DarkDoctrines
In the Brooder
- May 22, 2021
- 14
- 2
- 46
Dear friends,
Can you please give me some advice on terrible tragedy that took place in my bird family yesterday?
I have two chukar partridges and 8 bantam chickens. They were living together for about 2 years when the chukar rooster started getting aggressive and attacking the bantam chickens this spring. I have a bantam rooster who got beaten up pretty bad, so I separated the partridges and the chickens about 4 months ago.
Since then, I hatched 10 little partridge chicks and one bantam chick, which I put into an adjacent room in my backyard. They were about a month old, with the bantam chick about 1.5 months old and a bit bigger.
Some time ago I got the idea of introducing the chukars to their chicks (i.e. children), so I put them together. That went without incident. I did this a couple of times and the partridge rooster was not aggressive towards the baby chicken or the baby chukars while I was there, so that gave me the idea to leave the two compartments linked permanently. I also held and put the baby chicken and the rooster together holding them close without any problems (when he doesn't like any other birds he start chewing them away immediately).
I think you can guess what happened next. When I went to see the birds yesterday evening the bantam chick was dead - its head and neck completely shredded. As soon I left the chukar rooster must have gone there and torn the poor thing apart in the most brutal way possible. I just couldn't believe my eyes.
To make matters worse, this bantam chick was the most docile, cutest and smartest bird I ever had, following us everywhere and appearing to "understand" when we talked to her.
So, can you tell me, how much of the blame is on me? Why didn't the rooster attack her while I was there, as he does with other chickens, but waited for me to leave and did it only then? Was it really that obvious what was going to happen?
Can you please give me some advice on terrible tragedy that took place in my bird family yesterday?
I have two chukar partridges and 8 bantam chickens. They were living together for about 2 years when the chukar rooster started getting aggressive and attacking the bantam chickens this spring. I have a bantam rooster who got beaten up pretty bad, so I separated the partridges and the chickens about 4 months ago.
Since then, I hatched 10 little partridge chicks and one bantam chick, which I put into an adjacent room in my backyard. They were about a month old, with the bantam chick about 1.5 months old and a bit bigger.
Some time ago I got the idea of introducing the chukars to their chicks (i.e. children), so I put them together. That went without incident. I did this a couple of times and the partridge rooster was not aggressive towards the baby chicken or the baby chukars while I was there, so that gave me the idea to leave the two compartments linked permanently. I also held and put the baby chicken and the rooster together holding them close without any problems (when he doesn't like any other birds he start chewing them away immediately).
I think you can guess what happened next. When I went to see the birds yesterday evening the bantam chick was dead - its head and neck completely shredded. As soon I left the chukar rooster must have gone there and torn the poor thing apart in the most brutal way possible. I just couldn't believe my eyes.
To make matters worse, this bantam chick was the most docile, cutest and smartest bird I ever had, following us everywhere and appearing to "understand" when we talked to her.
So, can you tell me, how much of the blame is on me? Why didn't the rooster attack her while I was there, as he does with other chickens, but waited for me to leave and did it only then? Was it really that obvious what was going to happen?
