Fifi, my little white silkie is getting beat up by the big chickens. One in particular is very aggressive.
Fifi was the only silkie and the only white chicken in the flock last year and got beat on pretty badly. They bloodied her eventually and I stopped letting the two flocks (my bantams and large fowl roost separately but share a run and free range together) out together. Then Fifi went broody and raised her chicks. This seemed to elevate her in the eyes of the big girls for a time and I let them free range together again, but now thinkgs are worse than ever.
The alpha chicken, Lizzy, doesn't bully any other chickens, even the newer additions. It is only this particular silkie. I added more silkies this year thinking that would distract the bullies and make them less aggressive since there would be several similar looking chickens in the flock. It seemed to work for awhile, but now they are back at the same girl again.
I let them out to free range together yesterday and watched for awhile. All seemed calm so I left them. When I came back out, someone had beat Fifi pretty bad. She has a bloody spot on her neck and is shaking her head. I can see where her bowls let lose down her backside, so she must have been pretty terrified. I locked her in the coop with the other bantams and offered treats which she took, so I think she is ok, just really shook up.
So here is my dilemma. Do I pull the main bully out of the flock for a few days and see if that helps? If so, how does that work? I have an extra large dog crate. Do I put her in that in the run, or keep her totally separate in the garage? I know it has been posted here a million times, but I am not sure what to search under to find applicable threads.
I could rehome the bully girl. She is a good layer and not aggressive to the other chickens so she would probably be ok in a new flock. Problem is, she is the instigator, but a few of the others will get in on the beating once she starts. I am afraid that the behavior might be ingrained in the other chickens, so getting rid of her might not fix the problem.
An alternative, I can rehome Fifi with a friends flock that consists mostly of silkies where she will probably not be bullied. I am very fond of Fifi and she is a proven broody, so I would hate to lose her, but I can't risk another beating like the one she got yesterday. They might kill her next time
So sad that it is coming to this. The flock is normally pretty mellow.
Fifi was the only silkie and the only white chicken in the flock last year and got beat on pretty badly. They bloodied her eventually and I stopped letting the two flocks (my bantams and large fowl roost separately but share a run and free range together) out together. Then Fifi went broody and raised her chicks. This seemed to elevate her in the eyes of the big girls for a time and I let them free range together again, but now thinkgs are worse than ever.
The alpha chicken, Lizzy, doesn't bully any other chickens, even the newer additions. It is only this particular silkie. I added more silkies this year thinking that would distract the bullies and make them less aggressive since there would be several similar looking chickens in the flock. It seemed to work for awhile, but now they are back at the same girl again.
I let them out to free range together yesterday and watched for awhile. All seemed calm so I left them. When I came back out, someone had beat Fifi pretty bad. She has a bloody spot on her neck and is shaking her head. I can see where her bowls let lose down her backside, so she must have been pretty terrified. I locked her in the coop with the other bantams and offered treats which she took, so I think she is ok, just really shook up.
So here is my dilemma. Do I pull the main bully out of the flock for a few days and see if that helps? If so, how does that work? I have an extra large dog crate. Do I put her in that in the run, or keep her totally separate in the garage? I know it has been posted here a million times, but I am not sure what to search under to find applicable threads.
I could rehome the bully girl. She is a good layer and not aggressive to the other chickens so she would probably be ok in a new flock. Problem is, she is the instigator, but a few of the others will get in on the beating once she starts. I am afraid that the behavior might be ingrained in the other chickens, so getting rid of her might not fix the problem.
An alternative, I can rehome Fifi with a friends flock that consists mostly of silkies where she will probably not be bullied. I am very fond of Fifi and she is a proven broody, so I would hate to lose her, but I can't risk another beating like the one she got yesterday. They might kill her next time
So sad that it is coming to this. The flock is normally pretty mellow.
