Rooster wars

[brbaks]

Hi folks - A new member loving our 'bak baks'. Haven't had any since I was a child and forgot just how much I loved them! We've got a flock of 16 -was 18 but lost 2 of our girls :-( We have 2 roosters in the mix and until now, the Alpha was clear and no real troubles. Yesterday, was apparently a rooster war and our boys look shell shocked and their combs are a mess. Lots of blood on their necks beneath their beaks and one has a closed eye - hopefully just scratched and not actually blinded. Today they just look a little worn out. They've seemed to share the girls fine until now. They're 9 months and only just begun rutting with the girls. Don't want our boys hurt and hope we can avoid removing one - any ideas?

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC!

 

[TwoCrows]

to BYC!

You are probably going to have to separate these boys. Quite often, roosters don't get along and one of them is going to protect their harem of ladies. So you might want to get a few more hens for the lone rooster. Keep them in a separate area and things should be fine.

Good luck with your boys, and enjoy BYC!

 

[roostersandhens]

 

[chickie farmer]

TwoCrows x2. Same advice I would have gave.

 

[animalspooker]

Sounds like my high school classroom.

You can remove one of the boys, sell all the hens, have 'em fixed (I know my dogs didn't care for that), or just separate them.

 

[gander007]

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC!

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC - hope that 'rooster wars' have been resolved.

 

[brbaks]

Thanks everyone! The boys seem to have calmed down - inflicted enough pain on each other, they're still feeling the effects. They just might be rethinking rooster wars. Had a friend tell me to put one in a pot but this first batch are my babies - no dumplings for this crew! So we're watching 'em daily but at first sign, we'll split them up.