Too many roosters and one or two bullies...

[Dee the Feather]

Hi all,

I hope you're all doing alright this new year, despite covid and other pressures. Thank you for all the help you've given me, a novice, on this forum. It's been fantastic.

So, I have ended up in chicken lockdown here in the UK, with 4 roosters and 9 hens. The problem is that the 3 young fellas (as opposed to the grand old father of the flock) are all quite aggressive and as they are getting into the joys of spring pretty early, they come out in the morning, race round, and gang up on a particularly vulnerable runt I have in the flock, chasing her back into the hutch. Some of the hens don't come out till later on as I think they are timid around these fellas.

I have thought of 4 options: a) castration b) the pot c) give away (who would like them though they're very cute and tame) d) separation (possible but would only shunt the problem down the line??).

At the moment they're all shut in due to threat of Avian flu, which probably isn't helping.

The flock's been pretty happy so far despite a bit of bickering and chasing, but this morning the roos were really aggressive. Another issue which is my fault is I may be letting them out too late in the morning (!!)

Help!

Dee the Feather

 

[abpatchy]

Your hens seem to be distressed already. I am not sure if castration of roosters is an option. It is not permitted in Germany. You also have to keep in mind that not all survive a surgery like that. The pot or rehoming is an option. Separation is pretty hard for a bird being alone. Or they each would need a good amount of hens to be happy.
Being locked up sure doesn't help the situation. And the upcoming spring will only make it worse.
Sorry, that I can't be of more help.

 

[MegsEggsx]

You could add more hens to even up the numbers and take away some of the competition, although this could end up with other problems.

 

[aart]

b) the pot

Best option.
They are too old for castration(caponizing) if you could even get that done there.
Giving them away would not be good with the avian lock down.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I agree with aart, the pot would be the most immediate solution to your problem. Rehoming isn't a good option considering your situation. Separation might work if you have somewhere to keep them. I've heard of many people having success with "bachelor pads" where they keep all of their extra roosters. It seems most of their aggression comes from being around the females and trying to stake claim.

 

[Ridgerunner]

the 3 young fellas are all quite aggressive.................... Some of the hens don't come out till later on as I think they are timid around these fellas.

It sounds like you do not have four roosters, you have one rooster and three immature cockerels. That sounds like adolescent cockerels being controlled by hormones and having no self-control. Pretty normal. How old are they?

a) castration

I have not done this myself but there is a recent thread in the "meat bird" section of this forum about this. That thread would be a good one to read. Typically there is a learning curve involved, it often does not go well until you learn how. The general recommendation is to practice on dead birds before you try it on a live bird, either cockerels you raise and butcher yourself or whole birds you buy at the store. Unless you can find someone with experience or have some yourself this is probably not a good option.

b) the pot

Certainly an option. If you haven't processed a chicken before there are many threads in the meat bird section about this. You can search through those or start your own thread in that section.

c) give away

Also an option. Once you are no longer controlling them you don't control what happens to them. There is a high probability that they will be eaten, just not by you. That's who would like them though they're very cute and tame, somebody looking for a meal.

d) separation (possible but would only shunt the problem down the line??).

Some people solve this problem by creating a bachelor pad. Build a coop and run that will become the permanent home for the boys. It is not shunting the problem down the road if you make it permanent. That does mean you permanently have two separate flocks to take care of plus the expense of housing them and maybe feeding them more if yours now forage for a lot of their food.

The flock's been pretty happy so far despite a bit of bickering and chasing

I don't know what your facilities look like, how much room they have. The more room the better. A fifth option is to do nothing. If no one is getting injured see if they can work it out. Eventually those boys will grow out of adolescence and become adults. Their behaviors can change as they mature. There are people that have male-female ratios similar to yours that work out OK, but those people generally have a lot of room. Getting there can be rough though. The boys are likely to fight pretty seriously among themselves and maybe with the mature rooster after they grow up. They can be hard on the girls too, especially during adolescence but also after they all grow up. A lot of people with your ratio of boys to girls do have problems. There is risk involved with this approach.

I don't know what the right decision for you is. I know which one I'd choose but that doesn't count. It's your goals and personal references that count, not mine. Good luck!

 

[Mrs. K]

With you being in lock down, I would vote for the pot for the boys. The more room you have per bird in lock down, the better. Reducing your flock would give the remaining birds more space, and removing the roos would dramatically reduce the tension. I think you will be surprised how much tension there is, once it is gone.

Not a fun choice, but it would be a good choice.

Mrs K

 

[sourland]

coq au vin