So usually the chicks from the brooder would never meet my egg layers. The chicks are seramas, which I raise, and we have a few silkies and a couple Easter eggers, which we keep in a separate coop. We also have adult seramas, but they currently live outside.
So anyway. A fox broke into our run and got at the chickens. Luckily we actually saw it and were able to get outside and scare it off. One of them was badly injured across the face and another was knicked, but no casualties. However, the coop and run are toast. The fox literally broke through the siding. It was a kit, and apparently complete junk. We were already constructing a new coop and run, and were close to having it done, so we moved the five of them into the house temporarily to treat wounds and keep a close eye. Not the best, I know, but they’re pets and we already had something semi setup inside.
Obviously the silkies can’t fly so they’re stuck in their enclosure. However, the gray chickens, the injured ones—there are two—are definitely capable of flying. However, the most they’ve done before this is hang out roosting on the top of the pen and the railing.
The brooder is set up in the next room, and actually not easy for them to get into. They’re about a week old, which means they’re close to day old chick size. They do usual chick stuff and occasionally we’d hear the hens clucking to them. Then today we heard a huge ruckus. Somehow the gray hens had stolen three chicks. One of them was sitting on them and the other one was still trying to steal them. (We have 20 so there’d have to be a lot of theft to get them all.). As near as I can tell they plucked them up by the scruff and carried them back to their enclosure. We took the chicks back and put them in the brooder. We also shut the door so hopefully there will be no more chances.
Is it normal for hens to steal chicks? I was under the impression chickens really didn’t care about unrelated chicks, but the gray chickens went to a lot of work to acquire them, and were definitely trying to take care of them. Should I have left them there? There is quite a sizable difference as adults. The seramas end up x-large pigeon size at the most and the gray hens are regular chicken size.
So anyway. A fox broke into our run and got at the chickens. Luckily we actually saw it and were able to get outside and scare it off. One of them was badly injured across the face and another was knicked, but no casualties. However, the coop and run are toast. The fox literally broke through the siding. It was a kit, and apparently complete junk. We were already constructing a new coop and run, and were close to having it done, so we moved the five of them into the house temporarily to treat wounds and keep a close eye. Not the best, I know, but they’re pets and we already had something semi setup inside.
Obviously the silkies can’t fly so they’re stuck in their enclosure. However, the gray chickens, the injured ones—there are two—are definitely capable of flying. However, the most they’ve done before this is hang out roosting on the top of the pen and the railing.
The brooder is set up in the next room, and actually not easy for them to get into. They’re about a week old, which means they’re close to day old chick size. They do usual chick stuff and occasionally we’d hear the hens clucking to them. Then today we heard a huge ruckus. Somehow the gray hens had stolen three chicks. One of them was sitting on them and the other one was still trying to steal them. (We have 20 so there’d have to be a lot of theft to get them all.). As near as I can tell they plucked them up by the scruff and carried them back to their enclosure. We took the chicks back and put them in the brooder. We also shut the door so hopefully there will be no more chances.
Is it normal for hens to steal chicks? I was under the impression chickens really didn’t care about unrelated chicks, but the gray chickens went to a lot of work to acquire them, and were definitely trying to take care of them. Should I have left them there? There is quite a sizable difference as adults. The seramas end up x-large pigeon size at the most and the gray hens are regular chicken size.
