AUUUUUGH. Just when I think I've got these guys figured out...
Coop chores this morning and I see one of our golden EEs has two bloody spots where someone has ripped the feathers out of the tops of her wings, what I call her "shoulders" even though they aren't shoulders.
She's in a flock of five. The three biggest bullies had been removed months ago and put in a pen of their own, so the bullying behaviors had more-or-less subsided, I thought. She was missing some feathers but I figured it was just a late molt. I couldn't imagine who in the remaining flock of five would have done this to her. Turns out it was her sister - the other golden EE!
The other golden EE is more dominant and more touchy and aggressive but I had no idea they didn't get along. They're always hanging out together. I had never seen them fight. I put them in turnout together today before I had figured out who had attacked her and saw the other EE attack her right there. She shrieked in pain, it was an awful sound and my roommate came running across the yard to see what had happened; she was as shocked as I was. We pulled the EE out immediately. The coop camera playback confirmed it was her sister who had ripped out her feathers. I felt awful I had put her in turnout with her tormenter.
We had no more pens available so I dressed her wounds and put her in a dog crate for the night, next to the flock of four so she can see and hear other chickens right next to her. She is safe for now although she looked very unhappy.
I checked her sister over to see if there was something physically wrong with her that was maybe making her act out but she seems fine.
What in the world...?? We've worked so hard with different groupings and different living situations trying to come up with something that works for these twelve hens. Every time I think we've got it worked out, someone gets attacked. I feel like I've failed them terribly.
Coop chores this morning and I see one of our golden EEs has two bloody spots where someone has ripped the feathers out of the tops of her wings, what I call her "shoulders" even though they aren't shoulders.
She's in a flock of five. The three biggest bullies had been removed months ago and put in a pen of their own, so the bullying behaviors had more-or-less subsided, I thought. She was missing some feathers but I figured it was just a late molt. I couldn't imagine who in the remaining flock of five would have done this to her. Turns out it was her sister - the other golden EE!
The other golden EE is more dominant and more touchy and aggressive but I had no idea they didn't get along. They're always hanging out together. I had never seen them fight. I put them in turnout together today before I had figured out who had attacked her and saw the other EE attack her right there. She shrieked in pain, it was an awful sound and my roommate came running across the yard to see what had happened; she was as shocked as I was. We pulled the EE out immediately. The coop camera playback confirmed it was her sister who had ripped out her feathers. I felt awful I had put her in turnout with her tormenter.
We had no more pens available so I dressed her wounds and put her in a dog crate for the night, next to the flock of four so she can see and hear other chickens right next to her. She is safe for now although she looked very unhappy.
I checked her sister over to see if there was something physically wrong with her that was maybe making her act out but she seems fine.
What in the world...?? We've worked so hard with different groupings and different living situations trying to come up with something that works for these twelve hens. Every time I think we've got it worked out, someone gets attacked. I feel like I've failed them terribly.
