Hi all,
I have two silkie roosters who, as of late, cannot stop fighting. I hatched out three silkie eggs two summers ago- two ended up being roosters, one a hen. They were raised together and haven’t had any major problems the last two years other than the occasional squabble. There has always been one alpha between the two. They live with 4 hens in a spacious coop with an attached covered run. During the warmer months, they frequently free range so they have plenty of space there too. But during the colder months and especially once the snow arrives, they can no longer free range and are limited to the coop/run space. I think this might be contributing to the problem right now. I’ve also noticed the beta rooster has been getting more gutsy and challenging the alpha more frequently. But he always loses. Today it seems he really pushed his luck and has the injury to prove it. He has a small laceration on his head and some swelling. They’ve never caused each other an injury like this before.
What can I do? I don’t have a second space to separate them into. Culling one of them is not an option. I can’t try to give one away to someone because nobody wants a mean rooster unless they’re planning on eating them. Would adding more hens to the flock help? I do have more space in the coop for a bigger flock right now. That’s the only viable option I can think of.
I have two silkie roosters who, as of late, cannot stop fighting. I hatched out three silkie eggs two summers ago- two ended up being roosters, one a hen. They were raised together and haven’t had any major problems the last two years other than the occasional squabble. There has always been one alpha between the two. They live with 4 hens in a spacious coop with an attached covered run. During the warmer months, they frequently free range so they have plenty of space there too. But during the colder months and especially once the snow arrives, they can no longer free range and are limited to the coop/run space. I think this might be contributing to the problem right now. I’ve also noticed the beta rooster has been getting more gutsy and challenging the alpha more frequently. But he always loses. Today it seems he really pushed his luck and has the injury to prove it. He has a small laceration on his head and some swelling. They’ve never caused each other an injury like this before.
What can I do? I don’t have a second space to separate them into. Culling one of them is not an option. I can’t try to give one away to someone because nobody wants a mean rooster unless they’re planning on eating them. Would adding more hens to the flock help? I do have more space in the coop for a bigger flock right now. That’s the only viable option I can think of.
