They got into a fight..

[KikiDeAnime]

Our 6-7 month old Buff Orpington and Olive Egger had somehow gotten into the yard where our Bantam Silkie cockerel and Bantam Cochin/Silkie hen are. Our cockerel left the Olive Egger alone but kept going after our Buff Orpington.
They kept getting into fights and would pull a bunch of feathers out of each other before walking away. Our Olive Egger just walked around the yard without going near our cockerel.
I quickly grabbed them and put them back in their own yard.
Thought I would mention that both girls have never been around a cockerel before him.

Why did he only want to fight with our Buff Orpington??
Should I have just let them fight it out as long as they was no blood?

Right now they're trying to fight each other through the fence

 

[azygous]

This is normal behavior when a young cockerel is trying to convince a hen to submit to his attentions. Some hens simply do not like the cockerel and will stand up to him and let him know she isn't having it and to forget it. He'll keep trying, though, until she changes her mind. Sound familiar?

 

[KikiDeAnime]

This is normal behavior when a young cockerel is trying to convince a hen to submit to his attentions. Some hens simply do not like the cockerel and will stand up to him and let him know she isn't having it and to forget it. He'll keep trying, though, until she changes her mind. Sound familiar?

Then why did he leave the Olive Egger alone? He seemed to not want anything to do with her.

 

[azygous]

That's not unusual. Cockerels will focus on the target they deem most likely to give in, then they will keep mating her. I have a young roo that was hatched with a female chick. When they both came of age, she was his "practice pullet" since she trusted him because they were brooded together. It took months for him to convince any of the other hens to submit to him.

Cockerels can be a real nuisance to all pullets and hens as they are trying to grow into their role. I will often segregate a cockerel until he's matured enough not to be a total jerk. It usually requires several months and him getting close to being a year old before he's settled down some. It's wise to keep him away from the bantams.

 

[KikiDeAnime]

That's not unusual. Cockerels will focus on the target they deem most likely to give in, then they will keep mating her. I have a young roo that was hatched with a female chick. When they both came of age, she was his "practice pullet" since she trusted him because they were brooded together. It took months for him to convince any of the other hens to submit to him.

Cockerels can be a real nuisance to all pullets and hens as they are trying to grow into their role. I will often segregate a cockerel until he's matured enough not to be a total jerk. It usually requires several months and him getting close to being a year old before he's settled down some. It's wise to keep him away from the bantams.

He currently lives with our 2 year old Bantam Cochin/Silkie hen as she now seems to have accepted that he lives in that yard with her. He hasn't tried to mount her yet though but I'm fine with that as I only wanted to give him company.
I don't plan on putting him with our other 8 hens as they're standard size and they still don't like him.
I just can't wait until our 4 pullets are old enough to be moved in with him

 

[rebrascora]

Is your Buff Orp laying ie are you certain it is a hen? Just wondering if it could be a slow maturing cockerel, as that would be another reason for them to be fighting.

 

[KikiDeAnime]

Is your Buff Orp laying ie are you certain it is a hen? Just wondering if it could be a slow maturing cockerel, as that would be another reason for them to be fighting.

She is a hen but not sure if she's started laying yet. She submitted to me when I went to take her back to her yard and I only know that hens submit.

 

[Roo5]

That's normal, he needs someone to man handle him,are the hens causing gashes or lots of damage to him?If not I would honestly leave him with them the 8, otherwise your gonna run into other issues, their not gonna like him until he’s older,and starts demanding his position,it’s all natural, why do you not want to merge the flock?

He currently lives with our 2 year old Bantam Cochin/Silkie hen as she now seems to have accepted that he lives in that yard with her. He hasn't tried to mount her yet though but I'm fine with that as I only wanted to give him company.
I don't plan on putting him with our other 8 hens as they're standard size and they still don't like him.
I just can't wait until our 4 pullets are old enough to be moved in with him

one hen isn’t enough for a cockerel.

 

[KikiDeAnime]

That's normal, he needs someone to man handle him,are the hens causing gashes or lots of damage to him?If not I would honestly leave him with them the 8, otherwise your gonna run into other issues, their not gonna like him until he’s older,and starts demanding his position,it’s all natural, why do you not want to merge the flock?



one hen isn’t enough for a cockerel.

I'd rather not have a Bantam cockerel with standard size hens as they will definitely kill him like they did with our Bantam Frizzle rooster last year.
Once our 4 pullets are old enough, they will be put with him.
He respects and is scared of the hen he is with.

 

[Roo5]

Wow,that doesn’t happen often but when it does there’s usually a reason why,usually space issue or maybe the bird wasn’t just too young, or something else.Have had bantams roosters and hens with over twenty large hens and never have had this issue,interesting.