yesterday i bought a silkie, my road island reds keep pecking it should i tell them off , i dont want it to get hurt is the pecks hurting her?
Well, I am sure the Silkie isn't happy about it, and yes I am sure it hurts. Just make sure nothing gets too bad, remember they have to work out the pecking order.
Yes, they can hurt her and even kill her if it gets bloody enough. The best thing to do with new birds is keep them in a caged or fenced area within the flock for a couple of weeks so that everybody sees each other, but no body touches. This gives them all a chance to get to know each other and establish the pecking order. If you leave the new bird separated for a few weeks, mixing them back in should go easy. But always be on hand for another week to watch them, and always intervene if it turns bloody. Good luck with your flock!
Silkies are especially prone to harm if pecked in the head. Being the only silkie, they will hone in on her for the attack.
Hello and Welcome To BYC! drumstick diva and TwoCrows gave you good advice. Special birds like silkies sometimes do not do well in a mixed flock, so do be prepared to keep her separated from the RIR.
thank you , we have put her in a seperate coop and run for tonight but now she is shes not as shy and we are going to keep an eye on them!
That is good, Silkies are usually the underdog in a mixed flock. So keeping a close eye out is a what you need to do. Welcome to BYC from Southern California!
Hi everyone....my girls just got 2 silkies to add to our flock of 12 mixed that we raised. It's breaking my heart because they are doing the same thing to the 2 silkies. I put then out in our good size run here and there and when we are not home or at roost time. They are in a open wired dog cage. My husband would kill me, but I am about ready to just go with all silkies and oriental bantams. The rest of our flock shoot start laying soon.
