Incognito rooster

[Critters_in_a_CrowsNest]

We have 10 chickens; 8 hens, 2 roosters. Our chickens range in age from 7-4 months. Our "main" rooster, a Dominique, is 7 months, our incognito, a Light Brahma, is around 5 months. We have 5 that were our originals, then adopted 3 more from someone who was overrun with chicks (1 got killed by a fox a few weeks ago), then had 3 more hatchery chicks added to the mix because...chicken math. So, in essence, we have 3 separate chicken "gangs," that coop up together, but free range in their own separate groups.

Anyway, the Brahma was supposed to be a hen...but, once she reached about 8 weeks, it was visually clear he was a rooster.

As of now, Brahma has not crowed. He is very docile, and low on the overall pecking order...he runs away if the main hens come by him when eating, but higher in the order of the newer chickens, but only when free ranging.

Will he continue to try to hide that he is a rooster because the Dom is SO dominant (he's a jerk, really). Or will he decide to take on the Dom one day (I know Brahmas are slower to mature)? Brahma is already a small giant, much bigger than the Dom. -Or-, could they all live happily ever after? Their coop has 48sqft of floor space and 12 linear feet of roost. The attached run is 144sqft, but they free range 1/2 the day (and that will increase once we can nab that dang fox- they used to free range all day over several acres, until the fox started stalking them...)

I know I read about this incognito rooster situation before, but search was failing me.

Any experience/advice is welcome. Oh, and 'luck' would have it, both roosters are named and claimed by my tender hearted 5 year old, so that complicates things...but I also don't want to wake up to a blood bath in the coop either...

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Unfortunately no one can predict how it will go down. Some roosters are fine together, others will fight to the death.

Being free range will help, as the Brahma can run away. From my experiences the older rooster maintains dominance, but others had different experiences.

Where are you located? If forced together during winter confinement it could become a problem, otherwise the biggest chance will come during next spring under surging hormones.

So you should have a back up plan if you need to remove one, otherwise I would see how it goes in the coming months.

 

[Critters_in_a_CrowsNest]

We live in Ohio, so we do get a few cold, snowy months. We have a small coop/run, good for about 3 chickens that we could separate one rooster into if needed. If I would have to separate in the winter, would 1 single rooster survive the cold without the body heat of other birds? I really don't like the Dom because he is people aggressive (he's excellent with the hens and guinea fowl, though)...but how to not break a 5 year old's heart....

 

[Ridgerunner]

I was going to say “what OHLD said” until you mentioned he is human aggressive. That changes things, especially with a child in the mix. You don’t have roosters yet, you have cockerels. The ages and the age differences explains a lot of the interactions between the chickens you are seeing, but that means he does not have spurs yet, at least not dangerous spurs. He still has a beak that can cut a mouse into eatable sizes and claws that are dangerous weapons. When chickens attack they usually go for the head, that’s where they can do the most damage. It’s not just the eyes, they kill each other by pecking the head.

I was raised with a free ranging flock with roosters and never had a problem with a human aggressive rooster. There are too many good roosters out there to put up with one that is a threat to your child.

How you manage that is up to you. You could lie and say the fox got him, he died protecting his flock and make a hero out of him. Or you could tell him the truth. Knowing how to handle it is tough. I find a lot of the time they take their clues from you and how you handle it. They will often surprise you on how well they do handle it, they will eventually get over it, but it can be rough on them.

Good luck!

 

[lazy gardener]

Human aggressive bird? You have a child? Yeah, this Dom cockerel is going to be the child's favorite until the day your child gets flogged. A rooster can do a lot of serious damage in the blink of an eye. A 5 year old is not equipped with the stature or the reflexes or the cognition to effectively defer a rooster attack. Many adults bear scars, life long scars, some of which can be life threatening from the deep puncture wounds left by a dirty rooster spur. That child's face is within easy reach of a surprise attack.

If it were my flock and my family, I'd be getting rid of that Dom in a hurry. One way or an other: Eat him, bury him, rehome him with full disclosure. I love Doms, but no matter the breed there is NO ROOM in my flock for a human aggressive roo.

Also, your coop space is tight for that many birds, especially with a roo in the mix. Recommendation is for 4 s.f. open space in coop/bird. IMO, that works for a flock without a roo. Got a roo, need more space. Winter is coming. Can you make your run somewhat weather proof so they can use it all winter?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

We live in Ohio, so we do get a few cold, snowy months. We have a small coop/run, good for about 3 chickens that we could separate one rooster into if needed. If I would have to separate in the winter, would 1 single rooster survive the cold without the body heat of other birds? I really don't like the Dom because he is people aggressive (he's excellent with the hens and guinea fowl, though)...but how to not break a 5 year old's heart....

Definitely get rid of that Dominique rooster as the others said. He will only get worse, and more dangerous. Than your problem is solved.

The 5 year old will be a big target, and is old enough to learn about the cycle of life and where food comes from. If you don't think the 5 year old is ready to hear that, than the old "it ran away", or "went to live on a farm", story can work until he/she is old enough to understand.