New - sunday PM.Please help! need advice on chicks fighting each other

[emilysteng]

My two chicks - I think they are hen and rooster - siblings - are fighting today. They are about 10 weeks old - grew up with mom and still with her. They have always done the little bit fighting - facing off - fluffing feathers - flying up - but it's always been a few seconds then they'd stop.

Today they won't stop - there's bleeding - holding each other down and stuff. Mom just stands on the side and clucks. Separated them - put one in a cage for now. I know they are probably trying to determine pecking order/dominance - but will they fight till they really hurt each other? They are wild/feral chickens. I feed them, but they otherwise live completely on their own.

Tried putting one and then the other in the cage. When rooster is in the cage - baby hen and mom face off also. seems like mom is trying to tell her she's the dominant one.

Help!! Should I just let them fight it out? Will they stop - or really hurt each other?

 

[Falcon61]

Sounds like two roosters.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

They can hurt each other badly, yes, as you say one is bleeding...however, if they are "wild" then you need to let them be "wild". When you let the one out of the cage, it's going to start all over anyway...

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Oh gosh, it's hard to answer that one. It can depend on the type of chickens, as some are more aggressive than others. i have one hen who has some game in her and she is a bit wild, she even pecks me and i raised her from a baby. From my experience, boys can fight to the death. Girls tend to fight until one gives up and it can bring some bloodshed, but usually ends before someone get seriously injured. But then, i mostly have gentle breeds like silkies, showgirls, bantam faverolles.

Are you sure you have a boy and a girl? What breed are they?

 

[emilysteng]

People say they are old english game? I am pretty sure one is hen/ one is rooster. here are some pics. but these are old.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

It's hard for me to tell by the angle, but looks like the little one is a roo. Can't tell on the larger one, but from what i can see it may be a pullet. The little one looks like it's a game mix. The larger looks like a Heinz 57, very pretty, though.

 

[emilysteng]

The two pics are of the two different chicks. Mom is in both of the pics. The darker one is looking more like a roo now. He has bluish tints in his tail now.

Let them fight. They went at it for a good 20 0r 30 minutes. Then went to two different spots and laid down to rest. MOm just laid on the side resting the whole time. Hope thye're done with that.

 

[emilysteng]

Here are some recent pictures of them. Casino (mom), Beyonce (lighter brown one I think is a girl), and Bronty (black one I think is a roo). Or do you think they are both roos? Beyonce doesn't have that blue iridescent look to the feathers that roos have who usually hang around Casino ( and is probably their dad).

I am still worried. They did stop fighting, they were so tired out. They rested about 10 feet apart from each other. Mom just stayed around. I gave them each some food, they nibbled and ate but weren't that excited like they usually are. Mom ate some too but didn't call them over to eat like she usually does. After some time Beyonce got up, drank some water and walked around a little. But by the time I left them, Bronty was still hanging around where he was resting.

Someone is going to check on them tomorrow. It didn't seem like one or the other "won" the fight. But what do I know. Do you think they will continue doing this or does one big fight usually settle it? They didn't seem seriously injured. They had a little blood - I think they were grabbing each other's combs, sometimes beaks, and the feathers on the backs of their necks mostly. I was mostly worried about someone's eye getting injured.

Beyonce is more independent, will sometimes run off on her own for a few minutes. Bronty pretty much sticks by Mom all the time.

Any other people have experience with this? I would love to know more about how chickens usually work this kind of things out, or what people have seen.

Thanks so much.

 

[dominiquePL]

You have two roosters, I'm affraid

That explains the fighting. Don't think you can do anything about it, just wait

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Looks like it to me, too.

It's definitely time for mom to kick them out of the house; lots of times they stop mothering around 4 or 6 weeks. I'd say she has.

One would think that one or both chicks would just wander off.