In my bantam coop I had 12 hens and roos. It's an 8 x 10 shed, with an attached outside run. I went out tonight and one of my beautiful silkies was near death on the floor by the door and there were three dead chicks, freshly hatched as well as three more fresh out of the eggs and one starting to come out. The hens (both silkies and cochins) won't use the nesting boxes and brood in the corners which I have placed boards against so they have a quiet corner that is out of the way of the other birds.
I have two others brooding right now and I'm afraid to leave them unprotected. I'm not sure what is going on and why my silkie was mauled/killed. I pulled the three babies and the egg and am hoping they will survive inside. I've wrapped the egg in a moist paper towel and I've got the temp up to about 100F. I put the other two brood hens in large cages in the coop but they are seriously not happy about it.
Of the 12, four are roos. An adult silkie roo, an adult cochin and two juvenile roos. The ratio is way off but I have a moral problem with killing roos just because they're roos. I have a feeling that my decision is causing the problem but I've never had a roo kill a hen before. Any suggestions at this point would be greatly appreciated. What am I doing wrong!
I have two others brooding right now and I'm afraid to leave them unprotected. I'm not sure what is going on and why my silkie was mauled/killed. I pulled the three babies and the egg and am hoping they will survive inside. I've wrapped the egg in a moist paper towel and I've got the temp up to about 100F. I put the other two brood hens in large cages in the coop but they are seriously not happy about it.
Of the 12, four are roos. An adult silkie roo, an adult cochin and two juvenile roos. The ratio is way off but I have a moral problem with killing roos just because they're roos. I have a feeling that my decision is causing the problem but I've never had a roo kill a hen before. Any suggestions at this point would be greatly appreciated. What am I doing wrong!
