Would letting 2 roosters fight (controlled environment!) bring peace?

[Yorkshire lass]

Good morning
I would like some advice please for this ... a few days ago we adopted a 7 mth old poland bantam and 2 pekin bantams to go with him ... he's had a rough time as his girlfriend was killed by bigger chickens and he survived after being beaten up. He stayed with 30+ pekin chickens since Nov. I already have Abe and now 7 girls with him in a separate pen, and are able to free range around the large gardens (the newbies are in a contained smaller house and pen and will be able, when permitted, to roam in the gardens on dry days whilst our lot are in their pen). At the moment both cockerels are crowing back and forth, and try fighting through the pen. Also, Roddy the newby is quite mean sometimes to the pekins and roughly tries to mate with them. I do realise that maybe I have been supremely stupid by adopting another cockerel but wondered if in time they will settle and maybe Abe will realise Roddy won't get his girls and vice versa, or is it a case of they're just doing what comes naturally? I am worried that Roddy is too big and rough for the pekin girls but have been told it's due to his youth, which I thought, and that the pekin cockerels are slightly bigger than him, but wouldn't say that myself?!
My apologies for the length of text ... should I, in a controlled manner of course, allow them to fight and therefore Roddy would concede to Abe (he's just slightly bigger than Roddy, but I think more than capable of sorting him out, and realise eye sight is not very good with the polands). I don't want to do this but wondered about this as a last resort, again, it's early days.
Thanks very much in advance, kind regards, Kirsty

 

[centrarchid]

Allowing them to fight a lot does ding them up, some times a lot. Deathloss possible although risk greatly lessen by intervention. When actual intervention employed, I will stop fighting birds and separate by a few feet placing each in an animal carrier. Allow them to cool off, then release them again to fight a little more, The bouts of resting important as it allows soreness to kick in. At some point one will bolt from conflict. Make certain the aggressor does not engage in a run down where he does not stop. If dominant does not give up, then pen him for a bit to calm down. Be prepared to invest a couple of hours in this.


I have multiple rooster setups, note plural. Lots of space with obstructions allowing defeated bird to avoid aggressor makes so defeated can still stay with flock. Current setup that takes up most of my time involves a group of Missouri Dominiques that has has 20+ hens / pullets and six cocks / cockerels of age that will fight. A couple of more aggressive cockerels were released with free-ranging cock resulting in a breaf battle royal before cock one. Linear pecking order setup here subordinates simply move to location where line of sight is broken to stop attacker. With time each male will take on a harem which involves females making real choices and harems will have their on territory during day although all birds will come back to barn for roosting during the day.


Another configuration involves American Dominiques where each harem has its own pen. Only one harem is out on a given day. Care taken to make certain roosters do not try to fight through cage.

These approaches do not work with game roosters. Some ornamental / backyard roosters can be problematic like a game so be ready to re-home / eat those.

 

[Yorkshire lass]

Many thanks Centrachid for your reply, much appreciated.