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Why are my 2 hens attacking eachother

post #1 of 12
Thread Starter 
I just got 2 hens 1 rooster and 6 baby chicks one of the hens has 6 baby's. First the rooster was attacking the hen with the baby's but that stoped but now the hen with the baby's always attacked the other hen on the tail feathers she bites her then she swings all around till she loses grip its very frustrating and I really need help
post #2 of 12

Do you have an existing flock or are those your new starter chickens? The fighting is normal since they have to establish a new pecking order. It takes about a week until they fight it out.

Don't know if i'd leave mama and the babies in the same pen unless they're already used to living that way. chickens can be very aggressive towards the baby-chicks and sometimes even kill them.

post #3 of 12
Thread Starter 
No. There are 2 hens that are fighting. The mother hen is fighting the hen.
post #4 of 12

I would say she is letting that other hen know to stay away from her chicks. If the other hen can't get away from the chicks, this will probably continue. I agree with an earlier post about separating your hen with the chicks from the other chickens if possible. Your mother-hen obviously feels threatened. And roosters can be bad about killing chicks also. At some point, when you do integrate them, there will be fighting until a pecking order is established.

post #5 of 12
Quote:
Originally Posted by Baruch View Post

No. There are 2 hens that are fighting. The mother hen is fighting the hen.



i got that... that's why you should give mama and babychicks their own space.thumbsup.gif

 

post #6 of 12
Thread Starter 
But the hen is just standing as far as possible but the mother hen is running to attack her
post #7 of 12

Are they free range hens or are they in some type of enclosure? If they're in an enclosed area, how big is it? It sounds to me like the rooster has taken the "alpha" position, and the mother hen is the "beta"; I think the mother hen is just making sure the other hen realizes she last in the pecking order. Fighting among the flock is normal, especially when the flock is in new surroundings or a new chicken is introduced. Even if the other hen is just standing there, the mother hen will still feel like her position is possibly being challenged, and she's even more protective because of the babies. If you separate the babies and put them in a brooding box, she will probably calm down, then you can reintroduce the babies back to the flock when they're big enough.


Edited by farmtotable - 4/14/12 at 8:41pm

Proud farm mama of 50 assorted chickens, 5 goats, 1 sheep, 1 alpaca, 12 ducks, 1 turkey, & 2 giant rabbits - and that's just outside. 5 cats, 2 dogs, 1 ferret, lots of fish, and oh ya, 1 patient husband inside.

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Proud farm mama of 50 assorted chickens, 5 goats, 1 sheep, 1 alpaca, 12 ducks, 1 turkey, & 2 giant rabbits - and that's just outside. 5 cats, 2 dogs, 1 ferret, lots of fish, and oh ya, 1 patient husband inside.

Reply
post #8 of 12
Thread Starter 
Thankyou so much
post #9 of 12
Thread Starter 
What does the baby's have to do with the mother attacking and when I give them treats like grapes and eggs that's when it usually happens
post #10 of 12
Thread Starter 
I Seperated the baby chicks from the mother but the mother hen is still attacking the other hen
This isn't any regular picking this is rough it looks very painful she's beating the hen up please help me PLEASE:(
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