questions about free rangeing

[birdbrain5]

i have a pair of bronze and a pair of palms and since i got them close to breeding season i have not let them free range yet. now that the girls arent laying, i think the season is over for them so i'd like to let them out. do i have to worry about the toms fighting? they have been in close quarters with eachother with just wire between them. they do thier strutting and used to fight a bit thru the wire but that part has slowed down some it seems. still catch them all puffed up tho sometimes. does this mean they are being aggressive with eachother? will they fight if out together? since they have never been out with the other birds in the yard should i expect any aggression with the ducks/guineas/chickens?
my yard is not fenced but i havent had any issues with any other birds taking off. and everyone gets locked up at night. are they as difficult as guineas about returning to the coops?

 

[ivan3]

I'm assuming you're not on the equator. Days are getting shorter and these guys will get hormonal, and want to jockey for position in the flock, but not marked/extended as during lengthening days of spring. Let them out when you are there to monitor for a bit. If they are trilling and squaring off, place one back in the run and leave the other out and just alternate until the urge passes (ours went through a bit of pushing for about a week and a half. Now they are just fine. They tend to focus on each other. Our toms have pretty much ignored the chooks; inadvertant injury could occur if the guys are sparring in an enclosed area with other birds. Free range dust-ups and the others can simply step aside.