Roosters fighting - advice please!

[Jojo1979]

I have 2 accidental roosters that I got in my first lot of 6 chickens. I quickly followed them up with a further 4 hens and due to them reaching sexual maturity I have recently got another 5 hens. One roo is the main protector of the flock whilst the other (light Sussex) is aggressive sexually and has now started attacking the other roo. Is this just them figuring out who is boss or will it get more serious? Yesterday the Sussex pinned the other one in the run (they free range) but he cornered him and the other only managed to get away because we kind of intervened!

 

[Debbie292d]

Hi!

We have rooster spats now and then and for the mostpart, they work it out without shedding blood. In your case, it sounds like it might come to that. What I'd do is pen the agressive one up away from them for a couple of weeks. Then, give him a couple of hens you think liked him or just guess and let them live together for another week or two. Then put them all back and see how it goes. He will then have "his" two hens to worry about and won't be so concerned of the other rooster.

If it starts again, I'd then let them fight it out as they'll probably have to establish whose hens are whose hens again. As long as it doesn't get too violent, we just let them be.

 

[Mrs. K]

There is no doubt at all, that the more roosters you have, the greater the chance of it going wrong. Being raised together has no influence in how they behave toward each other, and the idea, that if you have enough hens, they will share is also false. Multiple roosters in a backyard set up generally do not work over the long term. Each rooster wants all of the hens and will fight for them.

They don't call it cock fighting for nothing. These things are the options:

• They never fight (this does not happen often, but it can)
• They fight, settle it, never fight again
• They fight, cause damage - separate to fight another day
• They fight until one of them is dead.

There is no way of knowing how it is going to go. Personally, I would not keep 2 roosters unless I had 25 hens and enough space for them to range a wide area. Not in a typical backyard.

The other thing, that you may not be aware of, as it is less dramatic, but two fighting roosters cause a lot of stress and tension in the hen part of the flock. They are constantly on alert.

I would keep one, and remove the other from your flock. I don't like cock fighting, whether or not, people are paying to watch. Fighting is fighting, and I don't keep them in my flock.

Mrs K

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

It'll probably be easier and less stressful to rehome or eat the problematic Sussex.
It could give it a chance to see if the other one is good for the flock, or you can do the same with him.

Hen-only flocks do just fine, if you prefer.

Sometimes you just end up with a bad bird, or one that you can't provide enough space/resources for.

I myself have a cockerel who'll be going soon.
The rooster is good, though. He gets to stay.

 

[rabifaf]

Hi!

We have rooster spats now and then and for the mostpart, they work it out without shedding blood. In your case, it sounds like it might come to that. What I'd do is pen the agressive one up away from them for a couple of weeks. Then, give him a couple of hens you think liked him or just guess and let them live together for another week or two. Then put them all back and see how it goes. He will then have "his" two hens to worry about and won't be so concerned of the other rooster.

If it starts again, I'd then let them fight it out as they'll probably have to establish whose hens are whose hens again, similar to how a minecraft jenny mod lets characters interact in unexpected ways. As long as it doesn't get too violent, we just let them be.

I got 2 roos this weekend. I was told they get along. They were fine for 2 days together. Then I got home tonight and they'd torn each other apart. The white leghorn adapted quickly with the hens etc. and the banty was shy and seemed to stay away from the flock at first and then today seemed interested. What would have caused this fight? Do you think they fought over the hens?

 

[MysteryChicken]

Multiple roosters in a backyard set up generally do not work over the long term. Each rooster wants all of the hens and will fight for them.

This statement isn't true 100% of the time. I've been keeping multiple roosters/cockerels in backyard flock set up for years, only ever had a couple incidents ever happen.

 

[Mrs. K]

I've been keeping multiple roosters/cockerels in backyard flock set up for years, only ever had a couple incidents ever happen.

I am curious as to your set up - can you post pictures? How many birds do you have totally, and what kind of birds?

I would agree, and as Ridge runner is fond of saying, they are living animals - one cannot say absolutely this will happen. But generally speaking, in a flock of less than 8, multiple roosters tend to cause more problems than not. In a coop/run that fits that.

We all give advice from the point of view of our own coop/run. I keep a dozen +/- birds, have a 6 x 8 coup, and a 600 square foot run, I have tried multiple roosters upon numerous occasions. But when I reduce them to one rooster, I like the flock dynamics much better.

I will add that the OP is having problems with her roosters.
Mrs K

 

[Backroadlogic]

With the breeds you have it will be OK. They don't typically fight to the death and once they really have it figured out they will be chill and happy until they decide to test each other again. It's natural

 

[FrostRanger]

I got 2 roos this weekend. I was told they get along. They were fine for 2 days together. Then I got home tonight and they'd torn each other apart. The white leghorn adapted quickly with the hens etc. and the banty was shy and seemed to stay away from the flock at first and then today seemed interested. What would have caused this fight? Do you think they fought over the hens?

They were almost certainly fighting over hens. Changes in flock dynamics can cause tension and fighting.

Was the person you got them from lying? Not necessarily, they indeed might gave historically gotten along but that changed when they got introduced to their new flock. In any case, how they were together at their old home is irrelevant. They are fighting now. Whether they will continue to fight in the future remains to be seen but it's a very real possibility they will and the only real solution in that case is permanent separation. That can be splitting the flock, having one in a separate pen, rehoming or eating one of them. Doesn't matter what you choose, if they continue to fight they just need to be separated permanently.

If they appear to get along, still be cautious as this may or may not happen again. I would think long and hard why you want 2 roosters and consider if you have a way to separate them in an emergency. That NEEDS to be in place long before anything else happens

 

[MysteryChicken]

I am curious as to your set up - can you post pictures? How many birds do you have totally, and what kind of birds?

I would agree, and as Ridge runner is fond of saying, they are living animals - one cannot say absolutely this will happen. But generally speaking, in a flock of less than 8, multiple roosters tend to cause more problems than not. In a coop/run that fits that.

We all give advice from the point of view of our own coop/run. I keep a dozen +/- birds, have a 6 x 8 coup, and a 600 square foot run, I have tried multiple roosters upon numerous occasions. But when I reduce them to one rooster, I like the flock dynamics much better.

I will add that the OP is having problems with her roosters.
Mrs K

My set up is just a standard coop, & run. I do free range, but not currently. I don't have current pictures right now.

Coop #1 has: 4 Malay Roosters, 1 Malay Cockerel, 1 Silkie rooster(Has Frozen Feet, & need to butcher him), 2 Easter Egger Cockerels, 1 Brahma Cockerel, 2 Project Chameleon Roosters.

Hens/Pullets: 4 Easter Eggers, 1 Easter Egger/Brahma cross, 7 Malays, 1 Very mixed Paint Hen, 4 Project Chameleon Hens.