I think I broke my Roosters

[MTRBLE]

Sooo I have these two roosters, the ones in my profile picture Salt and Pepper, they are about 2 1/2 now. We got some silkie chicks in May and now have my original two roosters 3 cockerels and 8 pullets. We just started getting eggs about two weeks ago which is how I now know what the heck I have out there lol and it sounds like what I have is a problem :/- but here's the deal, Salt and pepper are my "chicken babies" I wasn't supposed to have them when I got them where I lived and they were my house pets in a parrot cage basically until they were almost a year old- yes I did take them outside. We moved a year ago and they have been acclimating to normal chicken life outside except they do still have their parrot cage in the coop as that is what they want to go in at night still, granted about 1/4 of the time all the other chickens will come out of the coop and they will just be like naaww its windy or something and just stay in the coop area- They really were very spoiled..I couldn't let them run loose in the backyard or they would just come back to the door and want back inside. Anyway I got these new babies in May and the young cockerels are just jumping on these poor girls, I have one girl that literally will fly out of the Coop area to a higher place in their outside area every morning to try not to get jumped by all 3 them in the morning. Hormones for the boys I get it hoping they settle it down sooner than later though. Here is my confusion though, I think I broke my older two roosters seriously... they have no interest whatsoever in any of the girls and they have never been near a hen or pullet before these that I got in May. I got them so they could have some friends lol It was just the two of them before but they all have been in the same area now for about 3 months but Salt and pepper will not separate more than 3 to 5 feet of each other, they didn't before I got the new ones and they still don't. Pepper is a complete scardy chicken almost to the point of being a freak show since the ones got here and Salt minds his own business unless one of the others comes near Pepper. He does sometimes go after the other boys when they jump on the girls like it bothers him or something. Neither of them has made no effort to get a girl for himself. I broke them didn't I?

 

[Wezdin]

Don't think you broke them. Believe it or not they might not be the dominant roosters even though they are older because of how docile you say they are. A dominant rooster will not usually let the other roos mate. By the way, i would seriously consider losing some cockerels, that is way too many for the hens IMO.

 

[drumstick diva]

agree with Barnhart Chickens 98

 

[MTRBLE]

I for sure agree that I need to lose some cockerels or at least get them separated in the near future. At this point though as far as dominance Salt is still the dominant one- he runs them all off and steps in when the others are bickering as well as if the girls are making too much noise about being got by the younger ones. I am aware that this may change as the younger ones finish maturing. I am mostly surprised that my older ones are showing no interest or any intention of acknowledging the girls for themselves. The older ones won't eat with them either. The younger ones will run around and grab the food from each other etc. and Salt and pepper both just go completely still like they are being invisible and you can almost see that they are thinking "what in the hell did she bring home to us- they are crazy" When the littles were much smaller Salt would freeze and they would even take it right out of salts beak or he would just drop it for them. He started doing that intentionally after I was happening unintentionally and he got over the shock of it lol He takes one bite from us and drop its and picks it up several times before he eats it - he always has and is very picky. In the beginning of these littles they were stealing it during his pick it up and drop it several times before he ate it - this is when he started freezing then he would wait and drop it for them real slow. Now that they are a bit older though he doesn't do that - he just doesn't eat with them and runs them off if they get too close to him or Pepper. It will be interesting if he loses his position and won't be good for Pepper at all.

 

[feathermaid]

It sounds like Salt and Pepper are just good friends and still getting used to the new flock dynamic, they're not broken. Mature roosters will sometimes do a little song and dance called "tidbitting" for his hens or chicks and repeatedly drop the best pieces of food or bugs or goodies that he finds. It's a kind of chivalrous gesture for his flock or a way to impress the ladies before mating. Maybe since your older boys are inexperienced, they may have attempted something like that. But young cockerels can be unruly, so S and P could just be steering clear for now.

Three cockerels plus your 2 gentlemanly older roos are way too many for 8 pullets. Those poor girls are probably living a tortured life right now. Even your 2 original guys could possibly be too much for them, but I think you should at least separate or rehome the 3 young ones ASAP, the girls probably need a break. After they're removed from the picture, you might notice different behavior from your 2 roosters, and your flock of 10 might end up being just perfect together.

These articles might help you:
Selecting Good Flock Roosters
Rooster Flocks

 

[MTRBLE]

Thanks, i'm hoping it is just an adjustment period for Salt and Pepper. I was worried sick because I was told by many that if I introduced any hens that Salt and pepper would start fighting really bad. So far they haven't thank God, they just don't seem to even act like they exist lol. So technically right now I have 3 roos and 8 hens as far as mating goes since Salt and pepper are having nothing to do with it. If it stays that way are the 3 too much for the 8?

Im afraid to give them away, I don't want someone to eat them or hurt them. I will end up just separating them in different yard areas most likely.