Her remaining sister having died Saturday morning, Maryanne is now alone in their tractor. She doesn't like this - she paces and frets, although the tractor is parked right alongside the blonde chickens' run so at least she can see and talk to other chickens.
My intention had been to eventually put her in the blonde pen (2 chantecler pullets, one very henpecked chantecler cockerel, and "Hazelnut", a campine pullet responsible for all the henpecking). But Hazelnut has been pretty hard on the cockerel, removing all but two of his tailfeathers and pulling out the new ones that try to grow in plus a lot of the fluffy feathers around and under his butt, and some neck feathers.
So I had this idea tonight. A wonderful idea <she says sarcastically>. I would put Hazelnut in the tractor with Maryanne; being on foreign territory perhaps she would be a bit better behaved, and it would give Maryanne a companion and give the cockerel's bottom a chance to heal.
So at dusk this evening I put Hazelnut into the tractor. She stared at Maryanne. Maryanne stared at Hazelnut. Time passed. Then, Hazelnut had an idea. She grabbed a huge mouthful of Maryanne's wattle, pulled, and would not let go. Receiving a gratifying amount of squawking and flapping in response, she switched to the other wattle, which produced continuing effects. Happily, she hung on and bit down harder.
Then Maryanne had a thought. "I do not like this chicken," was her thought. "I will kill her." And that is what she proceeded to try to do, very nearly successfully.
Maryanne is probably about 30% larger than Hazelnut, but was significantly debeaked before I got her and that is probably what saved Hazelnut's life. Maryanne attacked with every weapon a hen has at her disposal, showing particular prowess at the "jump on top and then kick and peck real hard while the victim struggles to escape" technique. Hazelnut offered nothing but submissive - deeply submissive - posture, but Maryanne either did not understand or did not care. Feathers went everywhere. Also blood, as Hazelnut did manage to get a piece of Maryann'es nostril region at some point. Maryanne did not have to wait for a panel to award the bout to her on points, however; after about ninety seconds, she had Hazelnut lying on her back, neck at a weird angle, eyes mostly closed, not moving even when pecked.
"Oh, that's just swell," I said, and opened the tractor to retrieve the body. Fortunately the body came back to life as I lifted her up, Maryanne attacked again, and I managed to re-separate the combatants and remove a thoroughly chastened and shell-shocked Hazelnut. There were feathers missing but no visible wounds so I put her back in the blonde pen, and while I watched them for about 10 minutes afterwards she just ate and drank quietly with no attempt to get after her blonde colleagues... so I *think* she will be ok in there.
But, clearly I am not going to be putting Hazelnut and Maryanne in the same pen, ever. This was not a pecking-order fight, this was flat out attempted homicide. I don't blame Maryanne in the slightest, but now I do not know what to do with her.
Option 1) I could leave her in the tractor, alone and cold at night, for another month or six weeks til the weather gets too frosty, then give her a 4x6 indoor-only pen for the winter where she can see the sussexes across the aisle.
Option 2) I suppose I could try giving her a sussex 'friend' -- there is one I am not going to want to breed from and so would be willing to have her live separately -- but is that really likely to work any better? And it would result in *both* of them being in a 4x6 or 8x6 indoor-only pen all winter.
Option 3) I suppose I could try putting her in the big pen with all the sussexes -- but I do NOT want her starting world war three or getting somebody hurt, especially not one of the two cockerels, so I am leery of this. OTOH if it did work, she could go out with them in their run all winter.
Option 4) Technically I guess I could whine and complain and then build a one-chicken small pen, probably 4x4 with a TINY (like, 2x6) attached run -- there is room to do it and I could scrounge materials, but time is an issue. The run could not be any larger, b/c there is a drainage ditch *right* there along the building, and as it is the tiny run would probably flood occasionally.
I am not going to eat her (I'm not opposed to it in principle, but she was one of the original three and has a lifetime Get Out Of The Stewpot Free card, as far as I am concerned), and I doubt anyone is going to want an almost 2 yr old sexlink who is laying only erratically at the moment.
Votes and suggestions welcomed. I am really stumped, here.
(And annoyed at myself... except that I honestly think, seeing them, that it would have proceeded exactly the same even if I'd waited a lot longer)
Sigh.
Thanks in advance,
Pat
My intention had been to eventually put her in the blonde pen (2 chantecler pullets, one very henpecked chantecler cockerel, and "Hazelnut", a campine pullet responsible for all the henpecking). But Hazelnut has been pretty hard on the cockerel, removing all but two of his tailfeathers and pulling out the new ones that try to grow in plus a lot of the fluffy feathers around and under his butt, and some neck feathers.
So I had this idea tonight. A wonderful idea <she says sarcastically>. I would put Hazelnut in the tractor with Maryanne; being on foreign territory perhaps she would be a bit better behaved, and it would give Maryanne a companion and give the cockerel's bottom a chance to heal.
So at dusk this evening I put Hazelnut into the tractor. She stared at Maryanne. Maryanne stared at Hazelnut. Time passed. Then, Hazelnut had an idea. She grabbed a huge mouthful of Maryanne's wattle, pulled, and would not let go. Receiving a gratifying amount of squawking and flapping in response, she switched to the other wattle, which produced continuing effects. Happily, she hung on and bit down harder.
Then Maryanne had a thought. "I do not like this chicken," was her thought. "I will kill her." And that is what she proceeded to try to do, very nearly successfully.
Maryanne is probably about 30% larger than Hazelnut, but was significantly debeaked before I got her and that is probably what saved Hazelnut's life. Maryanne attacked with every weapon a hen has at her disposal, showing particular prowess at the "jump on top and then kick and peck real hard while the victim struggles to escape" technique. Hazelnut offered nothing but submissive - deeply submissive - posture, but Maryanne either did not understand or did not care. Feathers went everywhere. Also blood, as Hazelnut did manage to get a piece of Maryann'es nostril region at some point. Maryanne did not have to wait for a panel to award the bout to her on points, however; after about ninety seconds, she had Hazelnut lying on her back, neck at a weird angle, eyes mostly closed, not moving even when pecked.
"Oh, that's just swell," I said, and opened the tractor to retrieve the body. Fortunately the body came back to life as I lifted her up, Maryanne attacked again, and I managed to re-separate the combatants and remove a thoroughly chastened and shell-shocked Hazelnut. There were feathers missing but no visible wounds so I put her back in the blonde pen, and while I watched them for about 10 minutes afterwards she just ate and drank quietly with no attempt to get after her blonde colleagues... so I *think* she will be ok in there.
But, clearly I am not going to be putting Hazelnut and Maryanne in the same pen, ever. This was not a pecking-order fight, this was flat out attempted homicide. I don't blame Maryanne in the slightest, but now I do not know what to do with her.
Option 1) I could leave her in the tractor, alone and cold at night, for another month or six weeks til the weather gets too frosty, then give her a 4x6 indoor-only pen for the winter where she can see the sussexes across the aisle.
Option 2) I suppose I could try giving her a sussex 'friend' -- there is one I am not going to want to breed from and so would be willing to have her live separately -- but is that really likely to work any better? And it would result in *both* of them being in a 4x6 or 8x6 indoor-only pen all winter.
Option 3) I suppose I could try putting her in the big pen with all the sussexes -- but I do NOT want her starting world war three or getting somebody hurt, especially not one of the two cockerels, so I am leery of this. OTOH if it did work, she could go out with them in their run all winter.
Option 4) Technically I guess I could whine and complain and then build a one-chicken small pen, probably 4x4 with a TINY (like, 2x6) attached run -- there is room to do it and I could scrounge materials, but time is an issue. The run could not be any larger, b/c there is a drainage ditch *right* there along the building, and as it is the tiny run would probably flood occasionally.
I am not going to eat her (I'm not opposed to it in principle, but she was one of the original three and has a lifetime Get Out Of The Stewpot Free card, as far as I am concerned), and I doubt anyone is going to want an almost 2 yr old sexlink who is laying only erratically at the moment.
Votes and suggestions welcomed. I am really stumped, here.
(And annoyed at myself... except that I honestly think, seeing them, that it would have proceeded exactly the same even if I'd waited a lot longer)
Sigh.
Thanks in advance,
Pat
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