The EE braggers thread!!!

[ChickNmamma]

My mother has American Game - and they have super long legs and are much, much skinnier than your boy. Games were originally bred to be fighting roosters - so their heritage has made them more aggressive towards other boys. However, as people are breeding them for looks now and not for their original purpose they are becoming less aggressive.

Any chicken will flare hackles as they establish the pecking order. The problem with game roosters is they will kill other game roosters. Not the hens - only the roosters - because they will not back down ever. It isn't temper, its dominance. If your other rooster backs down then usually peace will reign. Right now we have two half game roosters in one cage, they were raised together and they live together just fine. During breeding season we let them out to roam around so they can get distance and they don't fight. Its when they are penned in close quarters they become territorial.

I have a few Sumatras - and I keep them in a mixed flock with a bunch of other bantam/half size chickens. The only time I saw my Sumi boy fight the lead roo was when it was breeding season. I now have two blue Sumatra boys and two black girls and a Silver Phoenix pair, as well as a bunch of others all housed together. I don't expect any trouble until next March - and then I will split them into breeding quarters to prevent a ruckus. After its over they all go back together again.

 

[CGinJCMO]

You bring up an interesting idea...I have a second coop (got it for free) going up that I thought about next spring splitting my 20+ hens between the two coops but didn't know what to do about the three roos. Right now they are young, 2 hatched this June and one hatched at the end of August, and are getting along. I was thinking about how to move three boys around two coops. Should I keep the two older boys together, or put the two less dominant boys together (won't that just mean one will then become dominant and then they'll never be able to go back together because neither one will want to give up being dominant). I want to continue hatching my own EEs or EE mixed chicks. The three cockerels I have all came from the same hen-rooster combo so eventually I'll want new blood in the flock since there are a few sisters in the flock plus their biological mother (father now gone).

Any body got any ideas for how I should possibly go about this or direct me to a thread dealing with this topic?

CG

 

[ChickNmamma]

You bring up an interesting idea...I have a second coop (got it for free) going up that I thought about next spring splitting my 20+ hens between the two coops but didn't know what to do about the three roos. Right now they are young, 2 hatched this June and one hatched at the end of August, and are getting along. I was thinking about how to move three boys around two coops. Should I keep the two older boys together, or put the two less dominant boys together (won't that just mean one will then become dominant and then they'll never be able to go back together because neither one will want to give up being dominant). I want to continue hatching my own EEs or EE mixed chicks. The three cockerels I have all came from the same hen-rooster combo so eventually I'll want new blood in the flock since there are a few sisters in the flock plus their biological mother (father now gone).

Any body got any ideas for how I should possibly go about this or direct me to a thread dealing with this topic?

CG

When you put any roosters together they will fight until one looses and one wins. With breeds other than Games the looser just runs away from the winner - but I have had to break up a few attacks because the winner was going for the loser's eyes - don't want blind roosters. I move my boys around all the time so they don't get used to being top boy and will give up gracefully. Right now I have way too many boys - but that's because I hatched out a bunch of eggs this spring. As they grow up they are finding their place, and trying to go higher - but the older males keep the peace - mostly.

You can split them any way you want to - and move them around as you want - except you need to expect every time you move anybody there will be a tussle in the pecking order. If you are having trouble with one boy take him out for solitary for a week - when he goes back he will have to battle everybody (hens included) for his place back - that usually solves any unnecessary aggression for me.

 

[JLaw]

When you put any roosters together they will fight until one looses and one wins. With breeds other than Games the looser just runs away from the winner - but I have had to break up a few attacks because the winner was going for the loser's eyes - don't want blind roosters. I move my boys around all the time so they don't get used to being top boy and will give up gracefully. Right now I have way too many boys - but that's because I hatched out a bunch of eggs this spring. As they grow up they are finding their place, and trying to go higher - but the older males keep the peace - mostly.

You can split them any way you want to - and move them around as you want - except you need to expect every time you move anybody there will be a tussle in the pecking order. If you are having trouble with one boy take him out for solitary for a week - when he goes back he will have to battle everybody (hens included) for his place back - that usually solves any unnecessary aggression for me.

Its all fun and games till someone looses an eye. It's still fun you just cant see as well.

 

[fallenangel79]

It is super cute. Though not to jinx you but I get roo vibes  when I look at it . Way too early to tell though.

I hope don't

 

[Flowerbh]

During breeding season we let them out to roam around so they can get distance and they don't fight.

Hahahaha! When is it NOT breeding season to a rooster????? My rooster is non-stop! He must be every man's fantasy! He even breeds with the ducks! Male or female! My husband swears he saw our rooster even have a "Go" at a hole in a stump!

 

[ChickNmamma]

Quote:

The game birds my mother has are seasonal, they don't mate or fight in the colder months (winter).

As for my boys, I think it depends on age - and sight. The young ones are full of testosterone and are trying to mate everything right now - including other roosters (and I think my ducks too

). My adult roosters back off during the colder months, and start back up in the spring. However we did have a White Polish rooster when I was growing up that never quit - and I don't think he ever found a girl (he couldn't see worth a darn, worse than any Silkie) - just jumped on anything that didn't run away - or boot him across the yard (like I usually did).

 

[CGinJCMO]

Quote: I guess I will have to either build a third coop (hubby will just love that

) or pick one roo to get rid of. One is really really pretty, but has yellow legs, and seems to be dominant (and getting BIG) over all the chickens. The other two have green legs but are average coloring; one red, one white. So far they are still young and aren't turning mean (their sperm donar father became mean so I finally butchered him and haven't had any roosters for a while.

CG

 

[QuoVadis]

I just got some EE BANTAMS from Privett, and wow, are they tame and calm! I mean I love normal sized EEs, and have some for my mom in with the bantams, but most of them are more the friendly, "hey what's goin' on here, give me some belly scratches!" type, but these bantams are so, so sweet, and so incredibly calm. I got them this morning, and they are already just climbing into my hand and falling asleep. They rival D'uccles, LF Brahmas, and LF Sussex (never had bantams of either of these) for being the most calm breed of chicks I've ever had. We will see how well they lay, and what they're like as grown ups, but I am so impressed so far!

 

[lualshannon]

Hahahaha!  When is it NOT breeding season to a rooster?????  My rooster is non-stop!  He must be every man's fantasy!  He even breeds with the ducks!  Male or female!  My husband swears he saw our rooster even have a "Go" at a hole in a stump!

Ohh, that's just too funny!! My boys started to crow and chase the girls which causes chaos.. One cockerel made the mistake of trying to mate with my adult, alpha hen, and ended up running for his life; she was determined not to have any of it..I felt sorry for him. This weekend, all the cockerels will be separated so everyone can have peace and quiet..