Lizkchooks
Hatching
- Jun 22, 2019
- 4
- 0
- 9
Bit of a long winded one, hopefully someone has some advice based on experience. Have only ever had hens in the past and only for a year or so.
So, we had 2 hens - both around 2-3 years old (we think), and then got a hen with 2 week old chicks. The chicks are now 5 months old, and one is a Cockerel.
The original 2 hens were a bit bossy towards the chicks as they were growing up but no major issues other than the young birds took to sleeping in a nearby tree and still do, maybe because they weren't being allowed into the hen house.
The cockerel now seems very protective of his mum and sister and they form one group (they are free ranging but only over about 1/2 acre), returning to the coop for corn twice a day but sleeping in their tree and generally keeping their distance from us and the other 2 hens (the mum actually seems to go between both groups, sometimes sleeping in the house). The original 2 sleep in the hen house and generally stick together.
So, my issue is that we don't seem to have a cohesive flock and I'm wondering if this means we never will or if there's something I can do to help them mix better - given its over 5 months now since we got the hen and chicks it seems a long time for them not to be mixing.
In addition to this, as the Cockerel matures he is now picking on one of the original 2 hens (he seems to ignore the other one - we are wondering if she's actually much older than we thought as no longer laying) - and we have now found her bleeding and shell shocked twice this week. Finding it quite traumatic. We assume he's also mating with the 2 he hangs out with, but they don't look remotely beaten up or traumatised.
As of this afternoon we now have the original 2 fenced off in a smaller coop as this was the easiest thing to do in a hurry. But I want advice on what to do long term. If the flock stays as 2 groups, I can't see the advantage of having the boy. And if he continues to go at the one hen then I'm not sure we can keep him. But I wonder, having never had a Cockerel before, whether I'm being too hasty and should give them all more time. I wonder if shutting him up for a few days at a time would be worth a try to give the others a chance to bond? But am also worried about whether this one hen can handle much more of the abuse. Any advice gratefully received. Sorry, I don't know what breed he is but he looks pretty magnificent! - photo attached
So, we had 2 hens - both around 2-3 years old (we think), and then got a hen with 2 week old chicks. The chicks are now 5 months old, and one is a Cockerel.
The original 2 hens were a bit bossy towards the chicks as they were growing up but no major issues other than the young birds took to sleeping in a nearby tree and still do, maybe because they weren't being allowed into the hen house.
The cockerel now seems very protective of his mum and sister and they form one group (they are free ranging but only over about 1/2 acre), returning to the coop for corn twice a day but sleeping in their tree and generally keeping their distance from us and the other 2 hens (the mum actually seems to go between both groups, sometimes sleeping in the house). The original 2 sleep in the hen house and generally stick together.
So, my issue is that we don't seem to have a cohesive flock and I'm wondering if this means we never will or if there's something I can do to help them mix better - given its over 5 months now since we got the hen and chicks it seems a long time for them not to be mixing.
In addition to this, as the Cockerel matures he is now picking on one of the original 2 hens (he seems to ignore the other one - we are wondering if she's actually much older than we thought as no longer laying) - and we have now found her bleeding and shell shocked twice this week. Finding it quite traumatic. We assume he's also mating with the 2 he hangs out with, but they don't look remotely beaten up or traumatised.
As of this afternoon we now have the original 2 fenced off in a smaller coop as this was the easiest thing to do in a hurry. But I want advice on what to do long term. If the flock stays as 2 groups, I can't see the advantage of having the boy. And if he continues to go at the one hen then I'm not sure we can keep him. But I wonder, having never had a Cockerel before, whether I'm being too hasty and should give them all more time. I wonder if shutting him up for a few days at a time would be worth a try to give the others a chance to bond? But am also worried about whether this one hen can handle much more of the abuse. Any advice gratefully received. Sorry, I don't know what breed he is but he looks pretty magnificent! - photo attached
