Hi All! Great forum to find! And pleasure to join in and chat to u. We rescued 6 ex battery hens yesterday (all new to this!) so me and the kids went to the collection center armed with boxes and brought 6 poor old girls home to there nice warm hen house and a life of free range in our garden. I do have a couple of questions, is it normal for one to be a bully from the start? And one question that may seem silly should i shut the next box off and keep them out in the day? I hope this doesnt sound daft! We really are looking forward to getting our girls healthy and happy now after such a cruel start! Thanks for looking
glad to have you join us. There will always be a pecking order and all you can do is let them work it out unless the bully is injuring the other hens. I think you are asking if you should shut them out of the nest boxes during the day? They need access to the nests or they will be laying elsewhere. If you haven't already done so, you should visit the Learning Center - there's a lot of helpful articles there. Enjoy your new flock.
Hi, and welcome to BYC!! Congrats on your flock Yes, bullying does happen in order to establish who's who in the totem pole. Best of luck to you!
Hi and Yep, some bullying is to be expected just in sorting out the pecking order. This will decrease as they get settled in. The nest boxes stay open during the day so they can lay eggs there instead of hiding them in the bushes or elsewhere. Good luck with your new flock and thanks for joining us!
BTW you will want to put out another feed & water dish in a different area - bullies like to chase others away and starve them out.
Hello all...just joined. My town council is about to vote next month that on whether to lift the ban on chickens in the city limits. They have opened it up for public comment and I plan on submitting comment in the next week or so. I would like to hear thoughts on the primary benefits of allowing backyard chickens. I plan to focus on private property rights, the nutritional value of fresh eggs vs store-bought and the recreational benefits. Any additional and supplemental ideas would be appreciated. Thanks!!
