Introducing two chickens who hate each other

[RevlisRemmah]

I thought of something else!! Maybe put a little mirror in with Snow. I heard birds like to look at themselves and she may think she has some very good-looking company on her side of the coop!

 

[Zerex]

I thought of something else!! Maybe put a little mirror in with Snow. I heard birds like to look at themselves and she may think she has some very good-looking company on her side of the coop!

That sounds funny. It might work. Thanks for that.

 

[mommiesrcool]

I went through the same thing I had 2 meat chickens and 1 of them got killed so I ended up only having one so she got lonely so I bought some chicks and she HATED them even after months of trying to get her to accept them she never liked them

Her personality was just like yours but she laid me an egg but I had to restrict her feed because she would’ve eaten herself to death but I had to give her away because the chicks needed food 24/7 but my meat bird would bully them so that they wouldn’t eat and she was over eating as well but she’s still alive she’s living with my friend.
edit: the meat chickens were labeled "Egg Layers" at TSC but turned out to be Meat birds because they gained 4 lbs. within a week and their legs were really thick

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Yep, meat chicken rooster. Happens all the time, CX and leghorns look similar as day olds and RAPIDLY become AGGRESIVELY different animals.

Thing is, if you're keeping him you have to be prepared for;
Needing enough hens that he does not over mate them, or keeping him in his own pen with NO eyesight/hearing chatter of the hens.
Crowing. At 3AM, at midnight when you check things with a flashlight. No crow collars aren't great either and there's no stopping it.
The potential for this chicken to become hen aggressive, attacking and potentially even hurting the hens, or even human aggressive, to the point that you're throwing food over the fence and can't inspect them for illness or treat injuries. (Not great for anyone.)
Limiting food. This "chick" (It's a cockerel now, not a chick) is already at the end of its "intended" lifespan. Every ounce it gains in weight from here on out the chances of it developing a leg or heart issue grows.
Leg and heart issues are INEVITABLE. Not if, not even when, but when between now and 2-3 years old. They do not live past that age. The oldest CX I've ever has was two and had a heart attack. She only made it that far because I kept her rationed. One meal a day as much as the flock would eat with just a little left over when they all stopped eating and no more.
If you don't have a vet, this chicken has a solid chance of developing a leg issue so severe it needs at home euthanasia. That is challenging when this bird is going to grow to be 14+lbs. You will need to have a plan if you don't have a vet.

The truth is, we're all just trying to make sure you understand the realities of owning this extremely specialized breed, and a boy at that. This animal was never meant to be someones pet and keeping him as one is going to be very hard. You can take it or leave it.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Are you sure? So far all of this has started with Snow demanding submission from Sunny, not the other way around. Sunny is only scared because she's a chick. Snow demands blood from her because of her enormous build, that's the way it appears to me.

Who is the current aggressor? It started with the resident bird trying to set order and the other not accepting.. the battle is on until they settle it.

I let things take place as long as no one is getting hurt. If there is enough room, and resources.. added feeders, escape routes, visual obstruction to block line of sight.. ways for the submitter to get away and make their avoidance obvious. A decent bird, one worth their salt.. will accept this natural symbol and walk away after a good peck down.. no one dies. A stupid (or maybe hormonal) bird won't take the proper clues.. and may not relent.. making life hell for the other.

Sorry my Peta comment was basically saying.. we DON'T have to go ignorantly overboard.. they don't think YOU should be keeping a chicken or ANY pet AT all.

Moving any of your birds to the other side of the fence.. Sonny and Happy on opposite sides.. They may be slightly confused at first. They may protest a bit as they are creatures of habit. But they will QUICKLY adjust!

I didn't know that roosters could get along. I'll have to look into that more.

Plenty of roosters and cockerels do coexist in stag pens.. I keep one, sometimes with as many as 25 boys in one pen. It's not perfect. there are antics, sometimes the bottom male becomes over mated! More boys get along better than less boys in all truth.. kinda like a billiard table.. the antics bounce around instead of getting off the hook most the time.

I've kept them both in and out of sight of the hens.. and it had ZERO bearing on antics.. boys will be boys, and sometimes they have disagreements. I FAR prefer in sight.. as I stated earlier the boys learn how to treat call and dance at the fence they do everything they can to get the ladies attention. They aren't focused so much on each other or boredom.

Mirrors don't work well for chickens.. though it was a nice idea!

I am sure that when it comes to animals.. I can share MY experience and YOUR mileage may vary! On non hen feathered breed cockerels, saddle feathers don't lie. Spurs don't come in until later really.

And just to BLOW your mind.. hens can and do grow spurs and crow! NOT pullets. Roosters sing the eggs song when startled. Pullets mount each other as a sign of dominance sometimes! Some roosters even sit on the nest to brood eggs! A pullet/hen can NEVER fertilize an egg, BUT an infertile egg can start to develop. It won't hatch. A rooster/cockerel can NEVER lay an egg. I've had cockerels crow as young as 3 weeks and other not until 18+ MONTHS old. Some females will never lay a single egg.

At 12 weeks.. they may be juvenile.. but they are indeed not chicks.. though I get using general terms.. we do it for simplicity sometimes.

@ 16 week, most breeds of chicken will have their gender feathers showing and be able to mate or even laying in some instances. Laying hormone is light related. Age of lay will vary by breed and even by individual.

Look into a game bird maintenance feed, or a grower feed type feed. Don't use layer if you really want to extend his life as the excess calcium will surely not do his kidneys any favors. Make an extremely low roost.

Chicks only need feed 24 hours a day if they under unnatural lighted conditions all night and awake all night.

I used ceramic heat lamps before switching to a heat plate.. by now natural daylight should limit feed hours. Natural night time hours makes for happier healthier birds. Seriously! It;s one of the stated requirement for Organic chickens.. it mimics being raised by a mother and is beneficial for those not aiming for maximum growth like for eating.. most the damage has already been done.. but moving forward...

ETA: many folks have sex link hens that don't live past 2 or 3.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

If you don't have a vet, this chicken has a solid chance of developing a leg issue so severe it needs at home euthanasia. That is challenging when this bird is going to grow to be 14+lbs. You will need to have a plan if you don't have a vet.

This is a very insightful and wise suggestion for the OP who has expressed being a tender hearted keeper!

I mean your other statements were a bitter truth.. sweet words coming from a friend though!

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I've grown out several CX - for breeding and because they're personable and I like them. They are troublesome birds even when they're hens. I've also raised several roosters to the 2 year mark and countless more as cockerels.

Sometimes you have to grit your teeth and make hard choices when dealing with birds that in the wild just would not exist. Ignoring that it's a CX cockerel won't do OP any good - they should prepare for what life with it is going to look like if they plan to keep it - good or bad.

 

[Zerex]

Who is the current aggressor? It started with the resident bird trying to set order and the other not accepting.. the battle is on until they settle it.

I let things take place as long as no one is getting hurt. If there is enough room, and resources.. added feeders, escape routes, visual obstruction to block line of sight.. ways for the submitter to get away and make their avoidance obvious. A decent bird, one worth their salt.. will accept this natural symbol and walk away after a good peck down.. no one dies. A stupid (or maybe hormonal) bird won't take the proper clues.. and may not relent.. making life hell for the other.

Sorry my Peta comment was basically saying.. we DON'T have to go ignorantly overboard.. they don't think YOU should be keeping a chicken or ANY pet AT all.

Moving any of your birds to the other side of the fence.. Sonny and Happy on opposite sides.. They may be slightly confused at first. They may protest a bit as they are creatures of habit. But they will QUICKLY adjust!


Plenty of roosters and cockerels do coexist in stag pens.. I keep one, sometimes with as many as 25 boys in one pen. It's not perfect. there are antics, sometimes the bottom male becomes over mated! More boys get along better than less boys in all truth.. kinda like a billiard table.. the antics bounce around instead of getting off the hook most the time.

I've kept them both in and out of sight of the hens.. and it had ZERO bearing on antics.. boys will be boys, and sometimes they have disagreements. I FAR prefer in sight.. as I stated earlier the boys learn how to treat call and dance at the fence they do everything they can to get the ladies attention. They aren't focused so much on each other or boredom.

Mirrors don't work well for chickens.. though it was a nice idea!

I am sure that when it comes to animals.. I can share MY experience and YOUR mileage may vary! On non hen feathered breed cockerels, saddle feathers don't lie. Spurs don't come in until later really.

And just to BLOW your mind.. hens can and do grow spurs and crow! NOT pullets. Roosters sing the eggs song when startled. Pullets mount each other as a sign of dominance sometimes! Some roosters even sit on the nest to brood eggs! A pullet/hen can NEVER fertilize an egg, BUT an infertile egg can start to develop. It won't hatch. A rooster/cockerel can NEVER lay an egg. I've had cockerels crow as young as 3 weeks and other not until 18+ MONTHS old. Some females will never lay a single egg.

At 12 weeks.. they may be juvenile.. but they are indeed not chicks.. though I get using general terms.. we do it for simplicity sometimes.

@ 16 week, most breeds of chicken will have their gender feathers showing and be able to mate or even laying in some instances. Laying hormone is light related. Age of lay will vary by breed and even by individual.

Look into a game bird maintenance feed, or a grower feed type feed. Don't use layer if you really want to extend his life as the excess calcium will surely not do his kidneys any favors. Make an extremely low roost.

Chicks only need feed 24 hours a day if they under unnatural lighted conditions all night and awake all night.

I used ceramic heat lamps before switching to a heat plate.. by now natural daylight should limit feed hours. Natural night time hours makes for happier healthier birds. Seriously! It;s one of the stated requirement for Organic chickens.. it mimics being raised by a mother and is beneficial for those not aiming for maximum growth like for eating.. most the damage has already been done.. but moving forward...

ETA: many folks have sex link hens that don't live past 2 or 3.

Still Snow. Snow is not backing down. She is asserting herself as top hen and is petrified of Sunny.

It's cute seeing little Sunny and Happy together because of their massive size difference. They love each other, though. Don't want to ruin their dynamic. Might introduce Happy and Snow together to make Snow happier, though. She needs serious cheering up. I'm worried she's becoming depressed.

All of your facts are so interesting. A lot of them are quite surprising. I'm not sure how you know so much chicken lore but thanks for the insight. I love it.

I do use layer so thank you for telling me.

Thanks for all of your help.

 

[Chicken_jenn]

I’ve had a similar experience to you, I was raising 5 hens when a friend found 2 stray chicks that couldn’t have been a week old, in her preschool yard.
I adopted the babies (there was a known flock of babies running around in the area and I figured either I give them a chance at life or the Hawks get a snack).

I raised them inside and Introduced the 2 babies in all the steps they say to, and one of the chicks has turned out to be a cockerel. I guess I should be glad it wasn’t both!
The alpha of the original 5 (and the other 4) all pick on this very gentle cockerel. He doesn’t crow, but he’s clearly a roo, and he’s such a weenie, but I love him. The original ladies pecked and chased him so much that he now has a hurt toe and a major limp.
I’m trying to nurse him back but he’s getting picked on a lot. I separate him during the day in a wire dog crate and they all sleep together at night.

The hen who was rescued with him is very protective of him, and it affects her standing with the others, ultimately she will survive without him but prefers to be separated with him.

I’m not sure how long he will have for this world but he has already had a better life than he was destined for, and the same goes for your fella.
Every day is a gift so remember that you’ve already given him a better life than he would have found elsewhere, no matter what happens next.

 

[Hairbygin]

CHICKEN PEEPERS!!! They work. I've used them a few times. Just put all three in peeper and toss together. The peepers will stop the pecking right away. You can get off amazon. Make sure you order the tool to put them on and someone will have to hold the chick while you put them on.
But TRUST ME....the peepers work.