hey! I just started raising/taking care of chickens. I’ve got a small flock of 4 (1 cockerel, 2 hens and a pullet around his age). sorry that this is real long lol
Haven’t had any problems with overbreeding so i’m not really worrying about that. My cockerel treats his hens well (besides forced breeding sometimes :/) and the hens don’t seem stressed. They friendzoned him ig. My new pullet was overbred and bullied by the chickens in her old flock, saddle feathers are gone, she’s got a wound on her back and her feathers are all messed up on her wings too. she’s nervous around the other chickens, especially my cockerel Menace, but they leave her alone to “brood” on their eggs. Menace only bred with her a few times, he hasn’t injured her and she squats probably out of stress(?) so that might be the main reason he’s bred with her. (I’ll get a saddle for her soon.) Other than that, he just watches her and stays close to her if she leaves the coop. so far all birds seem fine.
My only problem with my
cockerel (who i raised) is after he reached maturity he’s gotten aggressive. He pecked all of us on our legs, bit my hand twice and dances at me every time he sees me. I don’t know how to deal with him, i don’t want to get rid of him and he only bites occasionally, mainly if i reach my hand out to him or he feels like it. He hasn’t bitten me or my family in a while but i’m sure he’ll try again. he’s a good cockerel and knows basic commands (i tell him to leave the pullet alone and he gets out, he comes over when called lol) and i really like him he’s just mean now. That’s basically it for him. Just wanna know how to knock him down a notch. I’ve tried holding him like a football and on the ground but he still dances and glares at my hand ready to bite.
Now, my two hens, Chito and Bucky, lay in the same nest that the pullet sits in. there’s two spots but they all lay in one. Before i got this pullet, the eggs were fine. the hens lay at separate times and have been together for a few months already. Chito’s eggs are different colors and Bucky lays cream eggs. they haven’t eaten each others eggs at all. My new pullet lays green/blue/off white eggs. the first two eggs were blue and green. I left the blue egg in the coop since she’s sitting on them (not broody though) and the next day it was gone. Thought rats got to it but the other eggs were fine and Bucky was eating the shell on the ground so… yea. Next time she laid the green one, i left it, the hens ate it again. Yolk on the leaves, no egg to be found. I took out the white one she laid today. Why are they targeting her eggs? Is it because she’s the new hen? they haven’t fought at all, only pecking her sometimes when it’s time to roost. like i said, they all leave her alone. they just eat her eggs! i don’t know when she’ll lay again, since they’ve probably eaten her eggs if she DID lay more before i get to them. Since she’s “brooding” i’m not taking out the other eggs, only hers.
And my last question: is she even broody?? she hasn’t gotten a brood patch, gets off the eggs when i bring treats or it’s time to sleep and isn’t acting broody. but the eggs are probably incubating since i cracked one she sat on a while ago and it looked like it had veins. is she faking it? why are the eggs still developing and will they even hatch? Really weird stuff
That’s basically it (for now lol) so yea, advice is appreciated!
Haven’t had any problems with overbreeding so i’m not really worrying about that. My cockerel treats his hens well (besides forced breeding sometimes :/) and the hens don’t seem stressed. They friendzoned him ig. My new pullet was overbred and bullied by the chickens in her old flock, saddle feathers are gone, she’s got a wound on her back and her feathers are all messed up on her wings too. she’s nervous around the other chickens, especially my cockerel Menace, but they leave her alone to “brood” on their eggs. Menace only bred with her a few times, he hasn’t injured her and she squats probably out of stress(?) so that might be the main reason he’s bred with her. (I’ll get a saddle for her soon.) Other than that, he just watches her and stays close to her if she leaves the coop. so far all birds seem fine.
My only problem with my
cockerel (who i raised) is after he reached maturity he’s gotten aggressive. He pecked all of us on our legs, bit my hand twice and dances at me every time he sees me. I don’t know how to deal with him, i don’t want to get rid of him and he only bites occasionally, mainly if i reach my hand out to him or he feels like it. He hasn’t bitten me or my family in a while but i’m sure he’ll try again. he’s a good cockerel and knows basic commands (i tell him to leave the pullet alone and he gets out, he comes over when called lol) and i really like him he’s just mean now. That’s basically it for him. Just wanna know how to knock him down a notch. I’ve tried holding him like a football and on the ground but he still dances and glares at my hand ready to bite.
Now, my two hens, Chito and Bucky, lay in the same nest that the pullet sits in. there’s two spots but they all lay in one. Before i got this pullet, the eggs were fine. the hens lay at separate times and have been together for a few months already. Chito’s eggs are different colors and Bucky lays cream eggs. they haven’t eaten each others eggs at all. My new pullet lays green/blue/off white eggs. the first two eggs were blue and green. I left the blue egg in the coop since she’s sitting on them (not broody though) and the next day it was gone. Thought rats got to it but the other eggs were fine and Bucky was eating the shell on the ground so… yea. Next time she laid the green one, i left it, the hens ate it again. Yolk on the leaves, no egg to be found. I took out the white one she laid today. Why are they targeting her eggs? Is it because she’s the new hen? they haven’t fought at all, only pecking her sometimes when it’s time to roost. like i said, they all leave her alone. they just eat her eggs! i don’t know when she’ll lay again, since they’ve probably eaten her eggs if she DID lay more before i get to them. Since she’s “brooding” i’m not taking out the other eggs, only hers.
And my last question: is she even broody?? she hasn’t gotten a brood patch, gets off the eggs when i bring treats or it’s time to sleep and isn’t acting broody. but the eggs are probably incubating since i cracked one she sat on a while ago and it looked like it had veins. is she faking it? why are the eggs still developing and will they even hatch? Really weird stuff
That’s basically it (for now lol) so yea, advice is appreciated!
