Hey there everyone so for the past 3-4 weeks we've been introducing a new pekin duckling to our flock. She was close to 3 weeks when we bought her so she's been a pretty decent size the entire time. We also own a mallard female and right now the pekin is currently larger than the mallard. Everything has been going fine, we've been keeping the new duckling in the run with the chickens (not at night though she sleeps inside with us) and everything was perfectly ok? Sunni, the pekin, would try to bite the chickens if they got to close and as a result of that our americauna actually pecked her on the head and she learned from it. But she has been minding her own business, playing in the water buckets with our other duck and just doing normal bird things. Not once have any of them shown aggression towards Sunni until today.
The first time it happened was earlier today. I was out sitting in the run with the birds, Sunni came up to me like she does since she's imprinted on me and was sitting in between my legs. Then here comes Red, our RIR hen, looking like she's trying to pick a fight. And she kept trying to get to Sunni between my legs and I actually had to keep pushing her back but Red just kept coming until I got up and picked her up and moved her across the yard. I thought it was strange but I didn't question it much until about 30 minutes ago. After I brought Sunni and Billy (our mallard) in for their nightly bath I took them back outside like usual. They both walked back into the run and immediately Red attacked Sunni. Jumped on her and started pulling feathers out of her head. Sunni was screaming and doing her best to get away but couldn't and I managed to get her before the other chickens joined in on the attack. Sunni, luckily, did not get any fatal wounds but she got her beak all sliced up, her feet cut, and of course there are feathers missing from the side of her face VERY close to her eye (thank god her eye is ok). I'm in shock. Red has always been our nicest hen. She never picks a fight with the others, even thought she's high in the pecking order. I don't know what happened, we've been putting Sunni out there with them for weeks so why all of a sudden today did Red decide she wanted Sunni dead? It was a very terrifying experience and I feel horrible for Sunni. We actually took her back out there just a few minutes ago and i sat her on the ground between my legs only to have Red try to get her again (she didn't cuz I was there to stop her). What happened??? I don't even want to put Sunni out there anymore. She's never been in danger with them before.... And for Red of all our hens to turn on her like that really scares me.
Red is not at the top of the pecking order, that would be our Buff Orphington. But the two of them always stick around each other and whenever we pick up red or grab her, Buffy will come running and peck at us. What do we do?
The first time it happened was earlier today. I was out sitting in the run with the birds, Sunni came up to me like she does since she's imprinted on me and was sitting in between my legs. Then here comes Red, our RIR hen, looking like she's trying to pick a fight. And she kept trying to get to Sunni between my legs and I actually had to keep pushing her back but Red just kept coming until I got up and picked her up and moved her across the yard. I thought it was strange but I didn't question it much until about 30 minutes ago. After I brought Sunni and Billy (our mallard) in for their nightly bath I took them back outside like usual. They both walked back into the run and immediately Red attacked Sunni. Jumped on her and started pulling feathers out of her head. Sunni was screaming and doing her best to get away but couldn't and I managed to get her before the other chickens joined in on the attack. Sunni, luckily, did not get any fatal wounds but she got her beak all sliced up, her feet cut, and of course there are feathers missing from the side of her face VERY close to her eye (thank god her eye is ok). I'm in shock. Red has always been our nicest hen. She never picks a fight with the others, even thought she's high in the pecking order. I don't know what happened, we've been putting Sunni out there with them for weeks so why all of a sudden today did Red decide she wanted Sunni dead? It was a very terrifying experience and I feel horrible for Sunni. We actually took her back out there just a few minutes ago and i sat her on the ground between my legs only to have Red try to get her again (she didn't cuz I was there to stop her). What happened??? I don't even want to put Sunni out there anymore. She's never been in danger with them before.... And for Red of all our hens to turn on her like that really scares me.
Red is not at the top of the pecking order, that would be our Buff Orphington. But the two of them always stick around each other and whenever we pick up red or grab her, Buffy will come running and peck at us. What do we do?
