i somehow acquired 2 runaways and i have questions. please help

[McChooky]

welcome to this crazy thread, mcchooky!

Not everyone rescues chickens and buys coops with runs. You appear to be having a lot of fun with them!We call it chicken fever!

 

[McChooky]

i feel like thelma is in a narcissistic relationship

You could have fooled me! She looks like she'd be devastated without her friend.Chickens that have experienced hunger from being strayed or lost or abandoned can become food aggressive

 

[tlcmurphy]

Many of us develop tricks to ensure fair sharing of treats. I use the two-handed closed fist approach (one hand in front of me and one behind).
I find also that rapidly tossing treats over a wide area means they are too busy chasing after the latest windfall to notice that the smaller ones are calmly cleaning up behind them.

I spin like a sprinkler spreading mealworms far and wide. I know what you’re thinking but it amuses the neighbors

 

[BDutch]

Pollipazzi,
Do they gave access to chick or layer feed all the time? Then it’s not bc Thelma is hungry. I would stop giving treats if one of my chickens gets aggressive when I give them treats.

Or (as said) Maybe it’s something that happened in the past or somehow stress related and its better to give treats when your chicken are separated while they can’t see each other (one inside the run and the other in the garden)?

And make your garden % bug free so the chickens cant argue over those.

 

[tlcmurphy]

Pollipazzi,
Do they gave access to chick or layer feed all the time? Then it’s not bc Thelma is hungry. I would stop giving treats if one of my chickens gets aggressive when I give them treats.

Or (as said) Maybe it’s something that happened in the past or somehow stress related and its better to give treats when your chicken are separated while they can’t see each other (one inside the run and the other in the garden)?

And make your garden % bug free so the chickens cant argue over those.

And then please let us know HOW you made it bug free, because I’m swimming in them here!

 

[McChooky]

I've got a sweet little Welsummer named Sunny who follows me around like a dog but every time I go to pet her my Sapphire Blue who's twice her size jumps her. Apparently she's jealous.

 

[pollipazzi]

Not everyone rescues chickens and buys coops with runs. You appear to be having a lot of fun with them!We call it chicken fever!

my husband would call it insanity.
i have to wonder sometimes how different it would be to have gotten chickens the normal way.
i mean. i never even thought about chickens before they appeared, but it seems in comparison to the normal way, (from what i read) that most of the problems were double difficult. plus not having any knowledge at all about chickens.
there's not a lot of information out there about what to do if chickens just come along and take over your life and garden unexpectedly.
when i say i need a manual, i mean literally... i need someone to tell me exactly what to do, when, for how long, and how many times. lol! i absolutely do not have a clue what i am doing.
still.
after them landing here 6 months ago.

 

[pollipazzi]

I've got a sweet little Welsummer named Sunny who follows me around like a dog but every time I go to pet her my Sapphire Blue who's twice her size jumps her. Apparently she's jealous.

i sometimes wonder if jealousy has a part in louise's obnoxious behaviour.

 

[pollipazzi]

Pollipazzi,
Do they gave access to chick or layer feed all the time? Then it’s not bc Thelma is hungry. I would stop giving treats if one of my chickens gets aggressive when I give them treats.

Or (as said) Maybe it’s something that happened in the past or somehow stress related and its better to give treats when your chicken are separated while they can’t see each other (one inside the run and the other in the garden)?

And make your garden % bug free so the chickens cant argue over those.

access 24/7. plus free ranging all day.
it's not lack of food. she seems ravenous lately, though. like all she wants to do is eat! and pick on thelma.

when one is laying an egg, i give a little treat to the other one so they don't have to fight for it.

they have have done a good job eating the bugs! but ireland is made of snails and slugs. two little chickens aren't going to help much. but i do chuck some of the snails over the wall to the neighbours. lol!