I apologize for this rambling post, but I have been waiting to ask for help thinking things would work out, and they haven't.
We had a perfect small flock—13 hens and one rooster that only picked on us humans, not his girls. Then my poor Roo was attacked by something (probably the eagle across the road). He lived for about 4 months, but finally died of some respiratory issue probably due to the fact that he never fully recovered from his injuries. About the same time he died, we introduced 3 new chickens to the flock. We raised them from pullet size, having been told they were 2 hens and another rooster, but they are all 3 roosters.
Three rooster brothers got along really well with each other until we introduced them to the hens. It was actually a good thing that my other rooster was no longer around, because that would have made the introduction even more difficult. As soon as they joined the hens in the coop, everything changed. Two of the boys ganged up on the other one, and their idea of having their way with the ladies was to have one mount her, while the other pecked at her head and eyes. Then they would change positions...
We lost 2 hens during this period, but it happened overnight in the coop so we don't know how they died. The first time there was evidence of some unknown intruder, or else a really big altercation of some sort with the waterer knocked over. The second time we just found the hen dead on the floor with no obvious injury or disturbance.
Several months have passed, all of them ridiculously cold. The outcast rooster now has his own little bevy of girls. He's got 4, the 2 nasties have 7. Outcast and his girls spent most of these last cold winter months hiding on top of the 2 stacked rabbit hutches that we use as nest boxes. We've been giving them food and water up there.
Now that spring is finally coming our way, they have all been out free-ranging, and things have settled down a bit. Just a bit.
I just now closed them up for the night, and when one of the favored hens jumped down from the roost to eat, the 2 nasties came down and looked like they were trying to kill her! I guess it was just their usual rough dealings, but I intervened and separated them so she could get back to safety.
So I have several questions for you all!
Should I continue to let them work out their differences? The roosters have been in there, most of the time closed up in the coop with the girls, since November. It's a big enough coop for all, and I am hoping that now that things are thawing out and they can roam, that they will settle down. I have read these forums enough to know that most people cull any "bad" chickens, but I need the boys to protect the girls from the eagles who nest across the street, and the hawks and coyotes and all the other critters that live up here. All 3 of boys do a pretty good job of sounding the alert when something dangerous approaches.
Should I do what I read somewhere and separate the 2 nasties from the girls for a few days to knock them down a notch? The outcast actually gets kicked out of the coop at night and tries to roost in one of the trees outside. One of us has to escort him back in after dark, not every night, but fairly often. Should I keep him and cull the other 2?
My husband's idea of solving the problem was to get more hens. He wanted grown hens or pullets, but this nasty winter means none have been available. That, and the last time we got burned, thinking we were getting 4 pullets and 1 roo. SOOOO, I went out and got 10 baby chicks, all hens or I can bring them back. If they all survive, I might sell a few, or maybe keep them all.
Do you think adding more hens will even things out and settle down the wild boys?
And how long before I add the youngsters to the flock? They are only 1 week old at this point, and being raised in my bathtub
. When they get their big girl feathers I will start to let them outside in a protected area and bring them into the garage at night with a heat lamp. The free-ranging adults will definitely find their way back here and meet the babies, but when do you think is a good time to start putting them in the coop with the adults?
Again, apologies for the long post, but I have been building up to this for awhile.
We had a perfect small flock—13 hens and one rooster that only picked on us humans, not his girls. Then my poor Roo was attacked by something (probably the eagle across the road). He lived for about 4 months, but finally died of some respiratory issue probably due to the fact that he never fully recovered from his injuries. About the same time he died, we introduced 3 new chickens to the flock. We raised them from pullet size, having been told they were 2 hens and another rooster, but they are all 3 roosters.
Three rooster brothers got along really well with each other until we introduced them to the hens. It was actually a good thing that my other rooster was no longer around, because that would have made the introduction even more difficult. As soon as they joined the hens in the coop, everything changed. Two of the boys ganged up on the other one, and their idea of having their way with the ladies was to have one mount her, while the other pecked at her head and eyes. Then they would change positions...
We lost 2 hens during this period, but it happened overnight in the coop so we don't know how they died. The first time there was evidence of some unknown intruder, or else a really big altercation of some sort with the waterer knocked over. The second time we just found the hen dead on the floor with no obvious injury or disturbance.
Several months have passed, all of them ridiculously cold. The outcast rooster now has his own little bevy of girls. He's got 4, the 2 nasties have 7. Outcast and his girls spent most of these last cold winter months hiding on top of the 2 stacked rabbit hutches that we use as nest boxes. We've been giving them food and water up there.
Now that spring is finally coming our way, they have all been out free-ranging, and things have settled down a bit. Just a bit.
I just now closed them up for the night, and when one of the favored hens jumped down from the roost to eat, the 2 nasties came down and looked like they were trying to kill her! I guess it was just their usual rough dealings, but I intervened and separated them so she could get back to safety.
So I have several questions for you all!
Should I continue to let them work out their differences? The roosters have been in there, most of the time closed up in the coop with the girls, since November. It's a big enough coop for all, and I am hoping that now that things are thawing out and they can roam, that they will settle down. I have read these forums enough to know that most people cull any "bad" chickens, but I need the boys to protect the girls from the eagles who nest across the street, and the hawks and coyotes and all the other critters that live up here. All 3 of boys do a pretty good job of sounding the alert when something dangerous approaches.
Should I do what I read somewhere and separate the 2 nasties from the girls for a few days to knock them down a notch? The outcast actually gets kicked out of the coop at night and tries to roost in one of the trees outside. One of us has to escort him back in after dark, not every night, but fairly often. Should I keep him and cull the other 2?
My husband's idea of solving the problem was to get more hens. He wanted grown hens or pullets, but this nasty winter means none have been available. That, and the last time we got burned, thinking we were getting 4 pullets and 1 roo. SOOOO, I went out and got 10 baby chicks, all hens or I can bring them back. If they all survive, I might sell a few, or maybe keep them all.
Do you think adding more hens will even things out and settle down the wild boys?
And how long before I add the youngsters to the flock? They are only 1 week old at this point, and being raised in my bathtub
Again, apologies for the long post, but I have been building up to this for awhile.
