my roosters killed my chicks. is that normal?

[duniganb357]

I have 4 month old white rock roos and 4 month old white rock pullets. i put my 3 chicks in the run with them and my roosters killed them dead but my hens wouldnt go near them. Is this normal behavior for chickens?

R.I.P: Rascal, Happy feet, and Penguin. I miss you!

 

[wpalmisano]

Yes, pheasants and quail do it too. Probably the confinement.

 

[Blue]

I think you may need to take into account that your older chickens are really still chicks themselves, so they possibly saw the new chicks as invaders to their space. I believe it's actually kind of rare that a full-grown rooster attacks chicks. Grown hens, on the other hand, can be vicious to other hens' chicks (from personal experience).

 

[TriciaHowe]

My free range roos killed 6 three day old ducklings (hatched by momma duck) before I realized what was happening.

Sorry about your chicks

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Quote:
Exactly.


"Older" chicks are the roughest on "young" chicks in my experience.


A rooster (a boy over a year, under a year they are called cockerels) - a good rooster will care for chicks (call then to eat, snuggle with them at night, stop fights), a mediocre rooster will ignore chicks.


A cockerel...............they are a hormonal ball of wax - and I do not trust them around young chicks unless the young chicks have a protective mother hen.


The best way, to integrate young chicks with older chicks is to seperate them with wire - so they can see each other but not touch each other - until both groups are closer in size to each other.

 

[duniganb357]

thx for your kindness. it is sad tho cuz they were so young. my older chicks werent hand raised so they are somewhat more aggressive toward me and other animals. you know what i find really mean tho. after i put the dogs in the kennel the chickens (they are free range now) go up to the dog cage and mock the dogs since the dogs cant get them. huh.

my chickens are mean AND stupid.

 

[jasonm11]

NOT MEAN OR STUPID. They are curious about the dogs in the kennel and the chicks. It is normal fo them to chekc things out, unfortunately they only have a beak to check them with and once they peck them a few times they can be dead or bleeding, either way then they are curious about the blood. Keep them apart until the chicks are large enough to run away from the others. Sorry about youre loss.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Agreed. My adult roosters are protective and help care for the chicks.

 

[roysnider]

That is sad about your chicks. We incubated d'Anver eggs from our Hen and Rooster. We put the 2 d'Anver chicks we had raised in the house and brooder room in the garage into the coop with their Mom and Dad and another hen. The Mom and the other hen wanted to kill them. Could not believe they were so mean. We took the Mom out of the coop to get ready for a show, gave the other hen away as she was not real good show quality. Then put the 2 chicks in with the dad and he took them under his wing and raised them. The cutest thing I ever saw. It was still cold out and he would put his wings over them to keep them warm and at night in the top of the coop he'd do the same thing. He would try to attack us every morning while putting the feed in the coop to protect the chicks. He never attacked us before. Those chicks would run and hide behind him. When we put the mom back in the coop, he fought her and protected those babies at all cost even against us. Turns out that the babies were pullets. Maybe that is why the Mom wanted to kill them. Anyway, never thought I would see a rooster raise chicks!! I wish I would of gotten a pic but it was always late in the evening and cold when he was covering them and I just didn't think about the camera.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
HEY! SW Arkansas! Cool beans!