Suggestions and help needed please-Introducing two roos

[tail_feather]

I have two roos that were raised together, not even one year old yet, but are grown. They have been separated for bout 6 months now. I would REALLY like for them to range freely and roost together with 32 hens. I went as far to build an 8' X 4' cage with a wire divider in the center. Left one on each side for one week to get them use to one another. No luck. Fought through the wire ALLLL week.

Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance fir your help!

 

[Bedste]

Dad gummit

That is a tricky one.... My Roosters do not fight unless they free Range. I have a a flock of Buff Orpingtons and a flock of Easter Eggers and others. I let each flock free range on alternate days.... When I tried to Free Range them together they chase each other and fight and jump on each others hens. Free ranging them a flock at a time has worked great. Have you put the hens in yet? Maybe when each of them have more than 15 hens each they will be fine with a fence between them. Sorry that I can not be any more help....

 

[tail_feather]

yes one is with all the hens and the other one is in the cage but is at ground level where they all can co-mingle. Just want them all together.

 

[tail_feather]

anyone else have any suggestions?

 

[Shifty Joe]

Two brothers coming back together after six months.. och. I've never reintroduced roosters, only have multiple from the same batch. What breed are they? I think your plan on keeping them together yet separated by wire is the best bet, might take more than one week. Have cabbage or scratch to distract them? Put them together at night and watch them first thing to see if they fight?

 

[tail_feather]

Thank you! They are Blue and Black Orpingtons.

 

[Shifty Joe]

I've got some buff orpington hens, did pickup two BO roos chicks to ultimately replace my current rooster. Merging chickens I have found to be very hard, more so if your adding another rooster or banties to a regular flock. The success I've had is getting them use to each other and then slipping them in a night. Chickens get a kind of group think going once the pecking order is established, at which point everything is good.

Orpingtons tend to be calmer birds, so I think you just need more time and more distractions. For my chickens, hanging a cabbage on the fence creates hours of happy distraction at which point they are less likely to fight. Maybe you should ensure no hens are around while you get the roosters to bond, just so they don't have as much of a need to be alpha.

 

[tail_feather]

great idea! thank you!