Will male chicks from the same clutch attack each other when they grow up?

[KT9278]

Will sibling males act aggressively towards each other when they grow up?
Didnt know where to post this.

 

[DobieLover]

More than likely, yes, they will fight. If you have a huge amount of space, multiple coops and lots of hens so that they can form territories then they can probably tolerate each other. But that's not usually the case.

 

[nuthatched]

Yup, it makes no difference

 

[KT9278]

- Chickens in general are not very good at extracting calories and nutrients from grass (like cows for example) correct?
- approximately what % of calories and nutrients would u say they can extract from grass and cellulose type material?
- which chicken breed would you say is best at digesting grass and cellulose type material? (for example, in the pig world, the Kunekune breed is probably the best grazer, what would be the chicken equivalent?)
- can such a breed be developed?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

- Chickens in general are not very good at extracting calories and nutrients from grass (like cows for example) correct?
- approximately what % of calories and nutrients would u say they can extract from grass and cellulose type material?
- which chicken breed would you say is best at digesting grass and cellulose type material? (for example, in the pig world, the Kunekune breed is probably the best grazer, what would be the chicken equivalent?)
- can such a breed be developed?

@U_Stormcrow

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Will sibling males act aggressively towards each other when they grow up?
Didnt know where to post this.

Mist likely. Most of mine don't besides small squabbles, but they also have older males and females to keep them behaving, as well as having been bred for better temperaments in my flock

 

[Mrs. K]

Yes, they really do not make best friends forever. A huge amount of space can help, bachelor pens can help but nothing is fool proof, and how they act today is not a prediction of how they will act tomorrow.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hi, welcome to the forum! Glad you joined!

Will sibling males act aggressively towards each other when they grow up?

Being related by blood makes no difference. Growing up together, whether as siblings or rooster-cockerel in the same flock, might improve your odds slightly but not much. I sure don't count on it. I've had siblings kill the other.

Different things could possibly happen. They may peacefully get along, working together to protect the flock. They may reach this agreement without any serious fighting or aggression. This is rare, but when dealing with living animals about anything can happen.

They may end up working together to take care of the flock but getting there is anything but peaceful. They will determine which is the dominant rooster, sometimes mainly by intimidation or more often by fighting. Sometimes one is killed or seriously injured in these fights.

Sometimes they will never get along. It will be a fight to the death.
I cannot tell you what will happen, siblings or not. The more room you can give them the better. I'm not talking about any square feet numbers, it's more can they get out of sight of each other. Sometimes even that is not enough room.

- Chickens in general are not very good at extracting calories and nutrients from grass (like cows for example) correct?

Chickens are omnivores, cattle are herbivores. Big difference. If given the option of decent forage chickens will generally eat grass and other plants. Some of those other plants are nutrient rich compared to grass. They will also eat all kinds of creepy-crawlies like mice, frogs, grubs, grasshoppers, and anything else that moves. The better quality forage they have the more nutrients they can get from that forage.

I don't know how you plan on giving them grass, but they will extract vitamins, minerals, and fiber from it. They are typically pretty good at feeding themselves a balanced diet if given the option. It may not be the diet you want to micromanage them into eating, but it generally works for them.

- approximately what % of calories and nutrients would u say they can extract from grass and cellulose type material?
- which chicken breed would you say is best at digesting grass and cellulose type material? (for example, in the pig world, the Kunekune breed is probably the best grazer, what would be the chicken equivalent?)
- can such a breed be developed?

I have no idea on any of this.

 

[SamLockwood]

Will sibling males act aggressively towards each other when they grow up?
Didnt know where to post this.

It depends on your definition of "acting aggressively." All chickens exhibit aggression to each other on some level all the time: their heirarchy is called a "pecking order" for a reason.

If you mean "will roosters raised together be less likely to kill each other?" the answer is "maybe" depending on a variety of factors including individual temperament, the number of hens available, total space they're living in, etc.

 

[SamLockwood]

- Chickens in general are not very good at extracting calories and nutrients from grass (like cows for example) correct?
- approximately what % of calories and nutrients would u say they can extract from grass and cellulose type material?
- which chicken breed would you say is best at digesting grass and cellulose type material? (for example, in the pig world, the Kunekune breed is probably the best grazer, what would be the chicken equivalent?)
- can such a breed be developed?

First off, I'm not sure cows are really all that efficient given the massive amount of grasses they need to eat. "Grass fed beef" is realy more of a marketing ploy than an actual reality.

All chickens will eat grasses, in fact it's one of their favorite foods. It's the primary reason free-range chickens aren't compatible with traditional American lawns: they'll strip patches of grass bare in a matter of hours.

However, free-range chickens eat a lot of other things while they're foraging: seeds, isnects, worms, I've even seen my chickens kill and eat small lizards and mice.

For instance, I supplement my free-range flock's diet with commercial feed. I can tell just how much forage they get from insects and plants because they use up 1/3 the amount of commercial feed in the middle of summer versus the middle of winter.

Laying hens also need significant amounts of calcium to form egg shells, which they're not going to get in sufficient concentration from grasses or a purely "vegan" diet.

If you're looking for a breed that's better at finding natural forage look to jungle fowl or their direct offshoots. I don't think anyone has any hard numbers or breeding programs for purely grass-fed chickens.