Horrible Problem and very angry

[speckledhen]

Have you seen them kill another bird? I dont mean eat or pick at a dead one, but actually kill or gang up on one that didn't have a wound already? Something is just not right here.

 

[terri9630]

Have you had any problems since you pulled the two of them out?

 

[chickenrunnin]

UPDATE
Well I dreaded coming home from work today only to find that everyone is happy. The wyandottes did very well with my year olds and all my other babies were alive. YEA!! everyone is happy. Thanks for all of your moral support guys

 

[the_great_snag]

This almost sounds like a cat's handiwork. They typically leave the legs when they kill a chicken.

If you are sure they were doing it, I would kill them, skin them, and make soup out of them.

How closely are your chickens confined? Could that have contributed to the behavior?

 

[hinkjc]

Quote:
I'm not sure what you saw at the sale and if they were true araucana or not, but I breed araucana and they are not savage beasts or fighters at all. They are very timid flock members who do stand their ground well. They do not pick fights and are not "pecky" birds if raised properly. My araucana hens are great mothers and my roos are excellent caretakers of the flock. I have even kept multiple roos together without issues. I would guess the birds you saw at the sale were EEs or already abused before they got there and the ones they were confined with in the crate continued pecking at already existing wounds. Very sad indeed.

I'm glad the OP has everything straightened out, but you will want to consider why your youngsters are dying in the first place. Was it due to being forced from the feeder from the more aggressive birds or is something going on healthwise? Monitor their stools..this is the time of year for cocci outbreaks, which is very curable if caught early. Best wishes.