ClaudeOrpingtonwas the most doting father ever . small Ginger Bean had been isolate from the New Orpington flock with his mom , Fitz , until he was to the full feathered .
From the instant the biddy and young cockerel get together the others , Claude was Super Dad . He took Ginger Bean under his wing .
He teach him how to scrounge , bear witness him the feeder and waterer and taught him todust - bathe . Claude even showed Ginger Bean how to hop up the deck stairs and peck at the kitchen room access for handouts .
When Ginger Bean became an adult , here ’s how he repaid his founder : cock overthrow . Ana Hotaling
Coop Coup: Scenes From a Rooster Overthrow
It break my heart to them fight down during the If you have more than one rooster in your passel , sometimes the leadership alter and it become ugly . Here ’s how to ease changeover after rooster overthrow . Claude won each clock time … until he did n’t . ( See some of the grounds above . )
Once he lost , Ginger Bean became unbearably cocky . He plucked out his father ’s beautiful tail end feathers and chased him out of the chicken coop and operate every morning . He even ran up the deck to steal the fade of loot we ’d give to wretched Claude .
What a brat .
Ana Hotaling
We commiserated with Claude , who , after the rooster overthrow , slow collect a following of hens who could n’t stomach the new alpha male person . Ginger Bean did everything he could to regain these female person . Finally , though , he come to his senses and left three hens — Butters , Selene and Stormy — with his Father-God .
What a situation ! We have a “ police lieutenant ” in every heap , a second male to help protect the girls and to ill-treat in should something hap to the loss leader . There ’s Big Boy with his buddy , Thomas . Barack was with his begetter , Jefferson . Ro was with his father , Romy .
I wo n’t even go into the duck . That flock is pretty much a stag political party . With Davey ’s devolve in the spring , we ’d hoped Ginger Bean would swimmingly ill-treat into the purpose of No . 2 , especially with all the guidance Claude provide .
An Unlikely Peace
Fellow flock owners who heard about the situation express astonishment that we contend to keep the public security in any flock with two or more cock .
I describe it as the “ heir and spare ” philosophy . I did n’t need to leave any flock unguarded should the cock pass away .
what is more , all the cock communicate with each other , no matter of their muckle . I enjoy hearing their calls throughout the day as they go over in with each other and share whatever tidings roosters partake in .
I was horrified to hear fellow chicken - keepers ’ tales of torture deposed roosters , several of whom were gravely offend by their heir . Learning about the experiences and taking into account Claude ’s own , here are three tips for dealing with a cock overthrow .
1. Remove the Former Leader
If your alpha male is now a beta — or an omega — it ’s best to remove him from the peck . His continued presence will only aggravate the young head cock and might motivate him to continually attack just to evidence his high quality .
Set the old male child up in a separate coop , preferably at some space from his former home . Carefully prize at least two hens from the raft , preferably ones you ’ve observed to have a tight link with the deposed drawing card , and move them to the new coop .
This way , your older cock remains societal , has company and does not sink into a natural depression from being oust , isolated and lone .
2. Check for and Treat Injuries
The signs of battle between son birds incline to be very obvious . rough-cut ones let in :
While you ca n’t replace missing tail feathers , it ’s important to thoroughly clean the other wound to prevent contagion . Chicken runs and coops are bacterial hot beds . An unwrap wound or two is an invitation to sepsis .
Wrap your cock in a warm towel to soothe him and keep him under control before you start to renderfirst aid .
Once you ’ve cleaned the injuries , use a sealant and anti - fungicide such as Blu - Kote to further protect your boy from contagion . Take the time to thoroughly inspect your bird , as he might have suffer interior trauma if the struggle was peculiarly ferocious .
3. Monitor the New Management
It ’s relatively coarse for a new alpha , fresh from arrogate the claim from his herald , to act sharply toward the rest of the flock . He is the leader now , and he wants everyone to know it .
While some transitions are a little bumpy , some are downright tumbler pigeon - coaster rides , with all the dramatic play of a daytime soap opera .
I strongly recommend you see your flock carefully for the first few weeks as it adjusts to the new management . If your girls hide in their nest boxes , if they stop lay or if they bear the sign of cock abuse , you might need to consider whether the variety in leadership is in the tidy sum ’s undecomposed pastime .
If the damaging reactions proceed past a few weeks , you might need tostage a coup d’etat of your own .
As for Claude , his little flock has grown . He now has Dolly , Laetitia and Harriet from theAmeraucanaflock following him around the cubic yard . With no male person in the Ameraucana henhouse and half the female happily surveil the throw out Orpington , we have to decide whether to house Claude and his serail with the Ameraucana girls until we can get a novel Ameraucana rooster .
