Rooster decision, please help

[LadyLuck]

I thought I was safe now from this happening, but apparently not. My big, gorgeous, Welsummer attacked my daughter's tiny little banty cochin. Much blood, from what I can tell all from comb and wattle. he's eating and drinking and spending the night in the dog crate in the garage. The other tiny banty boy also had a spot or two of blood on his wattle, but seemed to have gotten off easy.

My first thought is that someone has to go. :-(
I can't get rid of her banty, he is truly a pet. I hate to get rid of my Welsummer...he's stunningly beautiful, big, and with people, very gentle, he comes up to us and wants treats from our hands. Besides which, our egg customers like that the eggs are fertilized (apparently they are easier to digest??).

I really don't want to sell him to the first person who comes along, I know he has to go, but not to a dinner pot. He'd make some gorgeous babies one of these days. So I do have a very large wire run type that he can be banished to until I decide his fate.

My question is.. are the two banty roos eventually going to fight each other? If so, then getting rid of Rusty (the Welsummer) won't fix the problem.

Here is a far out thought... what if I found someone who could caponize the two banty roos... would that stop the attacks? they are approx 9-10 months old, is it too late to make them less manly?

I would be willing to spend the money to take them to the vet and have it done IF I were sure it would work.

Any opinions?

 

[hunt]

I have three roosters along with my hens 1 of them is a full size game rooster he is in a seperate closed pen.The other roosters are sebright banty roosters that are twin brothers and they are fine and get along perfect but about twice a week they have a small short fight ''expressing
their domanince between each other'' and then they are fine so yours will be fine.But about my full size rooster he is currently scared of my banty roosters because he is younger than them, but I have him separate because I was told when he gets older he will try to fight them and since he is a game rooster will probrably try to kill them.So I would put your full size rooster in a separate pen that is closed so he cant get out. and if you do that maybe put a few hens in with him since he is already around them.He would probrably go nuts if he got taken away from his hen.

 

[LadyLuck]

I hesitate to give him just a few of the hens, he is wearing them out ( feathers missing etc, not drawing blood) now and has 13.

I really don't want to keep him penned up as a long term solution, it just seems mean to me after being raised free.

I also don't want to pen up the little ones...

augh, I feel like I've created a monster situation and now someone has to be punished for merely being normal.


I hear you on the size difference though, the Welsummer is easily 2x bigger than the two small ones, probably even more.

 

[PSJ]

Your bantys may end up fighting.
At around a year old, their "teenage boy" hormones kick in. There is no way to say yes or no to whether or not they will fight, but more than likely, they will. Sometimes, one rooster will accept his role lower in the pecking order, but usually, they will continue to fight. Sorry to say it, but you may end up having to get rid of one.

 

[hunt]

Like I said I think the banties will be fine but I would feel the same way about penning him up like that but it may be the only way you can keep him

 

[LadyLuck]

Ok, I've spent the past hour reading about caponizing and it seems that I am about 7 -8 months too late for that party. Also I can't find out if it would keep them (bantys) from being a target for him (big guy), only that it keeps them from fighting with each other.

So, to recap, the chickens are free range all day, no need at all to get into each others space. I really wish I knew what set this off... were they both trying for the same feeder maybe? did Little Mr. walk to close to one of Rusty's ladies?

I have a new batch of pullets growing right now. What if I did something so drastic as to build a separate coop for them and have Little Mr. be their rooster? The only thing is, they would still all be together during the day, they would only be sleeping in separate coops. I guess I'd have to have separate coops and let them out on alternating days?

I just want to think of all the answers and present them to my daughter, they are her chickens, so she will have input into the decision.

 

[hunt]

the first time I put my two banty roosters in with the hen they fought in the coop they flew out fought all over the place the backyard,the woods everywhere.They did not stop until I went out there broke them up and brought one to the house for about 10minutes turned them loose again and they havn't fought like that again.So maybe you should try letting them be together again and if they start fighting again just keep breaking them up until they just give up and get tired of fighting.Oh and if you can put a pic of them on here I just want to see the both of them

 

[LadyLuck]

Um, spring is in the air.
The loser of last nights battle (Little Mr.) spent the night in the garage in the dog crate. This morning when I let the chickens out, I caught the winner (Big Rusty) and put him in the covered run we use for babies so he couldn't hurt either of the little ones today (Little Mr. and Little Guy).
I turn around from getting feed and water out for the day and see Little Mr. (banty cochin) attacking Big Rusty (huge Welsummer) THROUGH the wire of the run. He postured and puffed and crowed until he got Rusty's attention and when Rusty came over, He flew up at him and tried to get him through the wire. Yelling had no effect, moving out of the way with my foot had no effect. I turned the water hose on them... no effect.

So then Little Mr. turned around and decided to spar with his brother, Little Guy. At least they are more evenly matched, but still.

I am OVER randy roosters!

So now I'm back to my wondering about caponizing the two little guys. It would take a while for the testosterone to leave their systems but after that, they wouldn't respond to a challenge....right? I know they are both too old, to go through it, but am hoping the vet will have some idea rather than just laughing at me for not wanting my roosters to be roosterly.

 

[LadyLuck]

this is Little Mr getting his photo with Santa and my daughter. He is her pet. so no matter what the final solution, he has to stay.

 

[LadyLuck]

Another one of Little Mr.