- May 5, 2016
- 17
- 13
- 92
Hello Everyone,
It's pretty warm here in southeast Virginia-how is it where you are?
I am seeing some behavior in my girls that I have never seen before and frankly, I am concerned. I'll warn you...this is kind of a long one--
I have 6 hens, 14 mos old. Two BO's, two Easter Eggers and two Blue Ameracaunas-a very nice little flock that generally got along very well together. Raised them from chicks. One of the Blues, Sadie, is particularly prone to broodiness. Last spring when she went broody yet again, I mistakenly thought it would be a good idea to order a couple of fertilized eggs for her to hatch. One was non-viable, but to my utter amazement, the other one hatched. Since it would be no fun to be the lone chick, I went out and bought one ISA Brown and one Amberlink, so they could grow up together. They have thrived, but the delicate balance seems to have been forever upset.
They are four and a half months old now and the older girls have developed a tolerance for them. The chick that Sadie hatched is now a very large, robust Silver Laced Wyandotte rooster. In the last two weeks, he has perfected his crowing technique and now acts like a horny teenager. He literally crushes the two younger chickens. When he tries it with one of the older gals, that others come running and chase him away. Everyone just seems to be on edge all of the time. Is this because of Jack?
The thing that has me most perplexed has to do with the smallest of the older group, a BO named Lucy. She has always been at the bottom of the pecking order of the older group (nothing violent-just chased away from food mostly), but recently has seemed to be fitting in very well--until two days ago. She all of a sudden seems fearful-very significantly-I noticed it immediately. When I came out to close them in that night, she was in the storage area in the coop and not roosting inside with the rest. I put her inside and she hopped up on the pole. I was away from the house all day the next day, so when I went out in the late afternoon, I found her back in the storage room on the shelf in the basket that I keep my supplies in. She had a wound on the side of her head and it was obvious that she had had feathers pecked out on the back and side of her head and neck. I gave her some food and water and let her stay there.
This morning, she was still there. I just now went out to check on her and she was inside the coop in a nesting box. I took her out to check her over, and she has more feathers missing. I put her on the ground just to observe her a bit, and one of the Easter Eggers, Hazel, came over and very slowly started circling her over and over with her feathers partially puffed out. Lucy didn't move. I shooed Hazel away and Lucy flew back up into the coop and acted like she was trying to get into a nesting box with Sadie, who is at the top of the pecking order. Could she be going to her for protection?
I am worried about her. Any words of wisdom you can share?
Thank you so much!
It's pretty warm here in southeast Virginia-how is it where you are?
I am seeing some behavior in my girls that I have never seen before and frankly, I am concerned. I'll warn you...this is kind of a long one--
I have 6 hens, 14 mos old. Two BO's, two Easter Eggers and two Blue Ameracaunas-a very nice little flock that generally got along very well together. Raised them from chicks. One of the Blues, Sadie, is particularly prone to broodiness. Last spring when she went broody yet again, I mistakenly thought it would be a good idea to order a couple of fertilized eggs for her to hatch. One was non-viable, but to my utter amazement, the other one hatched. Since it would be no fun to be the lone chick, I went out and bought one ISA Brown and one Amberlink, so they could grow up together. They have thrived, but the delicate balance seems to have been forever upset.
They are four and a half months old now and the older girls have developed a tolerance for them. The chick that Sadie hatched is now a very large, robust Silver Laced Wyandotte rooster. In the last two weeks, he has perfected his crowing technique and now acts like a horny teenager. He literally crushes the two younger chickens. When he tries it with one of the older gals, that others come running and chase him away. Everyone just seems to be on edge all of the time. Is this because of Jack?
The thing that has me most perplexed has to do with the smallest of the older group, a BO named Lucy. She has always been at the bottom of the pecking order of the older group (nothing violent-just chased away from food mostly), but recently has seemed to be fitting in very well--until two days ago. She all of a sudden seems fearful-very significantly-I noticed it immediately. When I came out to close them in that night, she was in the storage area in the coop and not roosting inside with the rest. I put her inside and she hopped up on the pole. I was away from the house all day the next day, so when I went out in the late afternoon, I found her back in the storage room on the shelf in the basket that I keep my supplies in. She had a wound on the side of her head and it was obvious that she had had feathers pecked out on the back and side of her head and neck. I gave her some food and water and let her stay there.
This morning, she was still there. I just now went out to check on her and she was inside the coop in a nesting box. I took her out to check her over, and she has more feathers missing. I put her on the ground just to observe her a bit, and one of the Easter Eggers, Hazel, came over and very slowly started circling her over and over with her feathers partially puffed out. Lucy didn't move. I shooed Hazel away and Lucy flew back up into the coop and acted like she was trying to get into a nesting box with Sadie, who is at the top of the pecking order. Could she be going to her for protection?
I am worried about her. Any words of wisdom you can share?
Thank you so much!
. Great to have you in our community. Sounds like you have some real chicken dynamics issues going on. In terms of Jack and the others chasing him off, I think that's due to the fact he hasn't ascended the top of the pecking order in the eyes of the established hens yet....so when he tries to get frisky with them, they turn on him. I think eventually that will stop and he will become top dog, so to speak. With the injured Lucy I think she must have sustained an injury which immediately sent her to the bottom pecking order and others, as is sometimes nature's way, have turned on her. I would isolate her until she's fully healed and then turn her back in slowly. I don't think she was flying into the nesting box with Sadie for protection as much as she was using the nesting box as a means to escape the others. Other folks may have different opinions but that's my best guess. Good luck to you...I think the flock will sort itself out soon enough. 
