I would have major hen fights if I did that. Last year with two broodies and their chicks, we had a few hen fights that looked more like cock fights. They had to be broken up before someone got hurt. Very careful of who came near their chicks.I plan on putting my next batch out on day one.
mine made contact!!! Like once one knocked the other on her back and proceeded to jump on her. That HAD to be broken up. They did finally settle down, but only after both sets of chicks got older and the moms became less interested in their chicks. I was lucky no one got hurt.
Is the EE your dominant hen? Do you have a rooster? (you may have answered that before
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Is the EE your dominant hen? Do you have a rooster? (you may have answered that before
and since then, actually right before we moved them in, we lost one hen in fall 2017 to a hawk, so one less hen anyway, and plus way more room, the new coop is 4x8 and there is still the same 6x12 run but the new coop is outside with an enclosed ramp leading into the run so without the coop in the middle of the run and with less hens, it feels much more open. And we are expanding the run. So anyway, with more space the Barred Rock and Australorps seem to be much happier and calmer and have stopped bullying the others, really it was mostly just one Australorp in particular who was a bully, but she seems to not be now. She still occasionally keeps others away from good treats and is a little mean about it but she usually lets others eat now even the EE that used to get bullied (one was ranked higher and was allowed to eat with them, the other usually wasn’t) and she even runs right up to get treats out of my hand whereas before she was very timid and if they even looked at her the wrong way she would take off and she tended to stay away from me and them until they had their fill. But now they seem more tolerant and she seems more confident. So I don’t know if by adding more space, it made the more dominant birds calmer and left a power vaccum that she felt obligated to fill?? Although that said, she actually kind of started this even before I moved them to the new coop so maybe that is not it. Idk. But she seems to bully the Orpingtons, or at least one in particular. Idk if maybe because she was bullied she picked up those bad habits and learned how to bully others? Is that possible? We do not have a rooster. Although now I am kind of considering one. They sometimes break up hen fights, right? I just hope she cuts it out because I don’t want her to be on a power trip and hurt the littles because she is suddenly not the lowest on the pecking order anymore. Although I think some of the Orpingtons were always last. Although they used to sometimes keep her from treats too and she respected it. Now she seems to just target the Orpingtons for no reason. They haven’t done anything as far as I can tell. But I usually only catch the tail end of the fight where she is already on top of the other hen or fluffed up. But it’s weird because they all seem to get along otherwise, they’ll have their little tiff but then they’ll all lay together in the run or forage together or whatever so it is weird. She is not like constantly going after her all the time or anything but it does seem to be kind of a lot and for no reason. And I guess she does usually hang with the other Easter Egger and the Orpingtons usually hang with each other and/or the Barred Rock, the Australorps are usually with each other, an Orpington, or the Barred Rock. So they do kind of seem to separate themselves anyway. If that matters. Though usually they do also hang out together and travel as a group but it’s just when they split into their mini groups in slightly different areas they have favorites. But yeah. Idk what her problem is. Maybe at 3 1/2 she is just old and crotchety lol and also she didn’t lay for at least 7 months, possibly longer, stopped in August or possibly sooner (that’s when she molted but I think she had already stopped before then) and didn’t resume again till March. And now she is laying well but I wonder if her not laying so long has made her hormonal or like chicken menopause or something and messed her up?? If that could affect her moods? Lol
I will not be added babies to adult birds.
