HELP! Banty is picking on.....

[MyChickensR-Eggtastic]

My Jersey Giant! They are almost 3 weeks old. I am in almost a panic over this. It started last night around 3 a.m. Lots of loud chirping, and squawking. I have their brooder in my bedroom, so I can keep my eye on them. I noticed my banty and JG stretching their necks out sort of challanging eachother. The JG is about twice the size of my banty, so I was proud of my banty holding her own (obviously not wanting them to fight at all). Later this morning I finally had to separate them, because the JG is not fighting back, she is running away, and keeps her head in the corners of the brooder. The banty is not going after the other two at all. It's like a freak obsession or something. I don't know what has got into her. I tried to put them together again after a while apart, and right away she is attacking again. Actually holding onto the JG feathers and not letting go, pecking her eyes...it's vicious!!!

Any ideas? Could she just be trying to prove she isn't one to be messed with? Could it be that my JG is sick and she is picking on her? HELP PLEASE!!! Thanks

 

[ArizonaNessa]

Just curious but is the JG white? i only ask because for some strange far fetched reason that is beyond me, I can't keep my white chicks with any of my other birds or the same thing happens. Once they are fully feathered there is no problem. I had some white leghorn chicks, brown leghorn chicks, and some barred rock chicks that were hatched on the same day and the barred rocks picked on the white leghorns horribly but not on each other or the brown leghorns. I ended up having to separate the leghorns. Its almost like they think that eyeball is a bug or something.

I don't know and was just curious if that JG was white.

 

[MyChickensR-Eggtastic]

Thanks for the idea, but no, she is black. They have all been together from day one and have always been fine together. It really did start over something last night, with them sort of challanging one another. Like I said by this a.m. the banty was just wild with meanness! I feel horrible! My poor JG! I really don't know what I am going to do at this point, except keep them appart for a while and hope for the best when trying to reintroduce them again.

 

[Mesa]

Well as they get older the JG will be much bigger and able to defend itself better. So maybe thats the best way to deal with this situation.

 

[Ducklove334]

it sounds like your little banty has figured out that she dominated the JG, and whats to inforce that so that the JG doesn't forget it.

just alittle bit ago, Sunshine our little buff cochin, and one of the little roo cuckoo marans(who are about a week younger), were challenging each other(the cochin is a pullet btw), and the maran backed down, but Sunshine kept following him around and pecking him on the head, for about a good 15 or so minutes afterwards.

 

[MyChickensR-Eggtastic]

I guess it will just be a trial and error type deal? I would love if she had only been mean for a few minutes, this went on for hours before it got so bad I had to separate her. I know the JG will be MUCH bigger and more able to defend herself, which she should be able to now, she is already twice the banty size!

I just love my chickies to bits and want them all to be OK. Can't they all just get along?!! LOL!

 

[Mandalina]

my banty's have a tendency to pick on my standards. i let them figure their pecking order out all on their own bc my interfering isnt going to solve anything in the long run,kwim?

 

[MyChickensR-Eggtastic]

So you think it best to just leave them alone together? Is it possible for my banty to peck the other one to death, or stress it out so bad she clucks her last cluck? This is my first time owning chickens, and I really do want to do the right thing by them. I would feel horrible if my JG was pecked to death by my not so sweet, sweet banty!

BTW- I guess my separation idea didn't work out so well, my banty figured out how to get back in with the others. They were doing ok, but then like a light switch, the JG was running for her life with the banty hanging from her neck chirping from the top of her lungs!!

What in the world is this crazy madness? I understand the pecking order, but it's like she's out for blood!!

 

[aidenbaby]

My chicks haven't started this yet. They are only a week old. How old are they when they start this behavior?

I have cats that are more or less doing the same thing though. They get in a fight and I stay out of it unless someone is getting hurt. Then, I use the dog and a squirt bottle to break it up. The dog runs up to them but doesn't touch either of them, just distracts them long enough for me to start squirting. Can you use squirt bottles on naughty chicks?

 

[Quella]

Haha. squirt bottles. .

Wouldn't they get too wet?