 2 roosters, but some breeds of roosters were bred for fighting, for example Old English Game roosters. I personally had 6 roosters at one time, and it was soon down to only 3.

The best way to prevent them from fighting is separating them. Another thing you can try are chicken blinders. https://www.amazon.com/Weilan-Chick...&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583451676253659&th=1.

These were invented by Benjamin Franklin. They prevent the chicken from seeing straight ahead, so it keeps them from pecking each other and, I would imagine, keep roosters from seeing well enough to fight. They don't hurt them. I've used them on a flock of chickens to prevent cannibalism and they worked well.

I've actually had a rooster once that was so determined on beating his brother to a pulp, he busted out of them somehow, beaten up his brother so bad he was sore for weeks.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Were they in the same pens?

Coops yes.

Welsummer, & Project Wheaten Crele Orpington plus hens in one coop.

Sumatras plus various other breeds, & mixes in another.

Each coop has plenty of hens to go around.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Some will. I've had 2 that would fight any and every rooster they came across and absolutely would fight to the death. A Salmon Faverolle and a Buff Brahma.
The Brahma killed a Speckled Sussex and the Faverolle killed a Rhodebar.