Chickens are MEAN! Now I need some advice

[bock]

I have a Japanese bantam that probably weighs about 1 pound. She was always was at the bottom of the pecking order in our flock of 1 RIR hen, 1 EE hen, 1 bantam cochin hen, 1 OEG bantam rooster, and the Jap. bantam. She has recently been pushing her 5 week old chicks away, so I tried to re-introduce her into the flock. They pecked at her a little, but I expected that since she may be threatening her pecking order. I went inside for 20 minutes, then I hear a chicken screaming. I ran outside right away and rescued my poor little girl from the RIR and the cochin who had her pinned on the floor and were riiping out her feathers and tearing up her comb. I put her back with her chicks, but now I have no idea how I will ever reintroduce her. Why are they being so mean? Are chickens really that STUPID?

I mean after 5 weeks they totally forgot that she was !!! They are all a year old, and they grew up together so why? Any suggestions would be gteat, thanks!

 

[PunkinPeep]

I would recommend, specifically based on the experience you just had, introducing her like a brand new hen. If you can keep them where they can see each other but where she is safe from their attacks - while they get used to each other, that is where i would start.

I'm sorry you're having this trouble.

 

[Marie1234]

Yes, chickens are that stupid.
I had the same problem and this is what I had to do to restore order: I have two coops, each can hold about 15 birds happily but I have 25 birds. Left the broody with chicks in one coop and moved everyone else to other. Every night when I'd go out to lock up I'd grab one hen from full coop and move to the broody coop. It took a month. Then, once I got everyone playing nice again, I pulled out the ones I wanted back in the other coop two at a time. I did all this crud because I didn't want to give up a hen that had had several successful hatches but it was a pain.
I hope you find a better way.

 

[bock]

Thank you for the advice.

Next weekend I will put her in a cage in the corner of the pen and move on from there.

 

[sourland]

No, chickens are not stupid. This is just normal chicken behavior. They may be fuzzy and cute on the outside, but inside their heads lurks a little velociraptor brain. To expect anything other than normal chicken behavior from them is ? They are chickens this aggressive behavior is what has allowed them to survive and pass on their genes to the next generation.

 

[bock]

I know Sourland, I was just really mad that I have to deal with this now.

 

[bock]

I am also wondering if it is ok to leave her with her chicks until this weekend. I noticed she started pecking them when they came up to her, and I witnessed her get into a little fight with her son. Thanks!

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I would introduce her the way you do with a new chicken, also. If you mainly have a couple chickens that have a problem with her, when you go to put her back in, maybe take those two out. Then you could add them back in after a week. Good luck. Chickens seem to either be no problem at all or real bleeps.

 

[Chic Chick]

So don't feel bad.....I have a broody hen setting in one of the nest boxes and when she gets off the nest to eat and drink some of the flock attacks her . She's only been sitting for 6 days, still in the same coop, in their sight at all times, and still they act like she's a stranger! Figure that one out!!!

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Is she brooding in the favorite nest box? That can cause a lot of hard feelings and little fights between chickens in a flock. They can hold a grudge over a broody hogging the favorite nest box!

To solve a problem over non-breeding broodies hogging the favorite nest box and causing problems, I changed to a community nest box. It really solved the problem for me. It's a different situation with a broody sitting on a clutch, though, where you need to keep the eggs separate.