The Epic Battle.... Luke Vs Big Red (Graphic)

Hey Everyone,

Got home late this evening after a nice visit with Felix, and a stop off at Walnutz to get a few items and came home to what looked like a crime scene in the Deuce Coop.
I received a phone call a few mins before I got home from tsamis, informing me that Luke and Big Red had gotten access at each other, the mistake was I didn't properly latch the gate to Big red's pen before leaving the house today I feel horrible. I normally do my rounds and make sure everyone is safe.

It was dark and my flashlight only could show so much, but from what I had seen I was sure that one of them didn't make it.....

By the looks of things Luke is fine, roughed up and covered in blood, but from the looks of things not his blood... Maybe a bit... he really took it to Big Red. He is the one on watch, his head is swollen and he is missing feathers and has some lesions on the back of his neck, it literally looks as if Luke drug him through the mud as he is soaked and feathers full of grit and shavings.

I had the two separated for a reason as they used to live together but as Luke grew Big Red would beat on Luke....

I feel bad, and am doing my best to make sure A) both birds are treated for their injuries and B) this doesn't happen again.

Luke has become rather protective of his flock, he shows no aggression towards us humans but is very Evil towards other Roos' this is the first encounter he has had with another Roo since he was a few months old in the pen with Big Red, after Vader his father outcasted him, by kicking his butt.....


Anywho I just needed to get this off my chest, kinda bugged me and felt I needed to Share

Any who

Jonny A

The battles that the roosters get up to can be very disturbing. I hope you manage to patch them up. Sometimes having more than one roo can work out and other times it's just an escalating bad situation. Sorry to hear about this and hope things settle down soon.

Aw, I'm sorry to hear this, Jonny. Roosters can be so brutal to each other. I had 2 that had lived together since they were babies, then one day they suddenly realized they were all grown up and decided to duke it out to see who's the toughest. It was upsetting, but I should have expected it and dealt with the issue before it was an issue.
But I know your situation is different. You had been keeping them separated, and both roosters are important to you and your breeding programs.
No matter how bad it looks right now, even a couple of days will make a big difference. I am sure with your TLC they will both recover. Watch for infection (I'm sure you already are), and maybe a boost of electrolytes/vitamins.
Good luck, and don't beat yourself up. Stuff happens.

Gosh Johnny, so sorry and thank you for sharing as a reminder. I've just separated out my roos that grew up together, into their designated flocks and I have this uncomfortable unease at the thought of doing something that you did, not meaning to of course. Scenarios like these remind me that as much as I see my birds as pets, they are more wild than anything, as the males won't hesitate to go as far as killing one another to hold their position with their hens.

I hope your rooster pulls through. You know what to do and if you can keep him from developing an infection, he might make it. Along with being badly injured, he could also be in shock making it appear worse. Good Luck.

Good Morning everyone,

Well I am very pleased to report good news on the condition of Big Red, I opened the coop doors to find him acting his usual self, crowing and courting the gals like normal. He had a good eat and drink. Red must have had some sense knocked out of him cause after I closed the door to his pen, He charged it as Luke was standing right there watching... waiting. I tossed some scratch out to lure Luke away, but Big Red taunted him with a hackle feather display, I could see the damage that Luke had done to him. Poor Big Red, looks rather rough right now but is acting like he always does

The two of them are far a part now, I have to say this worked out rather well for Big Red in the End, he has the attention of ALL of his Buff Sussex hens.

As for Luke well he is fine, nothing wrong with him at all. He has been taunting Vader all this morning so far. Vader just turns his back and ignores him, those two can't get at each other either.

Her are some pics, I have to clean them both up and get a good look at them both but here is what they look like...

Luke, Camera Shy today... He has a fair bit of dried blood on him still, his eyes are both fine and no sign of cuts on him.
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Big Red, Got the worst of it... in the one photo you can see a clump of his hackle feathers on the ground beside him... poor fellow. After this photo was taken he mated a few hens, So I think his pride wasn't ruined...
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Big Red with a few of his hens.
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Oh boy, it really was lucky that you got there to get them separated, it could have been even so much worse. So glad to hear that things are not SOOOO bad. Big Red does look like Luke got the better part for sure. I have had this rooster three times and it is awful. Two times my old blue cochin rooster got it. Once from a buff orpington rooster (this was back on the coast). Beat up really bad, cochins are not really much of fighters, they are lovers, smiling. Anyways, he looked like Big Red, but not quite as bad. Cleaned him up and the blood just had made it look worse, and yes, the mud that was all over. Second time, same rooster. Another black cochin rooster I had had the balls, smiling, to fly over the 8 foot fence that separated the two cochin pens. Bad news. Poor Hercules. My Husband thought he was dead, the other was just prancing around like he was bossman, guess he was. Hercules was in a ball in a corner and surely looked dead, but when I looked at him I saw movement. Picked him up and he was just really beat up. He had the smarts to put his head in a corner, and after the initial attack on his head the only part the other dude could get at was his back, with so much feathers, hard to do much damage. Sure did scare me though. I didn't keep that black trio for two long, I liked the blues better, a nicer personality too. The most recent was last week when 2 buff orpington roosters decided it was time to show bossman and I caught them really going at it. Not much of a blood bath, yet.....cleaned the loser one up and waited about an hour. Put him back in and immediately the fight began again. Sigh...moved the fellow out and now he is with two young buckeye cockerels, all on their own. Those buckeyes were causing havoc with the buckeye hens. Can't have 4 roosters to 8 hens, just doesn't work, especially with ones has honky as buckeyes. They seem to want to do nuthin' but bug the girls . So the orpington rooster shares a pen with the two young buckeyes, with no girls. I have made a separation inside and outside using plywood ripped in half, so the boys can't even see any other roosters or hens, and they are getting along like old pals, smiling. This will give me a chance to see if I would like to keep either of the buckeyes, if they are nicer than the two older ones or not...if not, into the pot, they look so good, I might make up a couple of trios to sell, they are lookin' mighty fine and good to type. Later. Happy to hear that Big Red didn't get it as bad as you probably think, that blood and muck is just so darn scarey. What is Big Red? Buff brahma? He looked like a very beautiful birds, as do his hens look nice too. Have a beautiful day, CynthiaM.

This is good news Johnny. Always great to have photos.

Cindi, you've got lots of experience with your roosters going after one another and interesting to hear how you handled them. Also, good to hear no deaths occurred, as that is my concern.

I raised four roosters together till recently as I wanted to get them in with the girls for breeding a couple of weeks ago, so I took two of them out one night and put them in with their new separate flocks. Up until this time the only sign of disharmony was my Buff Orp had some dried blood on his comb but nothing major. But the next day, after taking those two of the four out, I went to open up the coop with the two remaining roosters (again, I hatched out in July of last year and grew up together) and they had had the fight of their life that morning! Out of nowhere! No hens around, never mated before, but because I removed the other two males the night before, I guess it stirred things up in the pecking order and there was no one to defend the other and these two just went for it. I was shocked and learned another important lesson about housing roosters together. Expect the unexpected.

^ I learned a similar lesson Chicory. Chickens may be considered domesticated, but there’s still plenty of wild left in them. And spring time certainly brings it out.

Glad to hear the roosters aren’t too worse for wear Jonny.

I am happy as well, Luke puts Big Red to shame as far as size.

Big Red and his girls are Buff Sussex, they are a work in progress as well. Need to work on their colouring, they are rather dark for Buffs.