# Rooster Issue - Advice needed



## Crocboy25 (Feb 27, 2017)

A few months back I got 7 pullets. I already had one rooster fully grown. The pullets are getting older and I see a few of them are roosters. I keep my birds in a pen which all of these are now. In the past when the roosters matured the fighting began and I had to give away the extra roosters. What I am thinking about doing this time is just letting the extra roosters run free in the yard. Give them space so they wont fight as much. I need a way or place for them to roost at night and be as safe as possible. Something they can come and go at their leisure.
Any ideas for this?


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Sometimes it works, most times it does not. I have had several get along, but most did not. Even with a lot of room.


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

A doghouse with an automatic door?


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## GitaBooks (Feb 12, 2016)

My flock is constantly changed as chickens come and go, so the number of roosters I have rises and falls with the seasons and hatches. I have three outdoor buildings: the Main Barn, the Middle Barn, and the Shed. The Main Barn houses most of my flock, including my two standard roosters (the alpha boy and his "son"), and a number of bantam roosters including my silkie and his adopted cockerel silkie mix son. 
The Middle Barn has no roosters currently (unless some of my broody hen's chicks are dudes), but in the past I have raised chicks in there, including young roosters. 
The Shed houses only one adult rooster, Midus, as he kicked out any other roosters and claimed the hens there.
They all free range together but perch seperately.

Currently I have too many roosters in the Main Barn, and plan to whittle down some. The Boss doesn't fight ever, but those under him are way more prone to trying to get a place that involves a lady or two. Each have their favorite girls and will take out small flocks of two or three to forage while the Alpha gets the top hens. I generally find having a Standard, a Bantam and a Silkie rooster is enough and having more they tend to argue during the spring and summer, when the breeding season is.

Midus, my Shed rooster, doesn't seem to fight at all because all the Shed hens like him and he mostly avoids the other roosters. He is great with the chicks and watches over his hens very well, even when they are nesting he sits in the Shed rafters and watches over them. When the other roosters tried to invade his space, they would fight a lot and it got dangerous for poor Midus, which is why I'm glad the other roosters moved out of the Shed and into the Main barn. 

As you can see, rooster social dynamics are very unique. It depends on the breed, individual, how they were raised, the amount of space and food, the amount of hens, their age and size, if they were raised together or introduced later in life. Brothers tend to fight a lot but in my experience aren't as serious about it. They like to spar but also will work together to protect the hens. However, if there are too many of them they may bully one of the roosters constantly and cause him lots of stress.

The best thing for roosters is that they feel cooperative, as stress isn't fair on them and neither is any injury. When my roosters start to do more than spar I know something has to be done to bring the stress level down. I'm going to be rehoming some of my roosters soon, but because my Alpha and Midus are both mostly stress-free they get to stay, as they have worked out their place. Same with my Silkie rooster, who is the dude who protects my Silkie hen and her chicks. 

I know this was a long explanation, but I hope it helps. : )


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## Crocboy25 (Feb 27, 2017)

Thank you for the answers and help. I have different type roosters. Most are of the exotic nature. I really just need advice on a type of coop/housing for the roosters that will be free range.... any ideas? any pics?


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

The first time I hatched eggs, I ended up with 6 roosters all Polish plus 2 silkie roos. The silkie roos never created any problem and hen one hen with them. I let the rest of the roosters decide for themselves who goes. If one didn't want to get along and behave, he went to the feedstore. Eventually I got down to 2 brothers that lived together without any problem.


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## Nobody (Apr 13, 2017)

Build a lean to. Three enclosed sides and one side open. You can always enclose the front later on if needed.


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## Crocboy25 (Feb 27, 2017)

Great idea on the lean to!! Hadn't thought of that.


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## MikeA_15 (Feb 21, 2016)

It is most sensible to keep one rooster per flock of hens. It is the nature of roosters to fight to the death for dominance. That is what the cockfighting scum opportunistically take advantage of. On the other hand, no amount of ridiculous articles posted by those who believe they can humanize chickens will change the instinctual behavior of chickens.


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## Crocboy25 (Feb 27, 2017)

I agree. That's why I am going to just keep them separate and let one rooster stay with the hens in the pen and turn the other 2-3 loose. I get so sick of having issues with them. From now on I will only buy chicks I know are hens. I am still trying to integrate them with two young peacocks I have. The pcocks pick on the pullets. It never ends.


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## MikeA_15 (Feb 21, 2016)

Crocboy25 said:


> I agree. That's why I am going to just keep them separate and let one rooster stay with the hens in the pen and turn the other 2-3 loose. I get so sick of having issues with them. From now on I will only buy chicks I know are hens. I am still trying to integrate them with two young peacocks I have. The pcocks pick on the pullets. It never ends.


Why would you integrate pullets with peafowl? Peafowl are large, powerful, and will pick pullets to death if housed/penned together. I would not recommend it.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Yea, I would keep the pea fowl separate. I do also have a bachelor pad with 5 silkie boys for 2 years now. Sometimes you can keep the boys together and works better if they were raised together.


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## Crocboy25 (Feb 27, 2017)

MikeA_15 said:


> Why would you integrate pullets with peafowl? Peafowl are large, powerful, and will pick pullets to death if housed/penned together. I would not recommend it.


These peacocks were raised with chickens for the first 18 months of thier lives without issue. I hoped they would be used to them. The first batch of chickens at my house they were housed with they got along fine. It is when I brought in new chicks that the problems started.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Crocboy25 said:


> I agree. That's why I am going to just keep them separate and let one rooster stay with the hens in the pen and turn the other 2-3 loose. I get so sick of having issues with them. From now on I will only buy chicks I know are hens. I am still trying to integrate them with two young peacocks I have. The pcocks pick on the pullets. It never ends.


After keeping 7 roos a few years ago because I liked them all I am down to one last keeper, not including silkies. So I order now because I just want pullets. I do hold on to my styro incubator tho.


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