Roosters: normal or aggressive?

[Upstate_chicks]

Update: I’ve kept Cuddles (the more aggressive of the two) in rooster jail. Someone is willing to take him and he’ll be with his new owner tomorrow.
Keeping Nugget (my prairie bluebell rooster). He is actually very well behaved when Cuddles is out of the picture and isn’t aggressive when mating. Not to mention, he’s atleast 5 pounds lighter than Cuddles in weight. I think that makes it easier on the hens.

 

[LaFleche]

Well done! The remaining one will calm down as there will no longer be a competitive situation which triggers aggressive mating contests.

 

[Nashv755]

I had about 5 that ran in a pack together just like that. I had never seen anything like it. One would grab a hen by the head and drag her down while 2 more would take a wing. Another would jump on top and when he jumped off he would take the place of one holding her down. They all switched out until they all got there turn. Never would have thought chickens would have been so orchestrated to work together like that.

I ended up killing the ring leader on the spot one day after about the 3rd time I seen it happen. Just so happened to be right after finding a hen sliced top to bottom. Then sold a couple at the sale. I kept 2 more long enough to hatch a replacement for the breed and the 5th was the only rooster I had of his breed so I kept him and he ended up being the flock leader and broke up any fights in the flock.

 

[LaFleche]

Yes, they gang rape if no mature rooster or human steps in to stop them.

 

[Upstate_chicks]

I had about 5 that ran in a pack together just like that. I had never seen anything like it. One would grab a hen by the head and drag her down while 2 more would take a wing. Another would jump on top and when he jumped off he would take the place of one holding her down. They all switched out until they all got there turn. Never would have thought chickens would have been so orchestrated to work together like that.

I ended up killing the ring leader on the spot one day after about the 3rd time I seen it happen. Just so happened to be right after finding a hen sliced top to bottom. Then sold a couple at the sale. I kept 2 more long enough to hatch a replacement for the breed and the 5th was the only rooster I had of his breed so I kept him and he ended up being the flock leader and broke up any fights in the flock.

That’s wild! I’m glad I saw it when it was happening and also that someone was willing to take the big boy, Sapphire Gem, quickly.
My remaining rooster seems to be ok. He’s still chasing my Cream Legbar though, so I find myself running interference.
He tries to chase my Rhode Island Reds and they just fight back so he runs away.
But my cream Legbar doesn’t fight back.
#chickendrama

 

[Marshallkline]

Yes, that is what we read here all the time:

Thread 'Either my hens are crowing... or the hatchery sold us straight run.' https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...or-the-hatchery-sold-us-straight-run.1592482/

Sound like what I'm dealing with. Bought 10 baby chicks thru the mail and i got 9 roosters and 1 hen. And I'm having a heck of a time

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome!
Did you talk to the hatchery? If you ordered straight run, the luck of the draw. If you ordered only pullets, the hatchery should/ might make some offer over this.
Meanwhile, either remove all or most of the cockerels, or set up a bachelor coop for them.
Sorry it happened!
Mary

 

[SamLockwood]

Unfortunately I think it's normal behavior when you have multiple cockerels and no adult rooster to discipline them.

I had a similar incident when mine were about the same age. Even the normally passive cream legbar roo participated. Nobody got bloodied but it was extremely unpleasant and I wondered if I'd made a terminal mistake.

The adults eventually beat good manners into them: oddly it was the two more docile cream legbar hens that turned into vicious little dragons to any overly pushy advances. Some of the other hens figured out they could run into guinea territory and the male guineas did not take kindly to a horny rooster charging into their midst.

Even the really dumb one I call "jackass" changed tactics pretty quickly.

I've found even absent human intervention hens won't put up with an abusive rooster for too long. About 10 years ago my mom integrated a rooster that was turned out to be a total jerk and one day they ganged up on him and pecked him to death.

 

[LaFleche]

Sound like what I'm dealing with. Bought 10 baby chicks thru the mail and i got 9 roosters and 1 hen. And I'm having a heck of a time

That is truly bad luck! I hope tbe hatchery will send you some pullets as compensation.


And welcome to the BYC community!

 

[peafowl_Lover]

Be careful with the cream legbar in my experience their hearts are not good and they fail pretty easily.