ISO Poultry Manger :)

[Mobilelyn]

Not really but sure could use advice.

We picked up our first flock on Sunday. We bought: 3 Silkies (4 weeks), 3 Wyandottes (5 weeks) with 1 Ameraucana (Roo? 5 weeks), 3 Ameraucana 4 weeks.

Everyone gets along except for the Ameraucana (a/k/a Little Pecker) who I am pretty sure is a roo. He was downright nasty to all the others the first day. Attacking & trying to assure his place at the top of the line When he repeatedly went for my silkies eyes, We pulled him from the rest & the others all settled in nicely. Knowing they needed to work it out we integrated him back in.

He still harrasses the others pecking & flying at them but I am now more concerned with his newest form of dominance: hoarding the food & water. He wont let any of the others near it. I couldn't understand why they weren't eating until I observed for a bit & saw him chase off anyone who came near either one. This has been going on for 2 days. He really gets onto them when they are all settled in. He waits for them to settle in before abandoning guard over the food & water. Then riles them all up trying to get into the snuggle mix which riles THEM up sending them near the food which causes him to attack. See the circle ? ugh.

As soon as I remove him from the box, there is a mad dash for food & water. Poor guys were starving & thirsty!

What can I do? He is the only real issue we have. I am not sure what to do. Is rehoming my best option?

Thanks for any advice- I have looking through old posts to see if this has been answered but haven't come across it yet.

 

[Ridgerunner]

That could be a cockerel, probably is, but a really brutish pullet will do that kind of stuff too. At that age the make hormones haven't really kicked in, it's more of a dominance/pecking order thing. Keeping the others away from food and water is something older chickens will do as part of the intimidation in maintaining their pecking order status. That chick is one of the older ones.

You don't know how that will play out over time. The chick may settle down and become a good flock member. Or it may remain a brute, male or female. You can try separating it for a few days then put it back with the others and see what happens, or just get rid of it. If separating for a few days doesn't work, I'd get rid of it. Whether pullet or cockerel, there are too many good ones available to put up with a brute.

In any case, can you add additional food and water stations spread out so he can't keep the others away from all of them? In a brooder that may be hard to do, but I do that when integrating chicks with my adults. It helps.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I am shocked that no one realizes that the pecking order is all about who has the first choice or best access to food and water. In chickens this is true whether the chicken is a hen or a rooster. You need other water sources and feeders spread out so far that they can't all be guarded by only one chicken. At any rate as this rooster matures his primary concern will shift from his stomach to other organs in his nether regions. Once this happens he will call all the hens to eat with him and he will stand back like a gentleman and let them eat first.

 

[Mobilelyn]

Thanks for the input! I am getting additional feeders/waterers in the morning. I am so hopeful that this will be the solution until we encounter a new problem as he ages. I am quite smitten with the little guy. I noticed one of my 4 weekers had his eye shut & I fear we may have seen our first true injury.

I am going to post photos later