Aggression, or ??...

[LaurenRitz]

I have a mixed breed flock. Part of the base is RIR, and a few years ago I had two RIR hens that I had to rehome--they hated chicks to the point of homicide. Henicide?

I haven't seen that behavior again, but this afternoon I let the new babies out for the first time. They are currently 3 weeks old, and the group just older is 7 weeks. Yes, too close together.

One of the 7 week cockerels was attacking the babies. I picked him up right away and put him in the secondary brooder, where he can be seen but can't get to the chicks. He is (((JGxRIR)xRIR)xRanger).

What I'd like to figure out is whether this is aggression, or just exagerated flock behavior. The others are all either curious, or ignoring the chicks unless they do something stupid. He dives right into the middle of them and starts pecking, and chasing the chicks when they run.

He's the largest of his group and at 7 weeks he already has red comb and wattles. I don't want to lose him, but behavior is the highest priority at the moment.

 

[FrostRanger]

This is unfortunately normal behavior. Chickens usually won't accept strange birds, even chicks. You have to integrate any new birds slowly by doing see but no touch for a few weeks. You do that by placing the chicks in a sectioned off area where they can see each other but can't touch. The adults will eventually tolerate the chicks where they won't go after them too much, but they won't be fully accepted until they're around laying age (usually around 16-20ish weeks)

 

[LaurenRitz]

This is unfortunately normal behavior. Chickens usually won't accept strange birds, even chicks. You have to integrate any new birds slowly by doing see but no touch for a few weeks. You do that by placing the chicks in a sectioned off area where they can see each other but can't touch. The adults will eventually tolerate the chicks where they won't go after them too much, but they won't be fully accepted until they're around laying age (usually around 16-20ish weeks)

They've been see-no-touch for 3 weeks, in the brooder attached to the coop. The adults are fine with them. Most of his brood mates are fine with them. It's just him.

 

[FrostRanger]

They've been see-no-touch for 3 weeks, in the brooder attached to the coop. The adults are fine with them. Most of his brood mates are fine with them. It's just him.

If it's just him, separate him until he chills out, if he never chills out, invite him to dinner

 

[Mrs. K]

I agree, I would not expect him to work in the long run. If you have several males and are planning on harvesting them, well he just made the first cut.

 

[LaurenRitz]

I let him put of isolation, and so far no one has died. I'm watching.

 

[SourRoses]

For breeding prospects, the question isn't "Can I deal with this now?" but "Do I want to deal with this again, and again, as these genes are perpetuated?"

 

[LaurenRitz]

For breeding prospects, the question isn't "Can I deal with this now?" but "Do I want to deal with this again, and again, as these genes are perpetuated?"

He's likely a cull anyway, but I have no place to isolate him for the next 10 weeks. Short term, sure, but the secondary brooder would last him maybe 2 weeks before he outgrew it. The bachelor pad is already occupied, and I long since learned my lesson on putting boys of different ages together.

 

[SourRoses]

He's likely a cull anyway, but I have no place to isolate him for the next 10 weeks. Short term, sure, but the secondary brooder would last him maybe 2 weeks before he outgrew it. The bachelor pad is already occupied, and I long since learned my lesson on putting boys of different ages together.

In such cases, it may be best to just cull at this age and bury somewhere to benefit the garden or a tree.
It's a cost-benefit analysis, and considering whether keeper chickens may be adversely affected by bullying (including less feed consumption).