I wish I understood my Buff Orpington

[tiny529]

I think I have a defective BO. She's sweet in that she never pecks any hairy or furry creatures that roam the yard with her. She's cool with my kids picking her up and carting her around the yard (but then, so are the Dominique, the Speckled Sussex, and the Easter Egger). But when it comes to the other chickens that she wasn't raised with, she's a MONSTER! A cute, fluffy, blonde monster. The other chickens have been in the coop with her for months now and everyone else is okay with them. Occasionally one of the other older girls will give one of the youngin' a peck if they are too close while eating, but Buffy will chase them all around the run.

Yesterday, she picked a fight with my little Salmon Faverolle cockerel, Karl (he's seriously a runt, which is part of the reason why I kept him. The other reason was that he was the only boy who seemed pretty nice once puberty set in). I watched her. He was minding his own business and she just jumped him. Buffy won. Poor Karl is a mass of bruises and scabs now.

For Karl's safety and against Buffy's wishes, the only one I let out of the run today was Buffy. She's on broody bout #5 since the spring. If it weren't for the fact that my son is in love with her, I'd be all for lopping her head off right about now. I get few eggs and a lot of hassle from this one!!!!

 

[nurse_turtle]

Buffy needs "Pinless Peepers".

 

[Gofygure]

Try removing her from the flock for two or three weeks, if you have space for her. It sounds like she's got a case of Queen Bee Syndrome and needs to be given a new spot on the totem pole. Once she's been away for a while she'll have to go through the gauntlet as an outsider in a unified flock. It tends to do wonders for a bossy hen's perspective.

 

[tiny529]

The pinless peepers look cool. What is their purpose, exactly?

Queen bee... *snicker* Yeah, that's Buffy. I was thinking about putting her in the tractor that I used for my meaties this summer. Since I wouldn't be dragging it around the yard, she would always be in view of the others, but they wouldn't be able to interact. Maybe I'll give that a try. I can't keep her locked in the run/coop while the others forage since the others need to get in to lay eggs. And the others are miserable when they see her out and they can't go out too. She's been chasing everyone away from the nest box area, so the others have taken to laying in the far corner of the coop, which is miserable for me to reach. I'm wondering if I should put her in there now. She's got to be close to being done this broody bout and I'm worried that if she's not sitting on that nest box, she'll torment poor Karl.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

If you have a tractor then yes put her in it and leave her there for a few weeks so a new pecking order gets established. Then reintroduce her and she will hopefully be a little lower in it and the lesson will be learned. Also maybe letting her sit on eggs while she is seperated will satisfy her broodiness.

 

[Den in Penn]

If its a tractor I'd move it so she can see or be seen by the others. You want to create a vacuum in the pecking order that the others fill. If they can see her the vacuum is not complete.

 

[tiny529]

Okay, so I should put her in there and then move it so no one can see her. Will she likely make a fuss? She's probably my noisiest hen anyway. Will it matter if the other chickens are free-ranging and see her in the tractor? They seem to move all over the yard and there isn't really any place to move the tractor that everyone can't get to.

 

[Den in Penn]

Ideally it should be a place where she isn't seen or heard. If there is no place to put her where they don't free range that makes it tougher. If you could at least put it where it isn't seen from the coop and or the main place they hang out, it would be better. Most of us don't have the room to isolate for sound. So I didn't bring that part up before. A lot of times you just have to do the best you can even if it isn't ideal.

 

[tiny529]

Hmmm... I could move the tractor to the back of the yard and then turn it so that the sheltered side faces the coop/run. No guarantee that someone won't walk over there while free ranging, but they are less likely to. They like to hang around the house since the wild bird seed feeders are there. They seem to congregate under them.

*laugh* Just heard an unfamiliar hen cackle and peeked outside to see who was making all the racket. It wasn't a hen but my Karl! I didn't know boys made that sound too.

 

[Den in Penn]

Try that move for the separation as see. Hens can crow rooster can sing the egg song. If one sex can make the sound the other can too. We just don't think of if often.