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well first off let me say, yes that's kinda screwed up there. I've never had male to female issues, ever.Hi, I'm wondering if you guys can help me? I'm having such trouble with my little d'Anver flock this year.
I tried to introduce two new girls to my flock - a lavender and a birchen, they'd grown up next to my flock which are all this years birds anyway except the boy who is last years.
Straight away the boy decided he didn't like the two new girls and my blue girl from the flock also decided she hated the lavender girl.
After two weeks of no letting up in attacking them I decided to remove the problem birds, so I took out the boy, the blue aggressive hen, and a placid hen who at that time was the only one to have come into lay so I wanted her to stay with the boy.
The lavender hen settled in well and I sold the birchen as I decided that I didn't need to keep her.
Then I put the placid hen back in and all was fine, just the usual pecking order stuff.
Then I put the cockerel back in and immediately he went back to attacking the lavender hen.
Its been a week and she is completely pushed out the flock by him, as every time she joins the other girls, he attacks her and chases her off. The aggressive blue hen is still on her own.
The only thing I can think to do is to take out the boy and the lavender hen and put them together out of sight of the rest of the flock and force him to only have her as company until he accepts her. Then the blue hen can go back in the flock in the meantime.
I know it'll be stressful for the lavender, but surely if it works it'll be better than a life pushed out of the flock. Then if he finally accepts her as his hen, hopefully he'll protect her against the aggressive blue hen when they rejoin the flock.
What does everyone else think?
I'm tearing my hair out over here, I need her to be accepted as she carries quail and he is a silver quail boy so the pair of them could produce me a lavender quail.
I have had a boss hen do the pecking order thing on new hens being thrown in there pens but that's usually over in a few minutes.
The only issues I have run into is the new and multiple males in pens. Usually is it doesnt settle down in a few minutes ( they usually do) then I do just like you did. Take the established birds out of the pen and put the new birds in it. Leave them this way for a couple day. Now place the original birds back into the pen with the new birds.
Their little pea brains usually dont remember that this was their pen to start with, and think they are the new comers, so most fighting stops then and all is fine.
Since you have dont that, and it's still happening, I'm out of options other than to place them in there and just let them work it out. As long as it's not die hard kill fighting, they'll get tired of it after a while. Once they do, it's usually over
I'm not thinking he'll be too bad on a hen for long.. And just checking, but you are positive it's a pullet and not a cockerel right? Just checking cause it just is so far out of the norm.
Also, how long are you trying them together before you break them up? Leave them, dont watch, it's easier that way. Come back in a hour or two and see what's happening. I honestly havent ever had but 1- or 2 male on male fights last more than 20 - 30 minutes. Usually they are done and know who's what by then.
Worst case, you'll just have to put the silver and what ever hens you want with him in a totally different pen. Put the beat up hen in first, then add them 1 by 1 , and just 1 a day til you have them in and see what happens.