Murderous Buckeye

[theoldchick]

Who know why this incident happened. Flock dynamics change on a daily basis and for some reason the Buckeye was really upset and instinct dominated her behavior. Although 14 months can be considered young, it could be this particular bird had developed an reproductive issue causing her to no longer produce female hormones at a normal rate. When this happens you will have a hen that turns aggressive, attempts to crow, and no longer produces eggs.

Genetics can determine personality traits and if people breed aggressive birds the backyard hobbist will have problems with aggression. I'd keep an eye on this hen and if she finds another target she may do the same thing again. If she does you'll have to make a decision on how you want to protect the rest of the flock.

Sorry for the loss of your JG.

 

[Sydney Acres]

Hi Rockscout,

I'm so sorry about the loss of your JG, especially under such unexpected circumstances. There are so many possibilities as to what could have happened, and I know it's very frustrating that you'll never know for sure. Another unknown not yet mentioned is that you saw the end of the fight, but you didn't see the beginning. You don't know if the JG started the fight and the Buckeye felt she was fighting for her life against a larger opponent, or if something frightened both of them and suddenly the "fight or flight" response became misdirected and turned against the closest opponent. You also don't know how long the fight lasted. It does seem extraordinary that a simple hen fight could kill an opponent without obvious injury, but if it was prolonged or the JG had a weak heart, which is more common in the larger breeds, then what would have otherwise been a simple fight could cause heart failure and death quite quickly. Another possibility along those lines is that the JG had a weak heart and started seizuring or staggering, which is common in birds with heart disease, and the Buckeye attacked what now appeared to be a stranger in the flock. I know that sounds bizarre that an animal wouldn't recognize it's flockmate, but it is extremely common for flock or pack animals to attack when someone in their group has a seizure.

I hope that you do not give up on Buckeyes. In general they are birds of exceptionally sweet and social temperaments. But just like any other animal, some individuals will not represent their breed well. I've even seen aggressive Golden Retrievers, although they're few and far between, thank goodness. And just like people, some animals can live a long time with a stable temperament and then just "snap" for some reason, whether it be unique circumstances, frustrations, fear, hormones, pain, imbalanced neurotransmitters, genetics, whatever -- it's uncommon but it does happen.

My sympathies for you loss, and your difficult decision as to what to do now with the Buckeye.

 

[ameliachick1234]

I was thinking about getting a buckeye to befriend my 3 white leghorns. But i dont want her to be aggressive. im leaving for PA tommorrow and plan on getting her there. -ameliachick1234

 

[Minniechickmama]

I have found that when I turn out the breeding pens on pasture with the rest of the flock, my Buckeye hens do take charge, but have never injured another bird.

 

[MsRae]

Hi,
Welcome... New Egg also. I'm researching breeds for my flock. I'm entertaining the idea of heritage breeds, Buckeye being one of them. From what I've read on line so far, they are supposed to be active but gentle. I'm sorry you lost your Jersey Giant. Perhaps it's just an isolated incident, maybe even propagated by something being wrong with the JG. I wouldn't know. I'm not too experienced, but am learning more everyday. Keep us posted... I'd interested in your findings.