coryleslie
In the Brooder
- Oct 25, 2022
- 16
- 14
- 31
We have four hens and a roo - all 8 months old and barnyard mixes. They share a coop and run intended for 8 chickens so they have lots of space. We've also been letting them out of the coop during the day to free range. We don't pet them or hand feed them, and we mostly keep our distance, though we will sit outside with them while they range. However, we've seen a big change in their behavior.
1. One of the hens is getting bullied by the others and frequently targeted by the roo for mating. She rarely leaves the roost, which is why we started allowing them to free range so we could ensure she was getting water and food. The roo and three hens will roost on one end of the bar in the coop with the bullied hen at the other end with a lot of distance between them. To help the bullied hen, we did let her out on her own a few times or put her in a separate coop.
2. We got new chicks. We initially thought to integrate them with the flock, but learned that was a terrible idea and bought a separate coop. We've just started putting the chicks in the coop during the warm part of the day (too cold at night still). The original five (including the bullied hen) stalk around their coop and try to peck at the chicks when they range.
This has all been happening in the last couple of weeks. Well, three days ago I was moving the bullied hen and the roo attacked the back of my legs. It didn't hurt, but it pissed me off. Then today, my 5 yo son was shooing the roo off our raised garden bed. As he walked away, the roo attacked the back of my sons legs. I see a lot of threads on her saying to rehome or make soup of the roo. My mom is super attached to him, but my son comes first. Ideas? I think he's mad that I handled his hen and brought new chicks around.
1. One of the hens is getting bullied by the others and frequently targeted by the roo for mating. She rarely leaves the roost, which is why we started allowing them to free range so we could ensure she was getting water and food. The roo and three hens will roost on one end of the bar in the coop with the bullied hen at the other end with a lot of distance between them. To help the bullied hen, we did let her out on her own a few times or put her in a separate coop.
2. We got new chicks. We initially thought to integrate them with the flock, but learned that was a terrible idea and bought a separate coop. We've just started putting the chicks in the coop during the warm part of the day (too cold at night still). The original five (including the bullied hen) stalk around their coop and try to peck at the chicks when they range.
This has all been happening in the last couple of weeks. Well, three days ago I was moving the bullied hen and the roo attacked the back of my legs. It didn't hurt, but it pissed me off. Then today, my 5 yo son was shooing the roo off our raised garden bed. As he walked away, the roo attacked the back of my sons legs. I see a lot of threads on her saying to rehome or make soup of the roo. My mom is super attached to him, but my son comes first. Ideas? I think he's mad that I handled his hen and brought new chicks around.