Can this be possible?

[ChurpyChicken]

I have 12 hens that roam the garden, I recently added 2 new birds, instantly they accepted the lavender splash cochin, but for some reason they are all attacking the white cochin, this may sound really silly but would it be because she is the only white one? My husband laughed at me when I suggested this. But even Splash (the new lavendar cochin) is attacking her. They went let her in the hen house at night, they attack her when she tries to eat. At the moment she goes into bed with the ducks and eats when the others are in.

Any suggestions how to stop this?

Do I need to buy another white hen or is my husband right and chickens don't fight over colours!!!

 

[Tala]

They will definitely pick on the one that is "different"

For example my Redstar pullet is not very well accepted by my 3 Leghorn pullets, but since she's bigger and more dominant they don't pick on her - just ignore her. She's tight with the RIR rooster who is similar size/color. He's less picky when it comes to his females though.

My old neighbors used to have 3 female goats (of unknown heritage) and the two with horns would gang up on the one without - we always figured because they knew that she was "different" (or maybe just an easy target)

 

[horsejody]

They may be picking on her because she is different. I would pick out one or two of your quietest hens and then separate them along with the new white girl. Leave them together for a week or two so they can bond. Then reintroduce them to the flock. When you reintroduce them, do it at night. Just put them on the roost with the others. BTW you may want to consider quarantining all new birds for at least 30 days before introducing them to your flock.

 

[DTchickens]

Chickens can be "racist", i had a hen prove that to me one time.. She would raise any colored chick, except black. A rooster at one time even tried to kill a hen because of the color she was.. Think it was a Silver duckwing.

But personally i think she is just bottom of the food chain, it will probably even out eventually.

 

[ChurpyChicken]

OMG! I didn't realise how fussy chickens can be!! We had them from a local place approximately 10minutes away, they've been together over 3 weeks now, at first I thought they was just getting use to each other, but the hen she came with now attacks her.

All my hens are free range, so to get a few together I would have to get the old pen out.. Just wondering whether they would attack her more once they was with her in a pen?

Would putting another white hen with them help?

 

[horsejody]

Put her in the pen on a temporary basis with one or two of your quietest hens. How big is your pen?

 

[ChurpyChicken]

10ft long and 3ft wide.

 

[catdaddyfro]

The old saying birds of a feather flock together is very much true. In your situation the only white chicken is gonna get it most everytime and I'm not trying to be racist myself, but Ive seen this many times. The only way they may not pick on a different colored bird(especially a wt. newbie) is when they are brooded together from hatch.

I've had to rescue a lot of broilers out of the chicken houses (about 20'000 birds in each house) because they had either black or brown spots on them and not much of spots either, all the other thousands are solid white so as DT chicken says: Chickens can be racist.....

They are very prejudice on color.

 

[ChurpyChicken]

Think i'l buy another white one and see if they stand up for each other !!!