I'm going to keep him and Toby around for another few weeks or longer. They are learning a lot from the Tina and Patucha (the senior hens and mothers) about behavior and from watching Lucio as well.
I will definitely move one of them, probably Segundo since he came off worst in the fighting. I think if I give Segundo -- or Toby -- his own group right now, especially if they are young pullets, he will have free reign with them and become a spoiled playboy rapist.
Four years, I had a big white rooster named Claudio. He came with my original group of point-of-lay pullets and was the same age. Now that I know a little about cockerels and roosters, I can see that he grew up with them, probably not with a senior rooster or older hens around. He was a nightmare. Not aggressive to me or Juan, but horrible with the ladies. They were ragged, deplumed, and exhausted. Two had bleeding wounds on their backs. I found blood on the ground, in the coop -- finally I was able to examine them at night and disinfect their wounds. That was my first chicken experience, so in addition to them all having bronchitis and/or bumblefoot on arrival, you can imagine how trying it was. Anyway, I gave Claudio back to the seller after two months because the girls were literally hiding in the forest and wouldn't roost at night they were so terrified of him.
So, yes, absolutely, I think cockerels need older birds of both sexes to guide them in their crucial development time.
But I'm glad I'm giving the rooster experience another try, with a bit more seasoning on my plate. It's well worth it.
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