laylamarie3
Hatching
- Jul 24, 2018
- 2
- 0
- 2
Hi everyone. I am new to this forum and fairly new to chicken raising. I am in a situation and am desperate for advice. I have been raising chicks as pets for about 3 years. I have not had to integrate chicks until now and am having problems with mama hen. Here's my situation as brief as I can be. I have 4 pullets round 3 1/2 months old in which 1 is a rooster. I had to raise them due to death of hen. I also have a full grown BROODY hen with 1 chick that is about 1 month old. I kept them completelyseparated until about 3 weeks ago. I then put tnem all in the chicken tractor separated by chicken wire for about 4 days. I pulled the chicken wire back 1/2 way and now they have been free ranging for about 2 weeks and pecking order has been established with mama hen at the top Here lies the problem. They free range in the yard separately with mama hen and chick in one group and pullets in another. They pretty much stay away from each other most of the time. When they do cross or it's time to go to the coop mama hen runs at them and pecks them constantly. She guards the the coop and her and chick go in first. She sits at the top of the ladder and as they come up to roost she attacks each one. I have to get a stick to get her off each one. Eventually the pullets get on the roost and her and chick sleep by the roost on the roost floor. Every morning when she wakes she starts the same thing while they are still in the roost. Is this bully behavior or normal behavior since she is top chicken for now? I have to arrange my day so that I am there when they go in and wake up. I feel as if I don't I am going to find dead or injured chickens because they will not fight back . What should I do???
