Buff Orpingtons & EE Ameraucanas

[mkfiskum]

Well ... We are new to chickens and have chosen 4 Buff Orpingtons and 4 Easter Egger Ameraucanas.

So far, we've had the chicks all of 5 days and the EE's are kind of ... mean. They occasionally want to peck the Buffs on the butt and flap their wings at them. I'm hoping the Buffs grow real quick because at full weight they'll easily outweigh the EE's by a good 2 pounds. Anyone out there have sassy EE's? Is this normal? Do they get nicer later? We initially wanted them for their colored eggs, but I'm not impressed with their behavior.

Also, one of the EE's is missing feathers in a virtual lengthwise stripe down her tummy. Anyone know why? Is she ok?

 

[cash money]

EE are a flighty breed and are great foragers and would rather be out of the pen they get bored and when they get bored they find things to do like pick on other bird's

 

[drumstick diva]

Buff orps are great, I really don't know much about easter eggers except a lot of people seem to have them. Maybe their attitude improves if they do free range.

 

[cash money]

You can the one that is doing the bullying wach it and since there so young it is probably not an aggression Thing they are probably just bored try putting 3 bricks stacked like a triangle

 

[cash money]

It will keep there attention on other things rather than each other

 

[cash money]

Sorry if the posts are not making any sense my phone auto correct is going crazy I hate technical some time s

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. How big is your coop and run? Buff Orpingtons take confinement better than EEs do. The rule of thumb is 4 sq. ft. of floor space in the coop (more is better), and 10 sq. ft. of ground space in the run (again, more is better). Overcrowding (especially with the EEs) can quickly lead to agression, fights, biting, feather plucking, and even cannibalism. I have EE, Buff Orpington, Black Australorp, and Black Sex Link hens (25 total) in my coops and runs together and they get along just fine. The coops have 9 sq. ft. of floor space per hen, and the runs have 13 sq. ft. of ground space per hen. I also have some hanging CDs, wood ash bathing box, limbs with ropes strung between them, plastic peanut butter jar with 1/4 in. holes drilled in it and filled with wheat grains, and the occasional cabbage head that I hang on a rope to keep them from getting bored. Please feel free to ask any other questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck in getting your EEs calmed down.

 

[BantamLover21]

Glad you joined us!

My Easter Egger isn't "sassy" at all. In fact, she is the most timid of my chickens and the lowest in the pecking order. However, temperament does vary with each bird, and your EEs may just be more aggressive than most.

 

[Wyandottes7]

Welcome to BYC!

We're glad to have you.

Nope, my Easter Egger is pretty gentle as well. The other chickens are often mean to her, not her to them.

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Make sure they have plenty of room in the coop and run. 5 square feet per bird in the coop, 10 square feet per bird in the run. Give them things to do...ladders, mirrors, hanging veggies, seed pecking blocks, etc.... I have found that letting the birds out for some free ranging time and even if this is 15 mins a day curbs aggression. I recently added birds to my flock this year and had some aggression as well. So by getting them outside for some free ranging time each day of 15 mins or an hour was enough to keep them calmer. I have to supervise the free ranging because of the predators I have around here. But this time outside made a huge difference.

If you have one particular bird that is very aggressive, you may need to cage them occasionally. Or if it is two of them, get yourself one of those peck and play enclosures and put them outside for several hours a day to help calm them down.

Pinless peepers put on the bird will pipe all aggression down. I used them for years on a particular hen who has now reformed herself.

And put out extra food and water stations. Mean birds will guard these areas and starve others out. So put out two or three food and water stations so everybody eats.

Good luck and I hope you can get this solved soon.