INTEGRATION:suddenly very violent,seperation or let them fight?UPDATE!

[rosyposyosy]

she's the top hen, next is the banty, then my BR. I don't think there will be much fighting since my BR doesnt fight, she just gets attacked. she's seperated with my BR right now, away from my EE. She's just been whacko lately.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

With her being top hen and a stray cat around she maybe acting up some from the stray cat.

 

[rosyposyosy]

she was acting out before the cat came.

 

[silkiechicken]

I meant that if you get rid of your EE, your next down might take over her spot and start acting up because she will then be top hen, your baby is going to be on bottom till you get more chicks in the spring. Since once you try to integrate the new ones, the top and your baby now will most likely pick on them. My top and bottom hens are the worse offenders when it comes to beating up and tearing out feathers on the newbies. I let them do it with no intervention and they figure it out in a few weeks. The youngins only get to eat when they are all out or at night when the elders go to roost, but that's how it works. From other threads, if the humans intervene, it always seems longer and harder to integrate as the birds learn if they beat up the new ones, the master chicken will come and take out the intruder.

I say play tough love and shove them all together and let the abuse begin as that is what they have to do to eventually get along. Free ranging also helps.

 

[rosyposyosy]

ok. tough love for a week.

new news. I was out shopping. I get home, my dad says that Gordita was CROWING.

EDITED TO ADD: Gordita has laid eggs. She stopped laying 2 weeks ago tommorow.

EDITED AGAIN: My mom said she saw gordita mounting lenore. That would explain her holding on to lenore's head/neck feathers.

I'm gonna go look for that thread of hens turning into roosters. I will have to get rid of her if she crows. I am trying to change the law about keeping chickens, saying hens are quiet, roosters are loud. this isnt helping. I'll observe tommorrow.