allyinwonderland
In the Brooder
- May 22, 2023
- 3
- 19
- 29
Hi! I am hopeful someone can help me with a situation I had to deal with tonight. This is my first flock in a very long time. I have 18 chickens and 14 ducks integrated. Most of the chickens are 4 months old with threw Jersey Giants and one RIR about 3 months old. Everybody gets along fine, besides the original flock icing out the younger ones. But so far no agression.
Somehow in my original chick purchase two Cornish X got mixed in. I originally never intended to use chickens for meat, just wanted a healthy egg production, so I let the Cross X be and grow. I read a lot about keeping Cross X past a certain age. They are on a limited feed schedule and were doing fine. I built them a 200sqft coop. They do not perch on anything, they honestly look like chunky dinosaurs that wobble around and enjoy life.
I can't tell whether they are roosters, hens or one of each. I do believe at least one is a hen.
Tonight I went in to close the coop and I noticed one of the Cross X was outside far away from the door. Very unusual as they are certainly the first to tuck in. So I guided it to the door and the other Cross X came out of nowhere from the coop, with speeds I never even dreamed it could move, and jumped straight on the back of the one that was outside. It started screaming and tried to run away under the little ramp. I shooed the attacker away and went downstairs to get my gloves. By the time I came back the attacker was on the other bird again. I separated them again and ended up putting the bird being attacked inside the coop enclosed away from the rest of the birds.
It got dark so I observed only for a few minutes, but the agressive Cross X seems to only have a thing for the other Cross X. The other birds all seem to be unphased.
I was hoping someone would have some advice. Maybe it was mating? But the bird seemed very distressed.
Somehow in my original chick purchase two Cornish X got mixed in. I originally never intended to use chickens for meat, just wanted a healthy egg production, so I let the Cross X be and grow. I read a lot about keeping Cross X past a certain age. They are on a limited feed schedule and were doing fine. I built them a 200sqft coop. They do not perch on anything, they honestly look like chunky dinosaurs that wobble around and enjoy life.
I can't tell whether they are roosters, hens or one of each. I do believe at least one is a hen.
Tonight I went in to close the coop and I noticed one of the Cross X was outside far away from the door. Very unusual as they are certainly the first to tuck in. So I guided it to the door and the other Cross X came out of nowhere from the coop, with speeds I never even dreamed it could move, and jumped straight on the back of the one that was outside. It started screaming and tried to run away under the little ramp. I shooed the attacker away and went downstairs to get my gloves. By the time I came back the attacker was on the other bird again. I separated them again and ended up putting the bird being attacked inside the coop enclosed away from the rest of the birds.
It got dark so I observed only for a few minutes, but the agressive Cross X seems to only have a thing for the other Cross X. The other birds all seem to be unphased.
I was hoping someone would have some advice. Maybe it was mating? But the bird seemed very distressed.