So, my year old BO, Bunny, has been very cantankerous lately and mean to the other girls. She sits in one of the nest boxes, eggs underneath her or not and screeches at the others when they come near. When I open the door she puff up and gives the robo-bird warning; a high pitched, electronic sound. I take her out of the nest box and she wanders about for a couple of hours in the yard and then the routine starts all over. The other birds have to lay their eggs on the house floor.
Today she didn't bother getting in the nest box before she became territorial. This time the other girls couldn't even go into the house because she stood there in front of the boxes and screeched at them while puffing up. So, thankfully, I had gotten a dog cage a couple of months ago when they were on sale and with minor adjustments (a hardware cloth floor, the mesh was too big in the cage proper), in she went.
Her first order of business was to rip the feed dish off the side and scatter her feed everywhere. Then had a temper tantrum and puffed up at me when I replaced the food and tried to make an escape. Then she just paced around as best she could while screeching and puffing up her feathers like a turkey. I moved her under the tree when I let the girls out to free range and when I last checked, the free five were gathered around the cage with Bunny. I think they were planning a coup.
So is this a form of extreme maternal frustration? When my Australorpe goes broody, she sits very quietly and patiently in the box. As a matter of fact, she's missing her neck feathers because the others try to yank her out of the boxes. Is Bunny just broody or do I have a mean chicken? Will she need rehoming? How long should she remain in jail? Should I let her out at night to roost with the others or should I leave her in the cage? I live in the city, have the maximum allowable birds, and letting her hatch some eggs is not really a good idea.
Thanks for any input.
Mary
Today she didn't bother getting in the nest box before she became territorial. This time the other girls couldn't even go into the house because she stood there in front of the boxes and screeched at them while puffing up. So, thankfully, I had gotten a dog cage a couple of months ago when they were on sale and with minor adjustments (a hardware cloth floor, the mesh was too big in the cage proper), in she went.
Her first order of business was to rip the feed dish off the side and scatter her feed everywhere. Then had a temper tantrum and puffed up at me when I replaced the food and tried to make an escape. Then she just paced around as best she could while screeching and puffing up her feathers like a turkey. I moved her under the tree when I let the girls out to free range and when I last checked, the free five were gathered around the cage with Bunny. I think they were planning a coup.
So is this a form of extreme maternal frustration? When my Australorpe goes broody, she sits very quietly and patiently in the box. As a matter of fact, she's missing her neck feathers because the others try to yank her out of the boxes. Is Bunny just broody or do I have a mean chicken? Will she need rehoming? How long should she remain in jail? Should I let her out at night to roost with the others or should I leave her in the cage? I live in the city, have the maximum allowable birds, and letting her hatch some eggs is not really a good idea.
Thanks for any input.
Mary
