Bloody 5 week old roos

[Tab P]

I hatched 22 eggs, (but one didn't make it.) They are now 5 1/2 weeks old, and out of 21 chicks, I'm pretty sure I have 9 roos. The roos have started pecking each other and fighting, and today I have 2 bloody faced roos. I want to "get rid of" all but 1 roo, but I'm not 100% sure which ones are indeed male. They are WAY too young to be fighting like this...I wanted to wait a while until they are older and I'm 100% positive that I'm eliminating the correct ones. One of the bloody ones from today is one of the ones I'm unsure of. Help!

 

[Tab P]

Same age females for comparison

 

[Tab P]

The one of bloody ones (I think this is a roo, but not 100% sure)

 

[Tab P]

btw, they're half leghorn / half Silver Laced Wyandotte and they WERE free ranging in my backyard, but after blood was drawn, all the roos are currently in the 20' x 20' chicken run (Except the bloody one that I'm unsure of)

 

[Tab P]

AREN'T THEY TOO YOUNG FOR THIS BEHAVIOR?

and more importantly, how to quickly euthanize the roos, while ensuring I don't accidentally get rid of a hen. My heart hurts having to do this.

 

[Tab P]

Ok. Here's the 2nd one

 

[mcdze]

they are too young to be getting violent, id be sure they got enough space, 20+ is alot of chickens if room is an issue ... id definitely 'make some room' by dispatching several im sure are roos ... you dont want to alienate your flock and scare them where they see you as a threat .. best way is get them alittle hungry so you can throw some food down in an open area to give you some clear shots, and set up somewhere where youre concealed with an 'accurate' pellet gun like a pcp, and drop them .. if its done right none of the others will barely even notice ... wait for the shot, facing you, right at the base of the neck, dead center just above the crop usually collapses them .. have you a big deep hole already dug out back to toss them in ..

 

[Tab P]

they are too young to be getting violent, id be sure they got enough space, 20+ is alot of chickens if room is an issue ... id definitely 'make some room' by dispatching several im sure are roos ... you dont want to alienate your flock and scare them where they see you as a threat .. best way is get them alittle hungry so you can throw some food down in an open area to give you some clear shots, and set up somewhere where youre concealed with an 'accurate' pellet gun like a pcp, and drop them .. if its done right none of the others will barely even notice ... wait for the shot, facing you, right at the base of the neck, dead center just above the crop usually collapses them .. have you a big deep hole already dug out back to toss them in ..

I have a 300psi pellet nug, but I'm not very accurate with it. Uggghhhh, this is so hard. Space isn't an issue, they have my whole backyard (to keep them separated from the adult hens).
And yes, I have a spot for my new peach tree that they will be "feeding" in their afterlife.
Thanks for your reply.

 

[Wild Iris]

...They are WAY too young to be fighting like this...

Hi--I know this is an old thread, but were you able to salvage the situation at all? I'm in a simiar predicament. I have six half-game chicks, 5 weeks old. Today three of them decided to kill each other. I intervened in time, but all three were bloody, and one significantly so (lost all his head feathers). Their mother is a very good rescue game hen. They free range and forage all day, with chick feed several times a day. I can't think what made them go crazy like this.

 

[JedJackson]

That is not typical behavior for birds so young, even males. Space issues might be the cause, or stress, or not enough feed or poor diet. It could be many things. I'd address the issues one by one. Because the violence could easily spread to the females if the cause is not determined and rooted out.

Both of the white ones are surely males. Any others with large, red combs and wattles at that age are also likely to be males. I would advertise free cockerels on Craigslist and any other places you can think of locally, like bulletin boards. You may get lucky, and maybe once there are less cockerels and total birds the situation will resolve itself.

Best of luck!