Rooster getting picked on

[Seed223]

I need some advice - we have 14 chickens total. 7 of our chickens hatched together and we have had them since day one. We ended up with two roosters out of that bunch (who both happen to be the sweetest ever with us and our kids). Things were going well with them until recently (I’m assuming they are sexually maturing now and we are getting fertilized eggs but I’m not sure who from). I have never seen them actually fight or really even be aggressive with each other but recently I have been noticed some of our buff orpington’s feathers being plucked. Usually one or so at a time. He is the biggest rooster and is the one to defend the hens (our puppy ran up to them the other day and Fred flogged him but the other rooster ran away). I have seen the hens chasing the other rooster around the yard and puffing up their feathers at him. He always runs like his life depends on it . Our Orpington (Fred) has a limp when he walks that he has had since he was about 4-5 weeks old. He can’t run so he kind of hops but he is always lagging behind the others. It doesn’t seem to bother him (we have had the vet check him out multiple times and they are not sure what the problem is). I went to check on them tonight and saw Fred laying on the sand in the coop- I’m assuming the others wouldn’t let him on the roosting bar . I am not sure what to do because we absolutely love him. We don’t have enough room for more hens right now and my husband suggested that we move him into the house as a pet (I’m not sure how sanitary that is long term though and I also wonder if he will be happy). Can anyone give me some advice? Is this behavior ok since they never actually fight that we can see? Just wondering how I need to handle this - we are new to chickens as of April and are still learning. Thanks in advance!!

 

[Mrs. K]

Try a lower roost. It might be that with his size, he can't get up to the highest roost. This might have more to do with his leg, than with problems in the flock. You might try a wider perch, maybe even a board for him to roost on, or a ladder or a ramp up to the roosts. I would not try and make him use them, that will frustrate you both, I would just rearrange things and wait, if in a couple of days he is still on the floor, try something else.

Where are the feathers being plucked. I had a EE rooster with a muff, when one day I realized it was gone, and later I saw a hen come up and pluck him, but really it almost seemed like she was preening him.

Didn't bother him, so I let it be...

Thing is, being raised together really has little effect for long range compatibility with chickens. You might not be able to keep both of the roosters. Often times roosters raised together will fight viciously. Sometimes they don't, but sometimes they do, being raised together really doesn't seem to help.

AND cockerel behavior in the past or even today is no indication of his behavior tomorrow. Roosters are a crap shoot, and this forum is full of my darling turned into a nightmare.

Mrs K

 

[M Brennen]

We have two roosters that seem to be getting along okay so far too. They are about 5 months old. Like the earlier post, I wonder If your rooster is having trouble getting up to the roost given his problem leg. We have our roosts at 5 feet high, but I have a baby gate set up so they can jump first to the baby gate and then to the roost. Do you have enough room for all of them on the roosts?