Agressive Hens to a Rooster??

[chickens really]

To keep it simple.....Try this a true an easily managed system..

50/50 Grower crumble/Layer pellets.....Oyster shell and granite grit in separate bowls....Free range as normal....Stop all other supplements.....I do not see why his injury plays into this at all?
Cut out other feed such as treats...Layers should only get 5% of daily ration in fillers/treats....Meaning a Tablespoon a day per Bird...

Behavioural, Health and egg production all fall back to diet with Chickens....One of the most common mistakes is improper diet with Chickens...

Just saying....

Cheers!

 

[Glennlarch]

Thanks for this. This is very helpful. I am still learning this chicken keeping thing. All you advice is so interesting. As of this morning, Hook ( as in Captain Hook with one eye) spent the night in the coop with the girls. He has all his feathers and is doing his morning round up making sure each girl gets out and has a bite to eat. So far so good. No one in isolation (yet). Will keep you posted.

 

[Glennlarch]

Up date. Turns out the two offending hens seem to have a huge desire for his neck feathers. When they pecked at him he pushed them back if on his left side (good eye). Not if they pecked on the right. These two are sharing a dog kennel at the moment. All the other hens seem to see him as a normal rooster and don't peck. Life without the two offending hens is normal and pleasant. He does his job well.
Sooo... maybe this is a combination of several of your theories. Feed has changed to a higher protein diet. All treats are eliminated. Oyster shells offered in separate bowls. Two cranky girls separated.
Moving forward. The two in isolation are great layers and don't appear to be in molt yet. Should I make sure their protein is adequate while awaiting their re introduction with something other than the suggested 50/50 layer/grower pellets? Or bank on them (one at a time) being the outsiders when re introduced...??

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Both. Higher protein for the offenders and hope they'll be knocked to a lower pecking order position.

I appreciate CTKen's point of view but feathers are 93% protein (animal protein at that) and if you can up their protein (complete amino acids) and they still peck, then it isn't a desire for protein.

 

[Glennlarch]

Hello all. Update.
The two offending girls are in isolation. There is are no symptoms for Hook from the remaining girls. They quite enjoy his company. His feathers are becoming beautiful. I have fed the isolated hens higher protein diet. Our feed store was out of the 35% supplement for layers and recommended starter feed at 23% Have fed morning mash of rice and deer burger. . I am thinking this is a commination problem. Both feed and behavior. I think I will keep the offending girls in isolation for one more week while facilitating their nutrition and then introduce them next week one at a time. 3 days apart. BTW. My feed store have never heard of this...??? Is this an unusual scenario...??

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I think you're on the right track. This isn't normal but not that unusual. I wouldn't go above 23% and I wouldn't do it for long. That's very high.
It probably is a combination issue.

Feed store employees know where the feed is stored, they aren't necessarily experts on chicken behavior and I wouldn't base my decisions on what they tell you.

 

[Glennlarch]

Thanks for the advice. I have mixed the starter crumble with layer pellets. My feed store gal is a big fan of BYC. In the same boat as ChickenCanoe with not normal but not out of the question.

With several of my girls now going into molt, and what I have learned of the nutritional needs and what they go through, maybe the 50/50 mix will help with the molt.

I live in the South East corner of BC Canada, and our winters can be beautiful, but regularly (year 3) challenging to keep my chicken flock happy and healthy.

 

[chickens really]

Sorry I missed the rest of this thread.........Your on the right track......To me nutrition is the most important thing in raising Chickens....The less snacks and the proper diet Chickens can thrive and live healthy lives......Complex system but well worth learning....


Cheers!

 

[Glennlarch]

Hi everyone,
Here is what I hope to be the final chapter in this soap opera. After several weeks of isolation and change of diet, the two offending hens were re introduced to the flock one at a time, 3 days apart. My rooster received a light coat of "stop peck" . This is a red cayenne pepper based gel designed to make his feathers unappealing. Both hens went right over to him, looked and walked away.... To this date, life in the coop is back to normal.

In conclusion I think this was several issues ( as discussed earlier) that needed to be nailed down and dealt with. I'm not sure which issue held supremacy over the other, but all is good now,

Thank you everyone for helping me walk through the weird and wonderful world of chicken keeping. It is reassuring to know help is available from knowledgeable folks such as yourselves. Happy winter days to you all.