My brooders never attack me! I keep seeing people talk about it all the time and not even go near their hens at ALL because they MIGHT peck. I just walk right up, move 'em over and check how many eggs are there and plunk them back on them. (I make sure they don't have any on top of their feet first, though)
My girls also NEVER attack newcomers. I can throw 5 4 week old unknown silkies out there on their own and nothing happens 'cept a chicken gets mad the bag wasn't full of food. They do pecking order stuff - but not often.
I wonder... it seems -=I'M=- top of the pecking order? The hens squat for me, as per usual, but if I fight with some, they go lower on the order and if I praise some and show attention to some, I see they suddenly get revered by the other hens. Ooooooh big mama likes Natalie, we should all like Natalie too!
I also have a chick and she's only two weeks old and every day I take her with me outside to play and the other hens/ducks/geese just leave it alone. When they come near I do "clucky mummy bokbok" and the chick stays with me (think I'm mum) and the others just assume I'm it's mum and leave it alone, I guess.
Other than my silver egg eater, I have NO problem with violence in my flock - towards each other or even when they're broody. Edit: my broody hens will even SHARE nests. Currently my six ducklings ALSO have a leghorn mother!! And the girls will lay right on top of my cluckies so the cluckies can take the eggs immediately. And I just take them from the cluckies because they're not fertile, usually.
Not that I'm complaining, but I'd like to know what I'm doing right!!! Or wrong??!
Is it because they think I'm a rooster?
My girls also NEVER attack newcomers. I can throw 5 4 week old unknown silkies out there on their own and nothing happens 'cept a chicken gets mad the bag wasn't full of food. They do pecking order stuff - but not often.
I wonder... it seems -=I'M=- top of the pecking order? The hens squat for me, as per usual, but if I fight with some, they go lower on the order and if I praise some and show attention to some, I see they suddenly get revered by the other hens. Ooooooh big mama likes Natalie, we should all like Natalie too!
I also have a chick and she's only two weeks old and every day I take her with me outside to play and the other hens/ducks/geese just leave it alone. When they come near I do "clucky mummy bokbok" and the chick stays with me (think I'm mum) and the others just assume I'm it's mum and leave it alone, I guess.
Other than my silver egg eater, I have NO problem with violence in my flock - towards each other or even when they're broody. Edit: my broody hens will even SHARE nests. Currently my six ducklings ALSO have a leghorn mother!! And the girls will lay right on top of my cluckies so the cluckies can take the eggs immediately. And I just take them from the cluckies because they're not fertile, usually.
Not that I'm complaining, but I'd like to know what I'm doing right!!! Or wrong??!
Is it because they think I'm a rooster?
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