Hen pecked!

[jodiv]

well i tried the blu kote, i'm sure it helped with the soarness but they still were attacking him, although i didnt notice if they had picked in the same spot or not.

I sectioned off the run, took all but 10 minutes to do. The other roo winston stays with the hens on their side, he can fend for himself, he just runs away from them when they give chase, and they pretty much leave him alone.

Puff just needs a little "more" care than him, Im just gonna wait till hes bigger, then re introduce him. He has that heir about him...who knows he might get fed up and be a very great rooster. (fingers crossed) Oh yea and I have put the cabosh on him perching on my shoulder...yikes, if he is as big as his father I definatly dont want him to be on my shoulder!!! So I will keep you guys posted on his dilemma! Thank you all for the ideas! he has a snug place to hide, blu kote on his rump and a section all his own for now!

 

[stacym]

I wish you luck with your pecking problem. I have a hen that is still being pecked on a constant basis. It got so bad that she now has her own little fenced off area away from the other "bullies". What I have noticed is that this particular hen and another sibling are slightly smaller and lower in the pecking order.
We just got done showing one of the "bullies" at the County Fair where she spent a week. Then she had to be quarantned for another week. When she went back with the others you would have thought she never left.( I have to crow that my daughter got a showmanship trophy first time out with her. The judge said that she knew and alot about poultry)
Kind of at my wits end with the hen that is constantly getting picked on. It will be winter and she won't even have anyone to keep her warm. She is such a sweet little thing and follows us around like a little dog.
Good luck!

 

[jodiv]

aww the poor thing. It does indeed get fustrating.

Congrats to your daughter on her chicken! Must have been exciting her first time.

well as far as your pecking problem, I would be even MORE fustrated because it was a hen...at least the roo will eventually outgrow his witchy hens, but another hens is pretty much doomed to her position once established. I know its nature and way of things, but you still can't help but feel a little sorry for them.

I did say that if either one didnt work out, that one of them would have to go (into my freezer) BUT.....you know how that goes I'll probably end up keeping him for his "personality". LOL Seems that if they are freindly, its harder to get rid of them. Not to mention I'd like to see how big he gets and if he will be good for my own daughter to show.

Does your little hen lay eggs? If she does, Id say keep her around anyways, she is paying her way. (sigh) those darned chickens anyways!

 

[chookchick]

Aww, he is still really young, I bet he will show them "what for" when he grows up. Is there a docile hen you can put in with him to keep him company until he is old enough to stand up for himself?

 

[jodiv]

no there isnt a docile one...Last night just before i went to the coop to put everyone to bed, and close up the coop, I couldnt find him in his section of the run.....I freaked!

Low and behold he flew over the barrier and made his way into the coop with everyone else, he was sitting in one of the nest boxes with his buddy winston laying by him, one wing covering Puff. (sigh) goofy chickens.

Then this morning i let every one out, opened the window in the coop, put Puff back into his section of the run,went back in the house, and just then it started to downpour!

I ran back outside to shut the coop window so it wouldnt get wet, went back into the house, and happened to look out my window to see Puff going into his barrel to get out of the rain. I also see Winston pacing back and forth in the downpour (apparently worried about Puff). You know that goofy rooster stood out in the rain by Puff.

Well naturally I went back out (much to my dislike) in the downpour to grab the 2 and chase them back into the coop.
Just then OF COURSE the rain let up.

 

[fordmommy]

Chickens are crazy, aren't they? See he has a friend. Us girls can be sooooo mean.

 

[jodiv]

I agree us women have a mean streak BUT good news, the nhens have finally accepted him, seems he was persistant enough in going into the coop with them, that they just gave up the chase. LOL

Which is good for me, now I can take down the divider. I still have the blu kote on his butt, not sure if that has anything to do with them not pecking, but what ever it was it worked.

 

[fordmommy]

Puff!

 

[jodiv]

yes i am jumping for joy as well...whoo hoo!

 

[stacym]

Update on our little hen (Nellie). She is still getting her feathers pulled out of her head. I may need to knit her a cap for the winter! I know that actually she should be culled. She does lay but not as well as the others. It's just she is just such a lovely little ugly hen! The other day she was running after my daughter and was listing from side to side because she is fat and was running so fast.

We are building a new coop and I have to make a decision about her. There will not be room for her to be seperate from the others. I am seriously thinking about using an old doghouse just for her and heating it. How nuts is that!?!
If she wasn't so much like a little lap dog than a chicken maybe I could do what should be done. But you know that she's probably going to be getting her own personal "chicken condo"