Please help!!! I have a flock of about 40 chickens.... there are roosters, hens, and chicks of all sizes. Totally free range.
Sometimes a rooster will have a fight with another one.. win or loose, and then accept the place in the pecking order. Never had any serious injuries.. they are Japanese bantams with stumpy little legs.. they can't do any real harm.. and they are free range.. so the looser can run off to recover.
At the moment I have 3 mature roosters (over 4 years old). They all have been in the flock for at lease 3 years. But the lowest ranking one (a white one) started to cause some trouble, and in the last few days was challenging the top rooster, and generally annoying all the hens.
Last night he defeated the top rooster after a few short fights. No injuries except a few small cuts to the face and wattles. Everything settled down. The top rooster accepted his place below the white one. So did all the others.
But today the new white 'boss' is acting crazy! He had driven off all the roosters, mature, young and even some hens with their chicks. He is bashing up all the hens.. being very rough with them.. attacking the old top rooster constantly.. even driving him off out of the property and up the road.. even though he does not try to fight the white one back.
He is just going mad with the power.. he is attacking chicks, hens, and even is getting feisty with me!
He has been at this all day... will he calm down over the nest few days?
If not I am going to have to find a new home for him.
He has always been at the bottom of the pecking order... it was a surprise how he suddenly took total control!
Sometimes a rooster will have a fight with another one.. win or loose, and then accept the place in the pecking order. Never had any serious injuries.. they are Japanese bantams with stumpy little legs.. they can't do any real harm.. and they are free range.. so the looser can run off to recover.
At the moment I have 3 mature roosters (over 4 years old). They all have been in the flock for at lease 3 years. But the lowest ranking one (a white one) started to cause some trouble, and in the last few days was challenging the top rooster, and generally annoying all the hens.
Last night he defeated the top rooster after a few short fights. No injuries except a few small cuts to the face and wattles. Everything settled down. The top rooster accepted his place below the white one. So did all the others.
But today the new white 'boss' is acting crazy! He had driven off all the roosters, mature, young and even some hens with their chicks. He is bashing up all the hens.. being very rough with them.. attacking the old top rooster constantly.. even driving him off out of the property and up the road.. even though he does not try to fight the white one back.
He is just going mad with the power.. he is attacking chicks, hens, and even is getting feisty with me!
He has been at this all day... will he calm down over the nest few days?
If not I am going to have to find a new home for him.
He has always been at the bottom of the pecking order... it was a surprise how he suddenly took total control!
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