Help! Two of my hens started fighting!

[1seekingjannah]

I am new to raising chickens. Today two of my hens started fighting. All my chickens are the same age and are basicly muts. So mixed up it is hard to tell what they are. My kids wanted chickens and there was only one place localy that had them so we got a mix of chicks all the same age just about 6 months. We have 9. Only one crows but I suspect there are 3 males. But the males are not the agressors.

At first I did not worry because I did not think they could do any dammage. The kids were playing in the yard with the chicken they thought was being picked on all day. But tonight we went out to dinner and by the time we got back an hour and a half later the chicken was laying by the door bleeding with all his head feathers plucked out. I have since moved the chicken to the basement and the one who was doing the pecking has been put back into the smaller pen we used when they were chicks (until we finished the big pen.)

So my question is, is this natural, do I get rid of the agressor, the weaker (he does not seem to attack the other chickens) OR Both, Or is this a weak chicken, strong chicken thing. The other chicken was also pecked also but much less so, So I just guessed he was just fighting back. For now I will just keep them separated but I do not think this is a kind thing to do because the chick cage is just far too small for a chicken to live in. And Even with a heat light I do not think a singular chicken can survive the Winter in GA.

I had chicken for a year back in CA about 5 years ago before we moved, but I never had fighting among the chickens and if we did it would have been a simple matter of caging them away from the house, as I lived in the desert. But with the temperature here I am not sure what to do. Any ideas? PLEASE HELP ME MY KIDS ARE SO WORRIED ABOUT THERE DEAR CHICKEN "SHADOW"

 

[hinkjc]

Can you post a pic of your chickens? The one who "won" and the one who "lost"? I am betting they are probably boys. If not, there are occasions where hens will fight for top position in the flock. There is usually a flock leader (the roo) and a top hen..then the rest fall into place under them. At their age, I don't think hens would fight for position, but I guess it could happen. Pics would help rule out the roo issue. If it is 2 roos, I would definitely find another home for one of them.

Jody

 

[1seekingjannah]

I am not sure if I did the upload correctly and I warn you this is a horrible graphic picture because it shows poor shadows injuries all too well. You can see exactly why my kids are so upset. I can not take a picture of the other chicken as it is too dark outside. But they look the same. They are infact the smallest two chickens I have. The one I know is a rooster is HUGE compared to these two.

These two were always the baby of the flock so I never would have thought this would happen. I am really confused.

 

[hinkjc]

Yup, that's a roo...and I'll bet the other one is too. I'm so sorry about his injuries. You will probably have to keep them apart and eventually find one another home.

Jody

 

[DTchickens]

no wonder their fighting... Those are (would say Old englishs.. But they RARELY fight if grow up together). American gamefowl... Brown red variety to be exact... You will have to keep them separated unless you sell them all except one

-Daniel

 

[1seekingjannah]

Would that mean a boy or a hen. Roo I mean. I am not so sure about the lingo yet.

 

[crtrlovr]

roo, short for rooster means boy. cockerel is a young male chicken before maturing into a roo / rooster. A pullet is a young female chicken before she matures into a hen.

 

[birdlover]

A roo is a boy.

I say keep Shadow and ditch the other one!! He's sooo pitiful, poor boy.

 

[1seekingjannah]

Ok well I guess he will have to live the sad life of a caged chicken. I am not sure who I would sell him to as there is only a very small unicorporated area where I live. And there are so few cities near here that allow chickens. Everyone wants chicks. Unless of course they want dinner. I do not think I could chance someone wanted meat and not a pet.

 

[1seekingjannah]

He is pitiful. Can you believe two days ago he would have run from the kids and now he is just limp in there arms. Waiting for them to come protect him. He is currently sitting on a bucket inside my kitchen. I was planning on taking him to the basement. Because I was afraid he would fly around the house or run from the kids. NOPE. He flu up onto the ledge of the box, and then sat there and fell asleep. The kids walked up to him over and over and petted him and checked on his injuries. He just sits there and lets you pet him contently.