Keeping roosters of different breeds from fighting.

[MyNYfarm]

I'm hoping to get some advice on managing roosters of different breeds withouts having to have multiple coops (if possible).

I have 5 separate pure-breeds of chickens.

All 5 breeds consist of a rooster TOTALLY UNRELATED to the hens.

I want to sell hatching eggs and chicks and I didnt want the rooster to be the brother of the hens, so I carefully selected unrelated stock.

My dilemma is, how do I keep the 5 different roosters from fighting with each other while they are out on the property free-ranging during the day?

I have 10-12 hens of all 5 breeds (more eggs in incubators) and 1 unrelated rooster of each breed.

They are finally big enough to roam the property during the day, but I fear the roosters fighting.

I'm not concerned with cross breeding for the eggs I plan to collect to eat.

I will have 5 separate coops/runs to keep each breed separated in when I want to collect eggs for hatching to be sure there is no cross- breeding.
3 are made, hubby is building the final 2 now.

That will work fine to keep the breeds pure when I need to, but I'm still concerned about 5 roos and 60 hens NOT fighting when they are out in the day?

Ideas? Suggestions?

2nd question, do the roos behave themselves with the gals in the coop at night? They will be in coops from sundown to sunrise.

This is my first time trying multiple breeds with the intent on collecting/selling pure breed hatching eggs and want to be sure I'm not over looking anything?

Thank you

 

[Mrs. K]

I think I need more information as to the age of the hens and age of the roosters. Young birds are called cockerels and pullets. About a year of age they are considered hens and roosters.

If I understand correctly you have 50-60 hens of five different breeds. You have carefully gotten roosters of these breeds from somewhere else so that these roosters are strange to each other.

You plan to free range them all together during the day for eating eggs. Now do you plan for each breed to return to there coop? Or do you have a large coop for day to day, with smaller coops to set up with rooster and hens for pure breeding?

In my opinion if I had 6 coops and runs, I would have a layer flock with my less than perfect hens. Then in the smaller flocks, I would have 2-3 of my best hens according to the SOP and their roo. I would let each mini flock out to free range on their own day.

But I am pretty sure I don’t quite understand the situation. Really the only way people can keep fighting roosters from fighting is to keep them apart. Not all will fight if you have enough room. But some will.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm not concerned with cross breeding for the eggs I plan to collect to eat.

I will have 5 separate coops/runs to keep each breed separated in when I want to collect eggs for hatching to be sure there is no cross- breeding.
3 are made, hubby is building the final 2 now.

I trust you know you need to keep the hens separated from any rooster you do not want to be a potential father for a month before you start collecting hatching eggs?

They are finally big enough to roam the property during the day, but I fear the roosters fighting.

That will work fine to keep the breeds pure when I need to, but I'm still concerned about 5 roos and 60 hens NOT fighting when they are out in the day?

With living animals you do not get guarantees when it comes to behaviors. It is a nice fantasy but you just don't get guarantees that they will or will not fight.

I don't know how old they are now, it sounds like they are probably juveniles. Regardless of age they will determine a pecking order for the entire flock. That means one will be dominant and the others will be ranked under that one. Sometimes a lot of that is determined fairly peacefully (at least for most of them) but it practically always involves intimidation and bullying. Usually it involves some fighting for the top spots. Usually these fights for the top spots involve the boys but especially as juveniles some girls can be involved.

These fights may be fights to the death. Often one determines it is better to run away than keep fighting and be killed, especially if they have a lot of room to run away and stay away. Sometimes they are more like play fights, not that serious and quickly over. Sometimes one gets injured and a flock can kill an injured bird. The more room they have the more likely they are to both survive.

2nd question, do the roos behave themselves with the gals in the coop at night? They will be in coops from sundown to sunrise.

What do you mean behave themselves? They are not likely to try to breed a hen while they are on the roosts. On the coop floor it could be a different story.

If you have more than one rooster in there they may not fight or they might, especially if locked in there after they wake up. With living animals you do not get guarantees.

I'm hoping to get some advice on managing roosters of different breeds withouts having to have multiple coops (if possible).

It sounds like you are going to have five? I don't know what they look like,
what their restrictions might be, or how they could be used.

My dilemma is, how do I keep the 5 different roosters from fighting with each other while they are out on the property free-ranging during the day?

The only way to guarantee that is to keep them separated all of the time, no free ranging together.

Another possibility that sometimes works is to have a bachelor pad. Lock the roosters together in a coop and run with no females around. If there are no females to fight over often they don't fight, at least that seriously. They will have their own pecking order. If you remove one to breed certain hens they may have to reset the pecking order when you take one out or put one back but some people get this to work.

But getting them to free range together without fighting, especially with the hens around, well, it is hard to get them to go against their natural instincts.