I have a flock of five hens — three Barred Rocks and two Buff Orpingtons, all about 1.4 years old. Recently, I introduced two new older chicks (around 11–12 weeks old): one Rhode Island Red and one ISA Brown rooster.
I followed the slow introduction method by keeping the two younger birds in a separate enclosure within the main run for over a week. Before using the enclosure, one of the Barred Rocks had already shown aggression by pecking at both chicks.
Today, I removed the smaller enclosure to let them mingle more freely, but the same aggressive Barred Rock immediately began chasing the ISA rooster again — even during free-ranging time, she made a point to single him out. Interestingly, she completely ignores the new Rhode Island Red chick.
I’m honestly at a loss here. Why is she only targeting the ISA? Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
I followed the slow introduction method by keeping the two younger birds in a separate enclosure within the main run for over a week. Before using the enclosure, one of the Barred Rocks had already shown aggression by pecking at both chicks.
Today, I removed the smaller enclosure to let them mingle more freely, but the same aggressive Barred Rock immediately began chasing the ISA rooster again — even during free-ranging time, she made a point to single him out. Interestingly, she completely ignores the new Rhode Island Red chick.
I’m honestly at a loss here. Why is she only targeting the ISA? Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
