foiled by the silkies! GAAAH!

[technodoll]

Long story short...

I got seven hens mid-July, the breeder said they would start laying in about a month.

Early September, still no eggs.

Hens are big, strong, healthy, beautiful, get plenty of daylight and the right food, etc etc.

My friend suggested introducing two laying hens to the flock to show them how it's done so last week we brought two spring hens home and have gotten an egg a day from each of them so far.

YEY! right?

Well...

This morning there was CROWING from the coop, thought I had imagined it... fed the gang as usual, went about my things, returned a couple hours later to throw them some scratch in their outside run and two of the three silkies were in the middle of a COCK FIGHT!

OMG - worst thing evar!

I wanted to cry

Turns out the silkies were not properly sexed, i asked for 3 hens and got 1 hen and 2 roos, only the roos never displayed any male behaviors until today.

Now I look at them properly and my gosh, they don't look like hens at all - when did this transformation happen and how could I have been so dumb to not notice earlier!

Did their sexual maturity suddenly "click on" because of the two new hens which are laying eggs?

What could have triggered it?

Are my other 5 hens any closer to finally laying eggs?

HELP!

 

[meriruka]

My two silkie roos were best buddies until the hens began to lay eggs. After that it was like celebrity death match for a few days until one emerged as the Alpha roo.

It's hard to sex silkies, usually you just have to wait to see who starts crowing.

 

[technodoll]

Does this mean you CAN keep two silkie roos in one flock (if they establish who is boss) or do you have to keep them apart for life?

Am trying to figure out what to do here...

THANK YOU for your replies!

 

[meriruka]

I kept my two boys together for two years and they were fine after the initial fighting. Every now & then they would chase each other around, but no one got hurt.

 

[technodoll]

you have given me immense hope... ok I will try to put the roos back together and let them fight it out, if it turns bloody i will separate them again and that will be that...

thank you for your support, i'm new at chickens and love them to bits, hate seeing them not get along. the roos were BEST friends up until yesterday!

 

[bloomnbeauty]

I have 4 roos in with my 12 hens and they might bicker a little but no serious rough stuff. They have been together since the day I bought them as day old chicks.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

I have a pen of Silkies with one roo and 5 hens but right next to them is another pen of 2 Silkie roos waiting their turn at some hens. All of these are almost 2 years old and though my two roos together might fuss first thing in the morning and last thing every night, they do get along fine. No blood, no feathers flying, just hormones wanting a bit of release.
Those 2 are so jealous of the one with all the hens but they do not fight through the fence at all. I am very surprised.

 

[chickensducks&agoose]

what do you do with men silkies? do you eat them?

 

[OpheliaChick]

I'm facing the same problem. I just found out that I have three Silkie roos (and only three Silkie hens) plus a WCB Polish roo. I'm keeping the WCB Polish roo but I have to some how get rid of the three Silkie roos that I have. I've tried giving them away but no one wants them. I think I'm going to have to cull them.

 

[technodoll]

I couldn't bear to choose between my two roos... I'm too attached to both of them

I was all set to renovate the coop to split the flock in two but looks like I won't have to! I put the two roos back together this morning and so far so good, unless they fought when I wasn't looking.

They're sitting quietly now, grooming each other... crossing fingers it was just a spat and that they worked things out!!

Thank you guys sooo much!