Omg I thought she was dead..unusual mating behavior?

[BigBlueHen53]

During the day all my chickens are in yard together. At night I have 2 separate coops, one for my big girls, and another one for everybody else. The big girls were my first chicks, and as I added on, I was like “I can’t put the babies with the bigger girls” so now I have two coops. I’d love to have everyone in one big coop.

Well then .... maybe this will help. I recently wrote an article on integrating groups. Since they all hang out together in the yard, you may not need it. But here it is anyway. It's just a 5-minute read, with lots of pictures.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-a-pictorial-guide.79343/

 

[azygous]

I was lucky to have two coops like you do. The smaller coop had its own run. That's where I put my abused hen with her friend. The two hens were content to be their own sub-flock.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

And now ... good luck, and good night!

 

[z3lda3]

I was lucky to have two coops like you do. The smaller coop had its own run. That's where I put my abused hen with her friend. The two hens were content to be their own sub-flock.

My big girls are like a high school clique. The will mingle but are tight together. I wonder if I’ll have to have 1 flock and a sub flock?

 

[z3lda3]

And now ... good luck, and good night!

Thank you!

 

[azygous]

You know, this is my first year raising chickens, and add a cockerel..it’s hard to know what’s normal. I had no idea that hens were receptive, I thought roosters just did their thing. Sigh why can’t everyone just get along??

Chickens are individuals, not mass produced stuffed animals. Each has their own temperament, both hens and roosters. Their behavior is determined, as is ours, by both genetics and their life experiences. No two are alike. Most do follow the "rules" of the flock, but there can always be a bully or a very timid one that disrupts the peace and harmony. Your job as a chicken keeper often involves being a referee and disciplinarian. And believe it or not, your chickens look to you to do that.

 

[z3lda3]

Chickens are individuals, not mass produced stuffed animals. Each has their own temperament, both hens and roosters. Their behavior is determined, as is ours, by both genetics and their life experiences. No two are alike. Most do follow the "rules" of the flock, but there can always be a bully or a very timid one that disrupts the peace and harmony. Your job as a chicken keeper often involves being a referee and disciplinarian. And believe it or not, your chickens look to you to do that.

The problem for me, is knowing when to intervene and when to let them sort it out.( Obviously I’ll be intervening where Morticia is concerned.)

 

[azygous]

Take your cues from your chickens. The more you spend time with them and observe them, the more you will be able to tell when you need to intervene.

You also have the great advantage of being a member here where the experience of others will make up for any that you lack. You've started a very valuable thread. You can keep coming back to it and ask for advice. Some threads become hundreds of pages long and can keep going for several years. They become a valuable resource, not only for our members here, but for many, many people all over the world that google for answers to their chicken problems.

 

[z3lda3]

Take your cues from your chickens. The more you spend time with them and observe them, the more you will be able to tell when you need to intervene.

You also have the great advantage of being a member here where the experience of others will make up for any that you lack. You've started a very valuable thread. You can keep coming back to it and ask for advice. Some threads become hundreds of pages long and can keep going for several years. They become a valuable resource, not only for our members here, but for many, many people all over the world that google for answers to their chicken problems.

Thank you so much for the advice!

 

[McChooky]

My big girls are like a high school clique. The will mingle but are tight together. I wonder if I’ll have to have 1 flock and a sub flock?

I've raised 3 batches of chicks over the past 4 yrs and they have 3 separate roosting areas since they're grown.My 2nd and 3rd batch get along and free range together.My oldest hens hate the 2 roosters I raised from chicks last year.(I just got rid of one of them)I've scolded this rooster when he tried to force the older hens to mate.Its why I got rid of the other guy