CoyoteMagic
RIP ?-2014
I knew when I first got my chicks at the flea market that "Big Bertha" was going to be a dominate hen. I didn't realize until today how much of a bully she really is.
I only have Bertha, HennyPenny & ChickenLittle from my first batch of chicks. 3 Roos went off to live somewhere else and 2 went off to chicky heaven. I work 12 hour days so the girls are left much to themselves during the day. I've noticed that Bertha has been living up to her name BIG at 9 weeks she's pretty good size. HennyPenny & ChickenLittlehowever aren't much bigger than when I got them at 4 weeks.
I let my 3 week olds(from the feed store) loose today in the run. They have been in a small cage for the last 3 nights out there and seem to be doing fine, so I turned them loose into one side of the dog kennel. They are having the time of their life.
While watching the little ones, I notice that Bertha is really picking on HP &CL. Grabbing the feathers at their butts (they have no tail feathers which I thought was odd) grabbing goodies that I threw out there for them away and knocking them off the roosts in the run.
I decided to gather up HP & CL and put them in with the 3 weekers. DANG!!! They are almost the same size!!
They don't look like they have grown at all!!
Questions are:
1) do you think these 2 are going to catch up in size now that they are separated?
2) will Bertha be ok in a run by herself until the others are big enough to deal with her?
3) should I leave HP&CL in with the 3 weekers? they seem to be doing ok. Just a little peck here and there when someone gets too close to the other. No major aggression on their or the other ones part.
Coyote.
PS. I'll post picks of the size difference when I can figure out how to do post them here.
I only have Bertha, HennyPenny & ChickenLittle from my first batch of chicks. 3 Roos went off to live somewhere else and 2 went off to chicky heaven. I work 12 hour days so the girls are left much to themselves during the day. I've noticed that Bertha has been living up to her name BIG at 9 weeks she's pretty good size. HennyPenny & ChickenLittlehowever aren't much bigger than when I got them at 4 weeks.
I let my 3 week olds(from the feed store) loose today in the run. They have been in a small cage for the last 3 nights out there and seem to be doing fine, so I turned them loose into one side of the dog kennel. They are having the time of their life.
While watching the little ones, I notice that Bertha is really picking on HP &CL. Grabbing the feathers at their butts (they have no tail feathers which I thought was odd) grabbing goodies that I threw out there for them away and knocking them off the roosts in the run.
I decided to gather up HP & CL and put them in with the 3 weekers. DANG!!! They are almost the same size!!
Questions are:
1) do you think these 2 are going to catch up in size now that they are separated?
2) will Bertha be ok in a run by herself until the others are big enough to deal with her?
3) should I leave HP&CL in with the 3 weekers? they seem to be doing ok. Just a little peck here and there when someone gets too close to the other. No major aggression on their or the other ones part.
Coyote.
PS. I'll post picks of the size difference when I can figure out how to do post them here.
