Hanusaur
Chirping
- Mar 14, 2021
- 49
- 169
- 94
My 4 girls used to get along very well. Always running around together. I noticed pecking order behavior here and there, with the smallest of the 4 seeming to end up as flock leader funnily enough. Today I went out and noticed our polish hen jumping on the back of one of the other girls and pecking the back of her neck. She did it a couple times inside the run before I let them all out into the backyard. I gave them their morning treats & the polish (Dandelion) did it one more time before they separated. There’s some kind of weird tension going on. Once they were free from the run and treat time was over, Daisy, the one who was being bullied by Dandelion, avoided the other 3. She was just pecking about by herself, while the other 3 gathered in a different part of the yard. Anytime any of the other 3 would come close to the space Daisy was in, Daisy would move herself somewhere else. The 2 that were not involved in the bullying seem fine with being around Daisy and will come up next to her and graze next to her, but Daisy moved herself away from them too. Anytime Daisy is near Dandelion, Dandelion shows aggression. I watched them for a while, Daisy kept maintaining a wide birth around the other 3, staying 15 feet away from them or further at all times.
Why has she seemingly been kicked out of the flock? Besides this, they’re acting fine. Daisy is in high spirits, following me around like usual. Eating her favorite treats and getting into mischief like always. I read that chickens will sometimes detect when another is sick, and kick them out for the sake of the flock. But Daisy is showing no signs of sickness.
Edit to add: all 4 grew up in the brooder together, never been separated. They were just going through a molt & recently got their appetites back. They’ve shown no issues like this ever before, besides your typical pecking order stuff. But nothing like this. It seems very odd.
Why has she seemingly been kicked out of the flock? Besides this, they’re acting fine. Daisy is in high spirits, following me around like usual. Eating her favorite treats and getting into mischief like always. I read that chickens will sometimes detect when another is sick, and kick them out for the sake of the flock. But Daisy is showing no signs of sickness.
Edit to add: all 4 grew up in the brooder together, never been separated. They were just going through a molt & recently got their appetites back. They’ve shown no issues like this ever before, besides your typical pecking order stuff. But nothing like this. It seems very odd.
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if you could post a video or picture of the hen getting attacked, that might help to see how intense. it will happen again.
I’d just never seen any of them be that aggressive before, so it worried me. But she was only doing quick attacks, like a quick jump on the other’s back and peck on the back of the neck. No visible injury though. I’d just only ever seen them do a peck on the head before, not a full body slam lol. I’ll keep an eye on them. Crazy girls.
but I did feel like the one jumping on the other’s back looked like rooster behavior. I’ll pay attention and see if she ever attempts to crow lol.
