Do 'hen' chicks fight?

[kahhrma]

I am just so excited I found this site/forum. I wish I had found it sooner!

I have 7 week old chicks I just put out in their coop yesterday. I ordered them from Mypetchicken.com. I ordered 25 hens in a variety type pack. I have no idea what breeds they are. But I love them all! We only lost 3 and that was in the first few days. they have always gotten along just fine, no fighting ect. I have been thrilled! Yesterday I put them out in their new coop (its very large) and right away the chickens started to kinda fight each other. They would puff up their necks and bounce their chests against one another. Some would flap their wings or use their feet against the other one. Each 'challenge' or 'fight' only lasted seconds. But it seems most of them took turns doing this to each other. After about 15 minutes though, they calmed down and it was back to normal.
I went out this morning and it is all calm and they are all getting along and I haven't seen that behavior toward eachother at all.. I sat out there for about an hour this morning and no fighting, they only did it for the first few minutes yesterday when I put them out in the new coop. I was very worried yesterday though thinking maybe I got roosters and not hens from the place I ordered them from??? These are my first chickens. So I don't know how I could be able to tell a rooster from a hen?

So my question is, do hens fight each other to? Do I need to worry I might have roosters?
Thank you so much!!

Oh and if anyone could tell me, what age do hens start laying??

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Yes, pullets will battle pullets. Pullets will also battle cockerels. It is all part of growing up and setting the pecking order.


Pullets usually start between 4-6 months of age.

 

[teach1rusl]

Yep...the girls will front one another!

And hens begin laying at different ages...typically anywhere from 19 weeks up to 26 weeks, although it can be slightly sooner or later than that. My girls began laying around the 20/21 week mark...

 

[kahhrma]

OH PHEW! Thank you for your replies! I feel better now. I was very worried yesterday. That is how I found this site, I was goggling for answers! I had no idea I would LOVE chickens so much. My children and hubby are teasing me about how much I enjoy them. I will be on this site alot as there is just so much to learn!

Thank you so much!

 

[Liana]

Yes, they will squabble with each other to establish a pecking order. Major changes in their lives (new chicken, new living arrangements, loss of one of the flock) may trigger another round of squabbling.

As for laying, it varies by individual and by breed. 18-24 weeks is not uncommon.

 

[BeccaB00]

haha My Babies do this! Its so funny to watch them

 

[Xanthro]

My hens started fighting at 2 weeks old. They tend to fight more when they environments change. Move to a larger brooder, or to the coop. They are establishing their pecking order.

Sometimes hens fight so much that they injure themselves, and a rooster is introduced to the flock to maintain order.

 

[FarmerJamie]

My BR girls are 18 months old and still have a go at it every couple of days or so, particularly if something tasty is tossed into their run.

They starting laying on a regular baseis around 14 weeks.

 

[WisconsinChickenWhisperer]

Mine started establishing pecking order as soon as I put them in the brooder. At that point, the two Brahma's were the dominant chicks. At about 1 1/2 or so weeks, a couple of them started to battle. I moved them out to their coop 2 weeks ago, and they have been doing it off and on ever since. This morning I went out to check on them, and I saw the worse one yet between one of the Wyandotte's and one of the Americauna's. They went at each other 5 or 6 times before they decided to have a stand off and then go their own ways. So far, no one has been injured, except for maybe pride.

 

[Jasmine1998]

I love when they do that...they remind me of a bunch of little fraternity boys, lol. Wait till they get bigger & they fluff the feathers up on the back of their necks.