Neighbor’s rooster vs my rooster

[fluffycrow]

I have 4 females that are over a year, and 15 that are about 7 months old. I’m not sure about his but I think they’re probably around a year old.

My hens have never went home with the other cockerel, but I was afraid with more time he would win them. He obviously tries to mount mine, but he’s not usually too successful.

I figured if I’m going to have a rooster in my yard crowing, it might as well be my rooster. And obviously I was worried about him eventually taking my girls home.

I really like the cockerel I have. He is very sweet and is not aggressive with the girls at all. He had some pullets of his own for about a month before I got him.

OK. The deal here is whether your girls accept your guy. If they'd rather be with the other male then you've got a problem. I'm inclined to believe that his girls don't accept his guy, otherwise he wouldn't be coming over so often. That said however, he is a chockerel so it's not completely unheard of

 

[TerryBowleg]

OK. The deal here is whether your girls accept your guy. If they'd rather be with the other male then you've got a problem. I'm inclined to believe that his girls don't accept his guy, otherwise he wouldn't be coming over so often. That said however, he is a chockerel so it's not completely unheard of

I do think that his girls aren’t very pleased with him. I think my girls will accept my guy before they accept the neighbor’s. He was doing awesome this morning free ranging with them before the neighbor let his rooster out. He was calling out food to them and wouldn’t touch it until they all got some. He really seems like a gentleman. He has only mounted one girl that has accepted him. He hasn’t forced himself on the others.

How long should I keep them in the pen before I try the free range thing again? A few weeks?

 

[fluffycrow]

Yours seems like a really nice guy. I'd wait one to two weeks before letting them free range, you should also see every girl get mounted at least once, because if he isn't interested in her, it's more likely she'll find other company

 

[TerryBowleg]

Yours seems like a really nice guy. I'd wait one to two weeks before letting them free range, you should also see every girl get mounted at least once, because if he isn't interested in her, it's more likely she'll find other company

Hypothetically, say my girls accept my guy and everything is good within my flock. Will the other cockerel keep trying to come over and fight mine? He would have killed mine today if I didn’t run him off.

 

[TerryBowleg]

Two houses away probably isn't far enough for two distinctive flocks to form. Roosters are typically highly greedy and will try to collect all of the hens for their harem. If both flocks were female only things would probably be fine, but a rooster will attract hens like a magnet even from several hundred feet away

Equilibrium will probably be reached at some point. Most roosters won't fight seriously unless they're game breeds. However one of you may lose hens to the neighboring flock

This will boil down to the rooster breed I think

The neighbor’s is a pure barred rock and mine came from a black australorp rooster over a barred rock hen

 

[fluffycrow]

The neighbor’s is a pure barred rock and mine came from a black australorp rooster over a barred rock hen

Yes, the other male would still come. How are you sure he would've gotten killed? If there's too much of a power imbalance, then maybe keep him in the coop for longer

Hypothetically, say my girls accept my guy and everything is good within my flock. Will the other cockerel keep trying to come over and fight mine? He would have killed mine today if I didn’t run him off.

 

[TerryBowleg]

Yes, the other male would still come. How are you sure he would've gotten killed? If there's too much of a power imbalance, then maybe keep him in the coop for longer

They were fighting for a good while and it looked decently even from what I saw but eventually the other cockerel had mine pinned to the ground and when I got up to them I got the other cockerel off and mine was just tired and lifeless. No injuries really other than a beat up comb, but he was in a position where he was helpless to the other cockerel. The other cockerel is probably a tad older than mine.

 

[TerryBowleg]

Yes, the other male would still come. How are you sure he would've gotten killed? If there's too much of a power imbalance, then maybe keep him in the coop for longer

Update: I let them free range today for the first time in a week. He seems to have won my flock and seems to be mounting everyone. The other rooster came over today and my rooster was able to run him off pretty easily and he didn’t come back. Maybe things are settling in now

 

[fluffycrow]

Definitely sounds like it! Keep us updated