Aggressive peahens

[chicknmania]

Our two peahens have been setting on their (unviable) eggs for several weeks, and i haven't bothered them, although, as I said in another thread, I knew they weren't going to hatch. Anyway, they had their own fan for the hot days, and they were very diligent. About two days ago, I took their fan away, because I wanted the fan for another broody hen (a chicken). And I figured oh, well, if I take their fan away, they'll get tired of being hot and maybe they'll get off their dumb nest and go get a life for the rest of the summer, lol.

Today, we heard almost constant commotion in the barn, peahens honking and carrying on, and a chicken hen cackling. We didn't pay much attention because we were pretty busy today working in the yard, and I figured they were just fussing as they sometimes do. When my son went to feed them dinner, though, he said the two peahens were chasing Shorty (the broody chicken) around the barn....and her head was all pecked raw. It was obvious they'd been harassing her all day. Shorty has her eggs in a rabbit house that the chickens like to use for a nest box. So tonight I turned the rabbit house toward the wall enough that the peahens shouldn't be able to bother her too much when she's setting, they can't get their heads near her this way, and she can still get air flow from the fan on the hot days, and there's enough room for her to come and go as she needs to. Shorty is an Ameracauna/ Silkie mix, and I have seen the peahens harass our Lavender Ameracauna hen Muffin, too, when she is on her nest. But we have another hen, Holly, who is setting, and they haven't bothered her at all, she's just a mix breed, but she doesn't have that Ameracauna look. Also while I was fixing up Shorty's rabbit house so the peahens wouldn't bother her so much, the peahens sat on their perch and honked and screamed at me. Very unusual behavior for them.

So, why would they do this???? Do they just not like the look of the Ameracauna hens? Do they like to eat green eggs? (or developing embryos?

) Are they mad that Shorty took theiir fan?????

Are they upset that their own eggs did not hatch??????

Gads, I'm giving them an awful lot of credit for intelligence here, but it IS a weird set of circumstances.

Thoughts? Are they normally aggressive towards other broodies???

 

[KsKingBee]

Of course hind sight is perfect, but... Just pull the eggs so everything can get back to normal. I don't think that letting hens set on blanks is healthy for the bird.

 

[chicknmania]

The eggs are gone. I agree it isn't healthy, but if I pull the eggs, Sweetpea just turns into a stress mess. I know from previous experience. Anyway, I think they were acting that way because in their "peabrains" (hehehehe) I was disturbing their nest. Everything has calmed down now for the most part.

 

[zazouse]

This is what peafowl do when a broody hen tries to run them off from their nest or chicks they have made an enemy i see it here all the time, they may have a pea brain but they will not tolerate any other bird trying to bully them when they are trying to see something like new chick or just walking by a broody on a clutch of eggs , it is most likely your chicken hen got on to them for being to close to her nest and now they are out to get her, IMO you best keep them separate till the broody is done and no longer makes broody sounds cause that will set them off also..

 

[chicknmania]

This is what peafowl do when a broody hen tries to run them off from their nest or chicks they have made an enemy i see it here all the time, they may have a pea brain but they will not tolerate any other bird trying to bully them when they are trying to see something like new chick or just walking by a broody on a clutch of eggs , it is most likely your chicken hen got on to them for being to close to her nest and now they are out to get her, IMO you best keep them separate till the broody is done and no longer makes broody sounds cause that will set them off also..

No, I'm sure that wasn't it at all. Shorty would not dare attack a peahen,she's very gentle, and most of the chickens are afraid of them. And Shorty's nest was all the way on the other side of the barn. I think the peahens were just reacting to me "disturbing" their nest, such as it was. They screamed all that night and most of the next day, but have since settled down, and they are not bothering Shorty anymore. Life has returned to normal and I'm glad they've gotten over their broodiness and can enjoy the rest of the summer with the other birds.