Our Privacy/Cookie Policy contains detailed information about the types of cookies & related technology on our site, and some ways to opt out. By using the site, you agree to the uses of cookies and other technology as outlined in our Policy, and to our Terms of Use.

Close

How to Make Roosters Get Along

i Thinkstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images

If you want to produce fertilized eggs and your own batches of cute, fluffy chicks, then you'll have to keep at least one rooster on your property. While a single, well-socialized rooster can be a useful addition to your flock of hens, an aggressive rooster or multiple roosters can quickly cause problems.

Making Roosters Get Along

You cannot make a rooster, or any chicken, get along with other living creatures if he doesn't want to. A bird that exhibits problem behavior can be managed as necessary or even retrained to minimize the amount of problems he causes, but you can't simply force the rooster to behave. Problem roosters may have to be sent to new homes or separated from the other animals permanently in order to prevent harm from occurring.

Start Young

Your roosters will do better in the social setting of your chicken coop if they've been socialized from an early age. Spend time with your young male roosters to make them friendly and tame. Make sure your roosters spend plenty of time with hens and even other roosters if you're planning on having more than one rooster in your coop. A poorly socialized rooster is more likely to behave in an undesirable manner if he's brought into the coop as an adult with no prior experience dealing with your other animals.

Plan for Success

Roosters can be territorial, especially if necessary supplies are in limited supply. Make sure you have plenty of room, food, hens and nesting boxes inside your chicken coop. You'll need to have multiple hens for every rooster; otherwise, roosters may fight over hens. Roosters who are competing for resources are more likely to behave aggressively towards their competition. Free-range chickens have more room and resources, therefore roosters are more likely to get along in a free-range situation then they are when confined to a coop.

Last Resorts

If a rooster is truly dangerous or aggressive toward your other birds, you'll have to remove him from your flock entirely. You can place a rooster in a coop or enclosure by himself to make sure he will not cause any additional damage to your other animals. Some roosters can be reintroduced to the flock with changed behavior after being separated for a couple of weeks, others require lifelong isolation for the protection of themselves and the other birds.