5 Week Old Feed Store Easter Egger

[rainscarlett]

Hi!
I purchased this one from a local feed store out of the pullet bin, but it seems more aggressive than I'd expect a pullet. I call it Draco because it's always been a jerk to one of the bantams we got at the same time.

My family is new to chickens since my daughter joined a 4-H Club and is raising bantams, but I thought I'd get a bigger chicken to get bigger/colorful eggs. The clerk at the store advised to pick a smaller one from the Easter egger bin, but I'm not sure if we ended up with a rooster. 2 of the 3 older silkies we got have started crowing, so I'm just expecting to end up with mostly roosters.
So what do you think?

https://imgur.com/a/ihDz5q1

 

[nuthatched]

Nothing says cockerel.
I've never had an aggressive male but plenty of aggressive hens.

 

[rainscarlett]

Nothing says cockerel.
I've never had an aggressive male but plenty of aggressive hens.

Thank you! So it's more likely that hens are aggressive to establish their pecking order than it is roosters just trying to be jerks?

 

[redinator]

When you got the new chick did you start with "look, no touch" with a divider? Especially with bantams being so much smaller I'd do this for a bit so the bantams aren't bullied off the food and water.

 

[townchicks]

Too soon to say for sure, but I'm leaning pullet. They just need more space, and another feeder, so the littler chicks can eat. That girl just wants to be head hen.

 

[rainscarlett]

When you got the new chick did you start with "look, no touch" with a divider? Especially with bantams being so much smaller I'd do this for a bit so the bantams aren't bullied off the food and water.

I got the 2 bantams and the EE at the same time. They had all just been delivered to the feed store the same day and I was told they'd be fine to grow up together. The sebright bantam (Harry/iette) holds his/her own against Draco and they both get along well with the other little bantam. Haven't noticed any resources guarding (is that what it's called for chickens? ) and they seem to ûeat well together.

I did have them in the same room with playpens next to each other before I kicked the 3 11-week old silkies outside to their coop. They all hang out together during the day in the run with lots of places to hide for the little ones while I watch. The silkies are currently sleeping in a separate coop outside of the run and the coop they'll all eventually live in is inside. I figured the silkies might get territorial if the coop they hang out together in is the one they sleep in. I hope I'm doing this right, I have read so many Facebook stories about cannibal chickens that I'm super paranoid.

 

[rainscarlett]

Too soon to say for sure, but I'm leaning pullet. They just need more space, and another feeder, so the littler chicks can eat. That girl just wants to be head hen.

Thanks for the guess! It's been nice out so they hang out outside with me during the day with a couple of larger feeders and a couple of waterers with the 3 silkies they'll eventually move in with. So the playpen has become their sleeping spot until everyone gets along and they're ready to move outside.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

If your birds have plenty of room, especially in the coop, I don't think you need worry about cannibalism. Large Fowl Chickens need about 4 sq ft. of floor space each in the coop, your bantams could use a little less. Figure 1 linear foot per bird of roosting space, 1 foot away from the wall, and 1 sq ft of ventilation per bird. This needs to be protected frrom predators with something like hardware cloth, high enough over their heads so wind won't ruffle their feathers, and protected from rain coming in. I know, we don't ask much, lol! Anyway, cannibalism is rare but it sure makes a great story to scare newbies with, doesn't it?