Chickens being mean

[Newfarmer36]

If you are excitable take a Prozac and then watch your hens and roosters put themselves to bed. I can guarantee you that when choosing a roosting place that it isn't first come first served in a flock of chickens. The pecking order is viciously enforced at bed time more so than at any other time of the day.

Lol! I'm fresh out of prozac!

 

[Newfarmer36]

Nice big coop, that'll help.
So how many were you 'forced ' to take before you added the 2(?) bantams and now the 3 Ameraucanas?
I'm still not clear on birds ages, genders, and when you got them and added.

My neighbors moved out in August and left them all behind so I've had them since then.

 

[1muttsfan]

It's actually better to integrate several birds at once rather than just one bird, it is more distracting and keeps just one bird from being the "different" one.

If you can identify one or two who are the major bullies (maybe that rooster?) try pulling them out for a few days at integration. That changes the whole seniority structure top to bottom, and again leads to generalized distraction.

Personally if I had a rooster who was killing other birds, especially hens, he would be immediately dispatched.

 

[Newfarmer36]

It's actually better to integrate several birds at once rather than just one bird, it is more distracting and keeps just one bird from being the "different" one.

If you can identify one or two who are the major bullies (maybe that rooster?) try pulling them out for a few days at integration. That changes the whole seniority structure top to bottom, and again leads to generalized distraction.

Personally if I had a rooster who was killing other birds, especially hens, he would be immediately dispatched.

My husband kept telling me that if there's something wrong with a chicken(deformed, sickness, etc.) That the roosters will kill them. He's never had chickens so I don't know why i didn't research this.

 

[1muttsfan]

Some roosters are just mean, and will harass and kill birds that can not escape - like those confined into coop and run. Some of them are only aggressive towards other males, but there are those with some kind of behavioral deviation that will attack hens as well.