Just When You Think Everyone is Getting Along

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i have this one pen of hens that have been together for a while now - four silkies, a d'anver, a bantam ameraucana, and a little lame mf d'uccle. One of the silkies is sitting on eggs due to hatch in 4 days. Then i discovered the ameraucana has decided to peck open all the eggs she can find, including several with live chicks inside. She's not eating them, just pecking the large ends open. i caught her sticking her beak right under the broody's bottom. Unfortunately, we lost two babies. Then the little lame MF D'Uccle (who is bottom of the pecking order except for the brooding silkie) decides she is going to stand over the broody and continually peck her on the head.

So now i have those two pulled out and in a large crate. Not sure what to do with them. i'm wondering why the ameraucana has suddenly decided to peck eggs open, and i'm at my wit's end with the d'uccle. i had to move her from another pen several months back. Once she knows another chicken is afraid of her she just keeps pecking them. She doesn't seem to understand the whole pecking order thing - peck a couple times to establish dominance, then get about your day. No, she will keep chasing and pecking until i yank her out of the pen.

i don't know. Why, why, why can't everyone just get along?

 

[Happy Chooks]

Ugh. You're having a bad chicken day. I'm sorry.

I noticed today that 3 of my girls have little bald spots on their heads. Moose, my rooster, is obviously trying to mate them. I hope he gets more gentle on them when he figures out how to do it.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i have such a hard time with the new rooster routine, before they figure out how to do it right, and before the girls become compliant. The girls screaming frazzles me. And, why does the rooster have to begin and end with a head peck?

 

[Kristian]

She probably has a mental defect or she is just a ...... bad hen!
Quote:

 

[Kristian]

I have a question. I just found a hen stuck under some bucket that I saved. I put her in a barn with a broody and her newly hatched chicks. My rooster jumped in and started bothering her

and her chicks. Will they be fine?

 

[ADozenGirlz]

I'm having a bad chicken day too. The existing flock of 11 doesn't seem to want to acccept the 3 new Frizzles or two of its own 5 week old chicks. Can't we all just get along?

The factions: The existing crew, the Frizzles (Monica, Rachel & Phoebe) & the babies (Soupy & Rosie)

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Quote:
i realize roosters need to do what roosters do, but i really have a hard time when they pester the girls too much. i've actually never kept a hen and chicks with a rooster, so not sure how they would react. It's probably an individual thing. i would watch them closely and remove the rooster from the situation if he gets too aggressive.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

ADozenGirlz - See, this is why i have 11 separate coops and pens. i hate the pecking order and would rather have smaller groups that get along rather than one big peck feast. i can't stand to see anyone getting picked on.

Your frizzles are gorgeous! Although they look a little apprehensive. Are they a lot smaller than the other chickens? i like to keep similar size birds together. i wouldn't want a little one getting picked on. Can you create a separate cage? Or maybe just put up a temporary barrier to keep the frizzles and chicks safe until they all get used to each other?

 

[Happy Chooks]

I haven't witnessed the mating thing yet. But from the bare spots on their head, it's obviously happening. I saw him wing dance for my BR yesterday, so he's trying to take charge of the older hens.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Well, two more eggs pecked open this morning - two more dead chicks. i had the suspected egg-pecker and the head-pecker in a separate crate, so they didn't do it this time. i can't imagine it's the broody. She has raised chicks before. Anyhow, i took the two remaining eggs and gave them to a broody in another pen. The suspected culprits got to go back into their old pen, so they're happy.

i think i'm done brooding eggs for a while.