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

[DTchickens]

Thanks for the e=mail Emily, to me they both look like cockerels. They are part American gamefowl I'd say, being feral/wild I would normally expect them to be partly crossed with yard fowl and not fighting this severely. However, they could very well be pure gamefowl, and even if they are crossed isn't a guarantee they will lose the gameness trait. They've settled down I see, but in a couple of months they will just start fighting again. When they get about five to six months, depending on how aggressive they are- most will go around 6-8 months, about 9-10 sometimes with a older cock watching over them and plenty of space. After that you will have to keep them separated, otherwise they will kill each other.

With most breeds, one big fight usually settles it. But with gamefowl, this is not the case. They tend to have a "I can't be beaten" attitude, even if they have lost. The only option when owning gamefowl is keeping cocks separated, or only having one rooster. And just to clear it up, though they have this attitude towards each other, it should not be that way towards people. My gamefowl are nicer than most production/heritage/exhibition breeds.

-Daniel

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Ah yes, i do agree now that both the little ones are roosters. i don't know a lot about game fowl. i've only had a couple of mixes and they tend to keep their wild nature. But even with supposedly gentler breeds, you can have serious fighting amongst roosters. i had one young Showgirl roo who hit puberty and decided he was going to kill every other male in the cage with him, one by one. He never grew out of his aggressive nature, and eventually decided i was a threat. He has a new home now.

 

[emilysteng]

Oh no, two roos..... I didn't really suspect Beyonce. I told my friend who named her to give it a unisex name! oh well. I was a little suspicious of the big combs. What is it on beyonce that tells you it's a roo?

Thanks everyone for your insights. It really helps. I haven't yet heard how everyone is doing today.

As for Casino (mom) - she hasn't quit mothering yet. The wild chickens around here don't stop mothering for at least 3 months. As far as I can tell from observing them anyways. We have a group of mom and 3 babies (who are same size or bigger than mom now) that are still together - I think I remember them being newborns at least 4-5 months ago.

Yesterday afternoon after the fight when the two were resting, Casino would rest between them - keeping her eye on them both. Sometimes she walked closer to one and clucked a little, sometimes closer to the other. I think she was checking on them. She's really a great mom.

As for adult roosters, there is one who has been hanging around alot the past week. He is scared of people though, but whenever we are not around he comes and hangs around my little family of chickens.

I kind of think that the roos around here who are lower/lose the fights, wander off somewhere. No one is confined to any extent, so I would hope they don't fight to the death right?

This is a picture of Casino with her first boyfriend - a year ago. She is a unique wild chicken around here because she is friends with us humans. All the others just run away when we're near. She befriended this roo (his name was Poker Face - alot of the roos around here look like him. And Casino always attracts ones that look like this) when she was still quite young ( he was young too - hadn't crowed yet) and so he befriended us too. They were inseparable for many months. Then one day back in January, he ran off with another hen. We saw him around here and there for awhile but then he disappeared. I imagine he had to move on to some other territory or something.

My guess is my babies will continue to be mothered, and maybe start fighting again soon - but probably stick around for several more months? The thing is they are accustomed to us giving them food. One of them will have to give that up then - and go on to some other area I guess...

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Wow, that is a beautiful rooster! You know, it may be that because all your chickens are free-ranging that you won't have any deadly fights. If things get too bad the underdog can get away.

 

[DTchickens]

Quote:
If they're games they won't run away, that is why I said if they aren't crossed then she would have to keep them separate. And even if they were crossed that doesn't mean completely that they won't fight until the death. Just when crossing games over non-gamefowl, the odds of them keeping gameness usually, or at least to the full extent of gameness and not just having a cocky personality- it is I'd say maybe a 1 in a thousand chance (at least). As for the roosters that are free ranging, can't answer on that, they very well could be fighting to the death and dying somewhere later eaten by dogs/other predators. But then it could also be like Key West where they're crossed (quite a bit) and do run after a little while. Some of the key west birds do still contain the gameness trait though I believe, so even then they still need to be separated in my opinion.

Some things you can tell he is a cockerel by the high comb, it's already red and is quite obvious while pullets should have a smaller pale comb right now. Size of legs/feet/overall body, etc. The color can lead people to think pullet, and the reason for that is I think he has pumpkin genes. The hen resembles some pumpkin hulseys, which is where he gets his color from. Hulsey's are quite popular in Hawaii, so they could easily be in the feral chicken population.

-Daniel

 

[emilysteng]

Thanks for all the replies!

Well, as of late this afternoon - the whole family is sort of back to normal. I got the report that everyone ran out together to eat some feed. But during this there was a very quick spat. Bronty went for Beyonce and it seems Beyonce backed down and that was it.

I sure hope they don't fight to the death around here. It's just a hunch, but I feel like the chickens around here just move on. I'm not basing this on any knowledge, just a feeling - or maybe hopeful thinking.


I looked up Pumpkin Hulsey - some of the hens really do look like casino. Someone on this forum told me before she was probably a wheaten old english game - and a google of that showed some like Casino also. Guess the wild chickens around here are all a mix of various things. I have seen speckled ones, ones that look like barred rocks, and other types running around too.

 

[emilysteng]

New Developments this afternoon:

It seems like Casino has stopped her mothering? When I went this afternoon to check on everyone - Beyonce and Bronty were apart, but came together when I gave them some food. I called for Casino and she finally came out - squawking and clucking constantly- though not that loudly. She joined her kids to eat for a few minutes but then went and attacked Beyonce. Beyonce ran off. She continued eating - and her two kids both were fairly nearby but away from them. They seem almost a little afraid of her.

After eating Casino did a little preening and then disappeared. Bronty went and found Beyonce. No fighting, just stood together. They didn't seem injured or hurt or anything. Just looking kind of rough and tired. I gave them both food, was able to pick them both up and do a once over on them to make sure they were ok. They both ate but weren't all that interested in food. When I left they were sort of together. But no sign of Casino anywhere.

This how they looked when I left them. A little beat up on their faces/combs from their big fight on friday but otherwise OK. Just sad looking...

Is Casino telling them to go off on their own - that she's done mothering?

The chicks just both seem a little lost without her. I mean, she has taught them how to be a wild chicken, but they seem so sad and tired.

Or is it just me?

 

[BigIslandChicks]

seems to me like she has kicked the kiddos out of the nest. i live on big island and had a feral game hen with 6 chicks move into my coop one day and made herself at home. i didnt have the heart to kick them out so we adopted them. well that was over 2mo ago and we moved in the meantime and sadly lost all but one chick

a few weeks ago i heard all kine crazy squawking and poked my head out my bedroom window and their was the chick huddled in the corner...its sibling missing and mamma up in the tree making lots of noise, so i grabbed snickerdoodle and made a cozy box in the house for a few days...mamma hung out with the rest of the flock during the day...seemed like she was looking for her babies a little and would go up in the tree early to roost. so little baby got a pen of his/her own and mamma finally came in the coop. when she first saw the baby in there she totally ignored it.
i am hoping that the baby is a hen (daniel DTchickens) commented on a post awhile ago i had about what is snickerdoodle? hen or roo and said hen, same with most everyone else. i have to say i am thankful b/c i am not prepared to have a part fighting roo. snickerdoodle comb is still very small... ill have some updated photos soon...
i have to say though i agree with daniel, they wont go/run away. they will roam a lot farther than domestic birds but chances are they are gonna stick around (especially if you are feeding them) and continue to fight. i would keep them separate if you have the space and try to rehome them to someone who is set up to have those kind of birds. ive only seen them tied out to their own little hut in peoples yards or one with his OWN flock in someones yard. or 1 roaming wild in 1 area - they will eventually kill all the weaker ones off. in my old neighborhood where we got these ones there was only 1 big daddy rooster roaming and i am pretty sure he is snickerdoodles papa... i wish i had a nice pic of him, like yours beautiful birds btw!!

well i hope they settle down in the meantime while you figure out what to do...keep us updated!! aloha

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Ah, emilysteng, they do look sad! Casino may well be done with mothering. i've had moms be done at a couple weeks and others wait until their kids are full grown. The latter is my best mom, and if i ever hatch again, she gets the eggs.

i do think that chickens have feelings. i've seen them sad when they've lost a friend. i've seen them depressed if they're getting picked on. Or maybe i'm just making all that up in my head. In any case, i hope all works out well for your brood.

 

[emilysteng]

Hi - thanks for the replies!! I sure hope one doesn't get killed off - hopefully when they get older one can just move to another area on the property.

I have posted a new topic in Managing your flock https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=427219 as an update.

There is a property down the road that keeps roosters chained to their huts. I guess they must fight them.