Rooster Drama & questions

[JacinLarkwell]

Could the roosters getting along also have to do with breeds?
My rooster (is a mix between a Hatch and a similar but smaller breed we call Habanero) likes to give us lots of roosters when the chickens hatch his eggs... , until recently I had him, then another one of his sons, now an adult that he constantly bullies (doesn't look much like him because the chicken he mated with was white he looks like a Hatch Giro), and then we had four other cockrells, that looked just like him, with which he really rarely bullied (only when they were trying to mount his hens and they hurt them).
We got rid of the four and we don't want to get rid of the Giro because he's super sweet and allows us to pet him and carry him around. Guess we might have to keep two separate flocks...

Roosters don't determine the sex of offspring, the hens do

 

[JacinLarkwell]

If the addition had been when one of them was still very young, it might have worked out. But now this is similar to some dude coming and making you go to a nursing home. It's one thing if a family member makes you, but a complete stranger isn't right

 

[Eden83_haaretz]

Roosters don't determine the sex of offspring, the hens do

Wow! Hehehe so I have my hens to blame . That's great info thanks

 

[Chickassan]

They absolutely do get along better when they're related especially fathers and sons.
Brothers can be annoying, but since they're fairly equal on some things it usually smoothes out.
Iv'e seen my f/s team allow a strange cockrel near the flock.
He just showed up and fence jumped, nobody would claim him even though two or three houses down their yard has three more clones of him....ugh, neighbors.
Anyway, my team let him eat, drink, and roost outside the coop for two days.
Day two interloper flogged the father while he was getting down...mistake.
Father and son as a team lit him up
I grabbed the fence jumper and was able to give him away the next day.
He got to keep the name I gave him "dumb Billy."

Yes. There may be a difference in breeds. Some are more aggressive than others. But much comes down to individual personalities. I have read that related roosters get along better than unrelated, and have seen that play out in my flock.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Tucker keeps tilting his head to the right and will occasionally shake it like something is bothering him. What's wrong with him?

I'm sure he was injured in the fight. They are trying to seriously injure or kill each other, that's why they go for the head so much. That's where they can do the most damage. I don't know what the injury is. Have you tried a close inspection?

It's not just spurs that are weapons. Their claws are sharp and can do a lot of damage. I've seen chickens cut a mouse or frog into bite sized pieces just using their beak. I had one cockerel kill another one once. He did that by pecking the head.

My first thought is to check the eyes, it sounds like he could be having vision problems. But it could easily be something else. If it is an eye he may have temporarily or even permanently vision issues. If it is some other wound it might or might not heal so he stops shaking like that. Only time will tell.

How long is Mr. Roo going to act like Tucker is Godzilla?

Until he doesn't. They have determined which one is boss. Sometimes after that they reach an accommodation on how to work together to take care of the flock. Sometimes they never reach that agreement and it is a fight to the death. If Tucker feels like the other one is challenging him he will probably light into him to reinforce who is boss, no insubordination allowed. If they can make it to where they heal up and your Mr. Roo acknowledges Tucker as boss they might work it out. They might not. I would not expect this to happen immediately, probably over the course of a few days.

Do I need to set up another feeder for him?

I would. A second waterer too.

Will he stop crowing all the time once things settle down?

I have no idea. Some crow all the time whether competition is around or not. Some hardly ever crow. Sometimes behaviors change over time. Only time will tell.

 

[SulkyBantam]

I'm sure he was injured in the fight. They are trying to seriously injure or kill each other, that's why they go for the head so much. That's where they can do the most damage. I don't know what the injury is. Have you tried a close inspection?

Good idea.

I'm afraid that they could actually kill each other in the future if not kept separated.
I'm sorry that you are in this situation, but they hate each other, because that is the natural reaction.

 

[Mrs. K]

They don't call it cock fighting for nothing. Strange roosters will fight. Fighting roosters cause a lot of stress for the hens too. I always advise solving for peace in the flock.

As they didn't die, and seem to have come to a truce, I would set up some extra hidden feed bowls...and see. Know that you could come down to a blood bath, with one or both dead or dying. Or it might work out over time.

AArts question on number of birds and space and set up is a valid one. Roosters take more space than hens. Multiple roosters take even more space and dramatically increase the chance of strife. One needs ways to separate them, either temporarily or permanently.

I personally would not add a second rooster unless my flock was 25-30 birds. And I would start with one, and raise up a rooster chicks in the flock, knowing that I am going to have to cull the extra rooster chicks.

Mrs K