NEWBIES: much older pullet abusing much younger pullet.

[k4lcd]

Good morning and happy to have joined the forum.

We are trying to learn to be successful backyard small egg producers for our family consumption.

After initially failing to get started by purchasing sick young broilers which we returned, we are beginning again and we have been able to get one quite mature Rhode Island Red pullet almost ready to begin laying and one much younger pullet or perhaps almost pullet Rhode Island Red. Our goal is to have eventually a total of no more than five healthy laying hens of that breed.

We got these initial two last Saturday.

They appear to be healthy from our examination, but we are being faced with the following behavioral problem:

The older pullet, aggressively attacks the younger (without hurting her, so far) scaring the younger one to the point where she hides in the nesting box. The older one is constantly provoking the younger one.

We examined the beak of the older pullet and it is not sharp, but round, so we decided not to trim it more.

We did not know that we were going to have to be chicken psychologists too.

Attached are photos of our chicken tractor and our new two birds.

We welcome any advise.

Sincerely and thanks,

Ofelia and Juan from Miami, Florida

 

[shaggy]

you got a rockin coup --- i like that


can you put up a divider down the middle of your coup to keep them seperated, but also so they can see each other?

that would be ideal for a week or 2, and then remove the divider.
that gives them a chance to get to know each other without a chance of physical altercations.