California - Northern

[ronott1]

here's a question for all you chicken veterans: once hens stop getting along for some reason, do they ever reconcile? i tried letting Speedy out of her enclosure this morning, and as soon as Eleanor saw her she TORE after her -- poor Speedy kept trying to get away & stop the fight but Eleanor just kept chasing and attacking -- finally had to bundle Speedy & her chick back into their enclosure to keep them safe. i have no idea what's caused the rift between them, but i'm wondering if i have any choices besides giving Speedy away (even though Eleanor is the aggressor here, she's also one of my most favorite chickens, and Speedy is not known for her sunny personality.)

and, if there's no Anger Mgmt Program for chickens, anyone want a 10-month-old cream legbar and her 2-week-old CL/icelandic chick?

When they are away from the others, the pecking order has to be established again. Keep trying to put the together and distract them with something to keep them busy.

I will not move them together when I am not going to be home the next day...too many have been beaten up when I can't intervene.....

 

[threadgeek]

Quote: Thank you so much for the explanation and pictures! This really does help!!! But now I'm curious about the lavender issue you mentioned...

 

[chiqita]

Lavender ( self blue) is a non dominant gene that has to come from both parents and can be a mild pita from what I understand. The color is similar but it comes from something entirely different.

 

[lawatt]

When they are away from the others, the pecking order has to be established again. Keep trying to put the together and distract them with something to keep them busy.

I will not move them together when I am not going to be home the next day...too many have been beaten up when I can't intervene.....

thanks Ron and Deb -- each time i've tried to let Speedy & her chick out, EVERYONE else (including Eleanor and her chicks) have been out free ranging, so they have a LOT of space to explore or run away to, lots of distractions (all the feeders and waterers are filled, i handed out some sunflower seed treats) -- but Eleanor is relentless. Speedy's enclosure is a wire pen inside the coop, so everyone can SEE each other all the time (so she hasn't "been away" in a literal sense) -- sometimes the two fence-fight through the wire, but that's seemed to diminish lately, which is why i tried letting her out again -- but the fighting is intense. (the rest of the flock, including Max, just stands by -- i'm the only one who tries to intervene.)

i'd like to give them time to work things out, but i don't want to see Speedy injured. Eleanor chased her and beat her up this morning for a good five minutes before i could get them separated & Speedy back to her safe haven...

 

[BCollie]

Someone please HELP! This chick had like a broken tail feather or something and I cam back an hour later to find the other chicks had bloody beaks because they had decided to pick at him. His tail is now a bloody mess...

I didn't know what to do because if I had left it in there I know they would have continued to pick at him so I just cut out a small circle of chicken wire to separate him but I know this won't work for long. I only have one brooder and one heat lamp, so I don't know what else to do!And what should I do about his bloody tail??

(Don't worry, I'm about to put a small thing of food and water in there for him)

 

[debs_flock]

Someone please HELP! This chick had like a broken tail feather or something and I cam back an hour later to find the other chicks had bloody beaks because they had decided to pick at him. His tail is now a bloody mess...



I didn't know what to do because if I had left it in there I know they would have continued to pick at him

so I just cut out a small circle of chicken wire to separate him but I know this won't work for long. I only have one brooder and one heat lamp, so I don't know what else to do!And what should I do about his bloody tail??


(Don't worry, I'm about to put a small thing of food and water in there for him)

Get a can of BluKote spray from the feedstore. I would give the spot a spray of Vetrimycin (also the feed store, I prefer the gel spray), and then spray with the BlueKote. It's the red that attracts the other chicks. Do NOT get it on your skin/clothes.......................or they won't be attracted to you for several days either

Anyway, keep the chick separated for a day or so to make sure it's eating/drinking well, and then you can introduce the chick back.

 

[debs_flock]

If it's bleeding excessively and you can't get to the feedstore right away, you can stop the blood flow by applying some cornstarch or flour.

 

[debs_flock]

By the time you are done raising these chicks, you will have a well supplied first aid kit,

 

[chickee]

Thank you so much for the explanation and pictures! This really does help!!! But now I'm curious about the lavender issue you mentioned...

Lavender (or self blue) gene (lav) in chickens is an autosomal recessive gene, which causes the dilution of black, and causes the chickens feathers to appear light slaty blue. It is not a color you can breed different colors together to produce. It happened naturally. Unlike blue that doesn't breed true (does not produce all blue offspring) when two lavenders are bred to one another you get 100% lavender offspring.

 

[debs_flock]

Oh Shantih (and Mario), I have a question for you.

With the coturnix, I know they have a blue shell, with an overlay of color which causes the spots. Once in awhile I get a solid blue egg with no spot overlay. It's always cool and I like them.

However, last night I got something different. I'm guessing the spot overlay is solid. I'm debating between incubating and just letting it dry out to add to my odd egg collection. But I got a SOLID black egg.

My question, you ever get one like this? (bobwhite on the left)