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Kris
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 Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2003 8:42 pm Post subject: rooster fighting |
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Hello, I have a question about my new rooster. This is my first time
having a rooster and he>s about 5 months old now. We got him thinking
he was a hen when he was a day old, but anyways,I have him and another
hen that I bought him with separated from the other hens, because
they>r all about 1 1/2 or 2 years old. My rooster was running up to
the fence that separates him and the other hens this morning, with his
chest out and his head sticking up as far as he could get it. My hen
on the other side of the fence was doing the same thing and I>m
wondering if they were fighting with eachother? I noticed they were
both pecking at eachother through the fence after that, and I>m afraid
my hen will get out of her caged area again, and maybe this time
actually try fighting my little rooster? The hen is a rhode island red
mix and is very gentle,at least to me, and is full grown, but the
rooster is a bantam and he>s only about half her size right now! Are
they fighting or is this some kind of mating thing I>v never heard
about??? |
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shannie
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| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2003 10:29 pm Post subject: Re: rooster fighting |
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"Kris" <kris69_2005@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:5e02f5a5.0307230742.76abda3a@posting.google.com...
[quote]Hello, I have a question about my new rooster. This is my first time
having a rooster and he>s about 5 months old now. We got him thinking
he was a hen when he was a day old, but anyways,I have him and another
hen that I bought him with separated from the other hens, because
they>r all about 1 1/2 or 2 years old. My rooster was running up to
the fence that separates him and the other hens this morning, with his
chest out and his head sticking up as far as he could get it. My hen
on the other side of the fence was doing the same thing and I>m
wondering if they were fighting with eachother? I noticed they were
both pecking at eachother through the fence after that, and I>m afraid
my hen will get out of her caged area again, and maybe this time
actually try fighting my little rooster? The hen is a rhode island red
mix and is very gentle,at least to me, and is full grown, but the
rooster is a bantam and he>s only about half her size right now! Are
they fighting or is this some kind of mating thing I>v never heard
about???
[/quote]
Hi Kris
Im no authority on this behavour as Im new to owning a rooster also, but we
had this exact behaviour last week. I introduced a new rooster to my girls
who are a year and a half old, I>ve no idea how old this guy is, but he>s
only half the size of my RIR>s also. The introduction did not go well, the
six ladies immediatly attacked him :( We put the girls in their run and
left him on the outside, the first few days this behaviour you speak of
became the norm. It went on most of the first two days. Lilly lost a lot of
her breast feathers during the skirmishes. I>ve no idea what it was, but I
*think* it was his establishing himself withing the group, and the lady he
was facing up to was lilly the "head hen". After a couple of days this
behaviour stopped and I gingerly introduced him to the hens again, allowing
two out at a time and hanging around armed with a bowl of breadcrumbs. They
are all best friends now, although he doesn>t go into the henhouse with them
at night yet, that>s to come when he gets over his shyness and I can
actually manage to get close enough to him to lift him in. He>s now, one of
the group and when I give out treats like snail damaged strawberries and
bread he catches the treat in his beak, makes little low clucky noises and
when one of the girls comes over to him he drops the treat for them, I>ve
yet to see him eat any treats himself, he>s obviously very cleverly using
them to win the ladies affections :)
As to himself and lilly?..well they are *very* good friends now, if you get
my drift ;~)
Don>t know if that>s any help Kris
Shannie(Ireland) |
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Eileen Gregory
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2003 11:39 pm Post subject: Re: rooster fighting |
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Yes, my roosters very rarely eat the treats that I give and will cluck to the
hens and give the treats to the hens. I like to give the treats to the rooster
and let him give them to the hens. Maybe this would help Kris>s hens accept the
new rooster, if Kris were to give treats to the rooster and let him give them to
the hens. Just a thought....
Eileen
shannie wrote:
[quote]"Kris" <kris69_2005@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:5e02f5a5.0307230742.76abda3a@posting.google.com...
Hello, I have a question about my new rooster. This is my first time
having a rooster and he>s about 5 months old now. We got him thinking
he was a hen when he was a day old, but anyways,I have him and another
hen that I bought him with separated from the other hens, because
they>r all about 1 1/2 or 2 years old. My rooster was running up to
the fence that separates him and the other hens this morning, with his
chest out and his head sticking up as far as he could get it. My hen
on the other side of the fence was doing the same thing and I>m
wondering if they were fighting with eachother? I noticed they were
both pecking at eachother through the fence after that, and I>m afraid
my hen will get out of her caged area again, and maybe this time
actually try fighting my little rooster? The hen is a rhode island red
mix and is very gentle,at least to me, and is full grown, but the
rooster is a bantam and he>s only about half her size right now! Are
they fighting or is this some kind of mating thing I>v never heard
about???
Hi Kris
Im no authority on this behavour as Im new to owning a rooster also, but we
had this exact behaviour last week. I introduced a new rooster to my girls
who are a year and a half old, I>ve no idea how old this guy is, but he>s
only half the size of my RIR>s also. The introduction did not go well, the
six ladies immediatly attacked him :( We put the girls in their run and
left him on the outside, the first few days this behaviour you speak of
became the norm. It went on most of the first two days. Lilly lost a lot of
her breast feathers during the skirmishes. I>ve no idea what it was, but I
*think* it was his establishing himself withing the group, and the lady he
was facing up to was lilly the "head hen". After a couple of days this
behaviour stopped and I gingerly introduced him to the hens again, allowing
two out at a time and hanging around armed with a bowl of breadcrumbs. They
are all best friends now, although he doesn>t go into the henhouse with them
at night yet, that>s to come when he gets over his shyness and I can
actually manage to get close enough to him to lift him in. He>s now, one of
the group and when I give out treats like snail damaged strawberries and
bread he catches the treat in his beak, makes little low clucky noises and
when one of the girls comes over to him he drops the treat for them, I>ve
yet to see him eat any treats himself, he>s obviously very cleverly using
them to win the ladies affections :)
As to himself and lilly?..well they are *very* good friends now, if you get
my drift ;~)
Don>t know if that>s any help Kris
Shannie(Ireland)[/quote] |
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vanclan351
Guest
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| Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2003 4:59 am Post subject: Re: rooster fighting |
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I would think they are trying to establish a pecking order. I have never
had a rooster and a hen do any serious fighting. Two roosters usually fight
and one will back down before they are killed. Can be bloody but one of the
roosters needs to be dominant.
My bantam is the meanest rooster in the yard. When he roosts at night he
has the most hens with him. A beaten rooster will roost somewhere else and
may or may not have a hen to roost with. I don>t think size matters, my
bantam love my buff orpington hens, twice his size.
I would let them work it out, let em go at it and establish their pecking
order. If the hens are determined to kill the rooster there may not be much
you can do. Except try to keep them separated and caged. Too much trouble
for me. I prefer them to work it out themselves. If the hens dominate the
rooster, then the rooster is not worth much, except maybe for a good stew.
Mike
"Kris" <kris69_2005@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:5e02f5a5.0307230742.76abda3a@posting.google.com...
[quote]Hello, I have a question about my new rooster. This is my first time
having a rooster and he>s about 5 months old now. We got him thinking
he was a hen when he was a day old, but anyways,I have him and another
hen that I bought him with separated from the other hens, because
they>r all about 1 1/2 or 2 years old. My rooster was running up to
the fence that separates him and the other hens this morning, with his
chest out and his head sticking up as far as he could get it. My hen
on the other side of the fence was doing the same thing and I>m
wondering if they were fighting with eachother? I noticed they were
both pecking at eachother through the fence after that, and I>m afraid
my hen will get out of her caged area again, and maybe this time
actually try fighting my little rooster? The hen is a rhode island red
mix and is very gentle,at least to me, and is full grown, but the
rooster is a bantam and he>s only about half her size right now! Are
they fighting or is this some kind of mating thing I>v never heard
about???[/quote] |
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nuele
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2003 3:27 pm Post subject: Re: rooster fighting |
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vanclan351 <vanclan351@comcast.net> wrote:
[quote]I would let them work it out, let em go at it and establish their pecking
order. If the hens are determined to kill the rooster there may not be much
you can do. Except try to keep them separated and caged. Too much trouble
for me. I prefer them to work it out themselves. If the hens dominate the
rooster, then the rooster is not worth much, except maybe for a good stew.
[/quote]
I agree with Mike - although I think it>s possible that a very young
rooster like this one here may loose in a fight with dominant old hens
at first, and still "work his way up" later. ;-)
The size really doesn>t matter - self confidence, the physical condition
to fight longer than the other bird (often better in bantams!), and the
size of the comb seem to be far more important. A big comb seems to be
more impressive, and gives a psychological advantage in a fight.
All in all, roosters seldom lose against a hen. I think I would let the
two fight and get it sorted out. The hens won>t kill him, at least I>ve
never heard that, I>ve only heard about roosters killing other roosters,
or a gang of young males outnumbering and killing females.
Nuele (D)
--
for mailing me, replace the fowls in my address by sap to avoid the spam
trap |
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