Hen fighting the cockerel

[Mim130359]

Hi
I have 4 chickens and a cockerel .
3 of the hens are 3 years old and the cockerel and the other hen are 2 years old .
The 2 younger ones are from the same clutch and have lived together , houses at night separately from the older chickens .
The female hen is a bantam and has always been at the bottom of the pecking order .
Today after putting the older 3 away , I discovered her fighting the cockerel ( who's also a bantam . She was acting like a cockerel , all puffed up and flying at him .
I put him into Thier pen , she was still outside and she was trying to attack him through the wire netting ! It's so unlike her so I'm confused .
She does struggle to get food as the others bully her ...has she just had enough ?
Any ideas
Thanks for reading
Mim

 

[Debbie292d]

That's what some of mine'll do if broody. Wings out, all fluffed up, and go at the roosters usually like telling them "NO." It cracks me up as they have no eggs or chicks but get so protective of what they don't have.

We have a broody jail they go in and takes about four days. It's just a 2'x3' about wire cage, up on blocks so air gets underneath of it. It's got a 2x4 inside for them to stand/sit on, nothing more. Food/water is tied to the side so they don't spill it.

 

[Mim130359]

Debbie292d
I did wonder if that was what was happening. When I went to check on her this morning, she puffed up at me !!! She's the sweetest little chicken usually.
She's the same breed as our cockerel , a silky with showgirl genes so I might let her go for it as the chicks would be pure breed .
Thank you for your help . I'll set her up with her own pad so she can do her thing .

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Debbie292d
I did wonder if that was what was happening. When I went to check on her this morning, she puffed up at me !!! She's the sweetest little chicken usually.
She's the same breed as our cockerel , a silky with showgirl genes so I might let her go for it as the chicks would be pure breed .
Thank you for your help . I'll set her up with her own pad so she can do her thing .

By the way, you don’t have a cockerel. You have a rooster (male chicken, 1 year or older.)

Good luck!