Rooster Experts I Need Your Help!!!!!

[herefordlovinglady]

Last week my main roo Captain could not get on his roost due to the wind blowing so bad (he roosts in the trees with one other roo and 6 game hens). He made it to the fence and I took him and put him in the coop with 6 other hens I have. I decided to keep him in the coop for a couple of days; hoping he would start going in there versus the trees. After a couple of days I opened the coop and let them all free range as usual. Well when I came home that evening, Captain was no where to be found. The next morning he was still not around. That evening I got home and found him roosting in the coop -- The following morning I went out to open up the coop to let them free range. Captain stepped outside the coop, saw the other roo and ran back into the coop. That night I came home and he was hiding behind the feed containers and a bag of feed in the corner of the coop. I got him out and checked him, his comb had dry blood on it and I could tell he had been pecked. The other roo, Rebel, had blood on his comb too. Now I have Captain in a cage separated from the flock -- I wanted to be sure he was not sick. I gave him some electrolytes and scrambled eggs. He ate and drank just fine. He is crowing in the morning.

My question is what do I do now. Obviously the other roo has put Captain down several notches on the pecking order.

My thoughts were to put the other roo in the cage and let Captain get his flock back. Or let Captain out and let them fight it out. Captain is about five years old, Rebel is about 18 months old.

Captain is a Dominique and Rebel is his son crossed with game.

any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[geebs]

If he is hiding..he is not the winner.. One rooster will kill another one... you may have to make a decision or keep them penned separate... I lost 2 roosters to a mean one...just this week... the mean one... Well he is food now... I have one little D'Uccle that is in the house recovering...Life is too short to have a bully around... Also your rooster may be ill.... Run the gammet on him... Medicate if necessary... Feed him some extra protien (drycatfood) with his meal and some Turmeric and cinnamon on his grains.. treat him for worms and lice if necessary...sometime illness precipitates weakness....Give him a real good going over... Good luck... the loss of a decent rooster is aweful.... I could lose many hens before I would choose to lose my cornerstone.

 

[soonerdog]

Captain does not stand a chance against Rebel and he never will because of the GAME blood in Rebel.

IMO, You have two options.

1. You can make a decision as to which one you will keep.
OR
2. You will have to keep one of the roosters separated in a pen away from the other.

If you chose to keep both roosters free ranging then you are asking for continued trouble!

Rebel will eventually KILL Captian because he is part GAME. Games will fight to the death!

Wishing you the best with this situation.

 

[sourland]

I think Soonerdog is right on the money. Heritage (game blood) and youth give the younger rooster a significant edge. If you choose to keep both, they must remain seperated.

 

[thechickenchick]

The only logical choice is to bring him to my house Robin

 

[abhaya]

The game bird won and will continue to do so. Your choises seem to be separate them find a home for one or send one to freezer camp. personally i would keep the older one and rehome the younger one.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Agree

 

[herefordlovinglady]

Thanks everyone. You all only confirmed my gut. DH says that I should of never separated them in the first place. Keeping Captain in the coop for a couple of days was his downfall. I knew the day would come when Rebel "came into his own" so-to-speak. Just really hate having to split the flock. but on the upside, there is a reason for everything, and maybe this will help with my management problems in the near future.

Tanya, If I could I would personally bring Rebel your way.

 

[centrarchid]

herefordlovinglady,

I have experience with dominiques, games and crosses involving games although not at present with dominiques crossed with games.

When birds are free range and the looser in a fight between roosters is not game in terms of breed and behavior, it very very unlikely that the looser will be killed or seriously harmed. Yes, he lost social status and preferred breeding rights with ladies in flock but he is all right. I have watched such social changes many times and when bird gets his butt whipped, a change in roosting location is typical.

Rebel may be half-game but that will make little difference in outcome once Captain acknowledges the new social order. Rebels half-game status might influence duration of a scrap he might get into with another rooster, even a pure game but I suspect even he will not have the gumption to fight to the point where his life is at risk. Otherwise half game roosters would get more respect than they do from folks that keep such birds for their original purpose.

Our half-game roosters, when allowed to survive past frying size were tough but they never were truelly game in respect to fighting tendencies.

I have not had experience with crosses between American dominiques and American games yet but will have lots by summmer 2011. Could you please provide pictures of Rebel, his game parent and sisters? I would like to see what I am getting into in terms of appearance.

 

[Pinky]

Quote:
I agree wth this 100%. If you are going to keep both, I would absolutely separate them.
My RIR, who has been the head of my free ranging flock was recently beaten by his son, who is part game. One morning I went out to feed them and noticed that Stinky, my RIR was missing and his son was crowing alot. When I found him he was almost dead. It took me two days to catch his son who is now in the freezer. My RIR is very freindly towards everyone and is very freindly with all the other animals. He is 6 years old so I wanted to keep him because he's never been aggressive towards humans, and when his part game son beat him he tried to challenge me and that was his biggest fault.