Hen all of a sudden beating up on rooster!?!?

[Kells ks]

I have three 12 week old silkie bantams, 2 pulleys and 1 cockerel. have been together since chicks no real issue. He will do his bossy cockerel thing(found his voice 2weeksago). Today all of a sudden one of the pullets is really going after the cockerel..I looked at the forms even google can’t really find anything to explain this behavior. They have gone through the pecking order along time ago nothing like this. All 3 are very sweet. The other pullet going between the two and making sure their ok. I can hold them all no problems but as soon as the cockerel comes close to the pullet ,she goes right after him. The only thing I can think of is I disrupted the pecking order when I put a new leg ban on(has my information on it). Because that’s when she started attacking him.

 

[BaaKaaawk]

They'll be fine as long as there is no bad bloodshed or really aggressive behavior that could harm them some other way. They're just establishing the general order of the flock (not the pecking order because your Roo isn't part of that). I mean the order of the flock as a whole, of which all birds are a part. Hens will challenge Roos on occasion, especially when a roo is young and hasn't come into his own. So unless you see that dangerous aggressive behavior, I'd just let them work it out naturally.

 

[Kells ks]

Ok , Thank you. So far only feathers are flying no blood. I just never really expected this behavior especially from this pullet . She has always been a follower not a leader. Always the first to run back to the coop when scared.

 

[aart]

12 week old silkie bantams, 2 hens and 1 rooster

The male is probably starting his hormone surge and the female is objecting.
How much space do they have, in feet by feet?


FYI.....semantics, maybe, but can be important communication terms when discussing chicken behavior.
Female chickens are called pullets until one year of age, then they are called hens.
Male chickens are called cockerels until one year of age, then they are called cocks(or cockbirds or roosters).
Age in weeks or months is always a good thing to note.

 

[Kells ks]

Sorry new to this.... Coop/ run area is 6x5 feet and they free range during the day, so they have more then enough room. Today been better. I’m just gonna sum it up to pecking order or whatever you wanna call it and she took advantage of him being tired out. I just don’t want her to be aggressive to the point she’d have to go. Even my neighbor who a farmer with 20 + chickens. He even said he can’t recall a female beating up a male like that.. he a old timer and he’s like it looks like two roosters going at it and she is most definitely female he checked for me. I noticed she been kinda tense and laying down a lot today but only in the run.. could she be trying to lay this young?

 

[aart]

.. could she be trying to lay this young?

Probably not..she may be stressed because he's feeling the hormones.
I had a pullet once that regularly harassed a cockerel, I think she may have learned how from the older hens....it was pretty funny and I had never seen it happen either.