Please Help Me!

Date sort Score sort
GmanR

GmanR

Chirping
Feb 28, 2016
10
3
52
North Carolina
Hello guys, i need help on introducing another rooster. Currently i have 16 chickens. Those consist of a dominant gamecock/Rhode island red mixed rooster, 7 barred rock hens, 2 rhode island hens, 4 Bantam rooster (that i really wanna get rid of) 2 bantam hens. What im trying to do is introduce a delware rooster a little younger than my dominant rooster. The problem is the dominant one is rather non social to other roosters per say. Previously, I tried to introduce a white leghorn that was even a little bit smaller than what my delaware is now. That didnt work out. I tried to give them alot of time to intrdouce him but it never ended well because the rooster did not like him no matter what. It ended like 3 times of the white one getting cornered and torn up bloody. Now, the same thing is happening with my delaware that i really wanna be able to keep in the same cage.
Please help me thanks, Gerald
attached is a picture of my rooster
400
 
You say you want to keep them in the "same cage" - are you referring to the coop/run or are you actually caging the birds together in small cages? Either way, how much space, total, is allotted to the birds when they are in the smallest space (ie if you sometimes confine to the coop only vs. allowing access to the run or to the coop and run but no free range time, etc give the smallest space they are ever confined in).
As you have noted, you are already quite roo heavy - but you don't really say how the existing roo is in regards to the bantam roosters - are they housed separately or together?
Anytime you introduce a new bird, but particularly when you introduce one that will be seen as a threat by a dominant bird in the existing group (ie a roo into a flock where there is already a dominant roo) you have a particular challenge. What approach have you used thus far? Another complicating factor here is the introduction of just one bird. Did you do any "look but don't touch" time where they birds were housed within sight but physically separated (ie by a pen, fence, etc)? This is especially helpful so that the bird becomes a familiar sight before being able to be physically confronted. Do you have an area in which you could house the new boy and a few of the lesser birds in the pecking order so that when you do mingle the whole group you are, in effect, introducing multiple birds, not just one - and the sub group will have had time to bond into a unit?
 
Ol Grey Mare said:
You say you want to keep them in the "same cage" - are you referring to the coop/run or are you actually caging the birds together in small cages?  Either way, how much space, total, is allotted to the birds when they are in the smallest space (ie if you sometimes confine to the coop only vs. allowing access to the run or to the coop and run but no free range time, etc give the smallest space they are ever confined in). 
As you have noted, you are already quite roo heavy - but you don't really say how the existing roo is in regards to the bantam roosters - are they housed separately or together?
Anytime you introduce a new bird, but particularly when you introduce one that will be seen as a threat by a dominant bird in the existing group (ie a roo into a flock where there is already a dominant roo) you have a particular challenge.  What approach have you used thus far?  Another complicating factor here is the introduction of just one bird.   Did you do any "look but don't touch" time where they birds were housed within sight but physically separated (ie by a pen, fence, etc)?  This is especially helpful so that the bird becomes a familiar sight before being able to be physically confronted.    Do you have an area in which you could house the new boy and a few of the lesser birds in the pecking order so that when you do mingle the whole group you are, in effect, introducing multiple birds, not just one - and the sub group will have had time to bond into a unit?
Click to expand...
i have one relatively large pen that all the birds are in and i have a large coop that they can go freely in and out of. When i first got the rooster i had him in a cage and set it in the pen inside the cage to let the dom get used to him for like a day or 2. Ive let him out in the pen for a few short periods to let him get used to the others then put him back in the cage(this time period consists of him in a corner or the dom chasing him around the pen. In relation to the dom rooster and the bantams, they're rather passive 3 of the bans will run from the rooster but then theres one ban that the rooster will run from and fight at times.
 
Try just introducing them during the day and see what happens, I had to get two separate coops for my hens but I am sure something will work out.
 
Hi Gerald and welcome to BYC. Your old roo may simply not ever accept another roo being around. You could keep one in a separate coop / run with a few girls, if you wish.

Good luck

CT
 
CTKen said:
Hi Gerald and welcome to BYC. Your old roo may simply not ever accept another roo being around. You could keep one in a separate coop / run with a few girls, if you wish.

Good luck

CT
Click to expand...
i think you may be right. We tried again yesterday and that time that he was out involved him being chased around the pen and him sticking his head under the coop hiding but still getting attacked in his butt. Ill try a few different things but if not ill just section off another part of the fence.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom