EllaGrace1
In the Brooder
- Dec 18, 2024
- 21
- 19
- 26
Hi! Thank yall for all the help that’s been provided so far! We’ve had a recent problem (maybe?) come up that we don’t know what to do, if something can be done.
A little backstory:
We are first time chicken owners, just passed the year mark. We started with 6 chicks- all supposed to be Rhode Island Red hens- but ended up with 5 hens (3 for sure RIR but 2 mixed with, we think, brown leghorn) and a rooster. Shortly after they were old enough to be moved to their coop outside, our rooster started to crow, and had to be rehomed due to city limits. Since then, we’ve had a few issues with pecking order, but they’ve pretty much established it. A few weeks ago, we had one of our mixes go broody. We put her in a broody breaker and it worked! (Thank yall for that!) When we introduced her back to the flock, all seemed well. Our other mix kept chasing her trying to snap her out of the brood, but stopped after that first day when she realized the brood had already been broken. However, the RIR hen at the top of the pecking order has started mounting the other hens? And both shake their feathers after?I’ve watched her mount #2, #4, and #5 in the pecking order- some more than once. It’s only been 3 days since our broody rejoined the flock, so this just seems a little excessive for her to start doing it this much this soon? We’ve read that it’s a dominance thing, but we’re confused on why it’s mainly the lower hens that she’s doing it to? Like we don’t see them trying to go up the pecking order, so why does she need to establish dominance over them?
She’s done this once before in December, when they were figuring out the pecking order, but it was a one and done. Now, it’s become almost a daily thing. Is there anything we can do to stop her from doing this? Or is it something we just have to let them figure it out?
Thank you all for the help! We appreciate it!
A little backstory:
We are first time chicken owners, just passed the year mark. We started with 6 chicks- all supposed to be Rhode Island Red hens- but ended up with 5 hens (3 for sure RIR but 2 mixed with, we think, brown leghorn) and a rooster. Shortly after they were old enough to be moved to their coop outside, our rooster started to crow, and had to be rehomed due to city limits. Since then, we’ve had a few issues with pecking order, but they’ve pretty much established it. A few weeks ago, we had one of our mixes go broody. We put her in a broody breaker and it worked! (Thank yall for that!) When we introduced her back to the flock, all seemed well. Our other mix kept chasing her trying to snap her out of the brood, but stopped after that first day when she realized the brood had already been broken. However, the RIR hen at the top of the pecking order has started mounting the other hens? And both shake their feathers after?I’ve watched her mount #2, #4, and #5 in the pecking order- some more than once. It’s only been 3 days since our broody rejoined the flock, so this just seems a little excessive for her to start doing it this much this soon? We’ve read that it’s a dominance thing, but we’re confused on why it’s mainly the lower hens that she’s doing it to? Like we don’t see them trying to go up the pecking order, so why does she need to establish dominance over them?
She’s done this once before in December, when they were figuring out the pecking order, but it was a one and done. Now, it’s become almost a daily thing. Is there anything we can do to stop her from doing this? Or is it something we just have to let them figure it out?
Thank you all for the help! We appreciate it!
