is this a fight or canibalism?

[RioLindoAz]

Today I went out side to check on my 4 three month old baby silkies (I let them free range in my city lot) and one of my silkies started to attack one of my other silkies and they started to peck, kick, & jump. Three were in the the fight and the only one left was the smallest one that was eating. for sure the one that starten the fight was a boy cause it has the biggest comb and the other ones in the fight might be boys cause tiny combs
but the one that was not fighting did not have a comb. the question is: were they fiting cause they're cockerals or were they fighting because of canibalism and even if they did fight if they were cockerals aren't they yong to fight?
is this normal?

 

[RioLindoAz]

anyone?

 

[siz8003]

well I have 2 silkies in my flock and they are the ones who seem the most well behaved do you have pics mine are about 6-7 weeks and no combs yet

 

[peepsnbunnies]

My silkie babies are about the same age and they do that all the time. They are just sparing at this point. I consider them teenagers.

 

[Fancy Feather Poultry]

Who ever said there silkies dont have combs because they might not have a comb mine are both 10 weks they have a crest...my silkie pullets crest just started getting lumpy and then my silkie cockerel dosnt have a crest just a beard under his beak.

 

[RioLindoAz]

I don't know if it is normal ccause they were pecking each other very hard

 

[DoctorGoose]

My silkies (a roo and a pullet) get along pretty well--but they've always been bestest of friends since I brought them home. My wyandottes and BRs, however, fight, peck, and do the "male victory chest bounce". I think they're just teens establishing the pecking order...when mine started pecking on each other, I just let them out to free range and get rid of their energy.

 

[ruth]

Hi ChickenBoy - I don't know what to say. I have 13 chickens of various ages and breeds and I have never seen them fight or peck each other. Mine free range over several acres of woods and are also fed lots of good foods like fruits, veggies, oats, cheese - just about everything.

Some people say that their chickens "free range" but they really mean they run lose in their small backyards where, in most cases, they can't catch and eat many insects, natural vegetation or berries, because they've already cleaned the place out.

If yours are well fed and exercised, and are not overcrowded and bored, I can't imagine why they would be "pecking each other really hard" and I'm sure it could lead to wounds if they keep it up. I'm sure others on here have more experience with this.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Hi - i have 10 six-week-old silkies and 3 five-week-old silkies (kept separated). Most all do the same thing - jumping, kicking, some pecking. It looks to me that they are just sparring, getting their ya-ya's out. A couple of them will take it a step further and do the sparing then freeze in a stance almost like they are about to do the tango, then wait for the other to make a move. Whoever moves first gets jumped on. There are only four of them that tend to take things further than the jumping/playing thing. Of those, two are females (bought from mypetchicken) and the other two i hatched so don't know the sex.

The only one i'm concerned about is one of the females, who doesn't just peck, but will peck, bite and hold on while her opponent screams. She has the potential to do some damage. So i will probably rehome her.

Do your chicks do this all the time or only on occasion? And then, is anyone drawing blood? If it's just an occasional skirmish, i wouldn't worry about it. If you think any of them are getting hurt, i would separate them.

 

[RioLindoAz]

Quote:
no-one is drawing blood and they fight several times a day