Two hens won't ceace fighting.

[OkapisRule]

We have 3 grown hens, and all of a sudden, two of them (one of which was a mama of 4) started fighting yesterday. The fighting almost looked like cock fighting. We separated them, putting Eagle, (who isn't the mama) in a cage in the garage, and that seemed to stop it. Then we put the mama (Parsley) and the chicks into the cage they normally go to at night and Eagle into the coop, where she normally goes. Today we let them out and they started fighting again. we separated them again today and this is what they looked like after we washed the blood off of them
Eagle

Parsley

What do I do and when will they stop!?!?!?!?

 

[CUDA]

What kind of birds are they?

 

[OkapisRule]

Game crosses.
btw, this happened all of a sudden yesterday, there wasn't even tension between them beforehand.

 

[CUDA]

Yep, well I figured as much from the pics. Unfortunately, this kind of thing happens with these birds, and not always for a reason you can see. Hens can be just as game as the roosters to each other. You have 2 choices, you can put them together and either they work it out, or they don't, or you keep them separated. I can tell you that the later may be the best course from what you are saying if you want to keep them both. Good luck!

 

[OkapisRule]

One literally may die if I put them together so...
Separate them for how long? Permanently???

 

[prariechiken]

You may have to keep them separate permanently. But since you say one is a mama, it may only last until she stops "being a mama". You could try keeping them separate for a while and then try and reintroduce them to one another at a later date by putting them together at night and crossing your fingers. Sometimes this works, sometimes they go right back to fighting, so be prepared to be up at dawn and see how they act once they come off the roost.

 

[CUDA]

Yes, one or both can die. It is not unheard of for game hens to do this. If you separate them more than a couple of hours or so, they will fight again when you put them back together, and the longer they are separated, the worse it will be. You may be able to get them to get along again, but you may not. The only way they will get it worked out is if you let them go at it until they do. Some hens just won't tolerate another hen with them, and have even been known to lay the smack down on some stags too. You may just have to keep them separate.

 

[OkapisRule]

OK, but Parsley has been a mama for more than a month, but this never has happened before. Why would this all of a sudden happen?

 

[Shaun Hagan]

Animals bred to fight (Game Birds, Fighting Dogs,etc.) sometimes seem to "turn on" on become aggressive suddenly. I don't know as there is always an obvious reason.

 

[prariechiken]

Okay Shaun, thanks for your media inspired injection of misinformation.

The gameness of gamefowl is inbred survival instinct that is inherit in all things wild. These birds are testing the strength of their genetic makeup where the strongest has the best chance to survive in the wild. Yes, they are not in the wild now, but being closer to wild fowl than your run of the mill eating chickens means they have a stronger will to dominate and pass on their genetic makeup.

Although they do take a little extra care compared to your regular chickens, gamefowl are a joy to raise...why else would so many people raise the little OEG bantams, whose class is usually the largest at the shows.

Before anyone draws false conclusions from sensationalized media "experts" who usually can't tell a hen from a roo, please research for yourself at sites that can readily be found on the internet (see my sig. sites for a start).

Chris