I have two Polish and an Ameraucana. They're about three/four weeks old. Old enough that they're figuring out their pecking order. They're all hens. Zinthos, the Blue Polish, quickly established herself as Top Hen. It's Morath, the yellow Polish, and Polaris, the Ameraucana that I'm having trouble with. Neither wants to yield for Second. Once Zinthos declared herself Top Hen they started going after each other.
Whenever I let them out of their rather large brooder in the garage, they come out flapping. they're just excited, I think. But the flapping is triggering Morath and Polaris. They come out and go straight at each other. They've been going at it for a week now. Usually it's Polaris who attacks first, but it can be the other way around. They jump at each other, flap at each other, and lately, get stuck in this weird dance. They stand next to each other, head facing the other chick's tail, and run in a circle until they get dizzy and stop. There's no clear winner when they circle, they just kind of both zone out and stop. (Is that a chicken thing? It's hilarious, but weird)
Zinthos, for her part, has taken up jumping into the middle of it. It *looks* like she does it to break up the fight, but it could be that she's triggered herself.
Azrath, my Blue Silkie, has tried to jump in, but one peck shoos her off quickly. Luckily Killian, my black silkie (She's two weeks younger) hasn't been caught in the crossfire yet.
Do I let them figure it out, or do I need to step in? They spend upwards of ten minutes attacking each other when they first come out. They'll fight for food, they'll fight for who gets which perch in the cage, they fight for who gets to come out first. Morath has taken up the high perches in the cage, while Polaris has taken up guarding the ground outside the cage. Neither seems to want to settle for Third. Zinthos is keeping the peace for now (Is that a thing chickens do? Break up fights? Or is it more likely she's joining?) Weirdly, they get along 90 percent of the time. It's just when one gets triggered that problems arise.
Also, is there a set amount of time it usually takes for them to figure it out? Like they should have a winner in a month or so? My other chicks had it figured out in a week, but they had a rooster to hassle them.
I've taken up trying to let them out longer. Maybe they're not stimulated enough? The problem is mostly when they're coming out of their brooder/cage. They're NOT very tame, nor do they like treats (Heck, they're terrified of veggies for some reason) so distracting them is difficult.
Whenever I let them out of their rather large brooder in the garage, they come out flapping. they're just excited, I think. But the flapping is triggering Morath and Polaris. They come out and go straight at each other. They've been going at it for a week now. Usually it's Polaris who attacks first, but it can be the other way around. They jump at each other, flap at each other, and lately, get stuck in this weird dance. They stand next to each other, head facing the other chick's tail, and run in a circle until they get dizzy and stop. There's no clear winner when they circle, they just kind of both zone out and stop. (Is that a chicken thing? It's hilarious, but weird)
Zinthos, for her part, has taken up jumping into the middle of it. It *looks* like she does it to break up the fight, but it could be that she's triggered herself.
Azrath, my Blue Silkie, has tried to jump in, but one peck shoos her off quickly. Luckily Killian, my black silkie (She's two weeks younger) hasn't been caught in the crossfire yet.
Do I let them figure it out, or do I need to step in? They spend upwards of ten minutes attacking each other when they first come out. They'll fight for food, they'll fight for who gets which perch in the cage, they fight for who gets to come out first. Morath has taken up the high perches in the cage, while Polaris has taken up guarding the ground outside the cage. Neither seems to want to settle for Third. Zinthos is keeping the peace for now (Is that a thing chickens do? Break up fights? Or is it more likely she's joining?) Weirdly, they get along 90 percent of the time. It's just when one gets triggered that problems arise.
Also, is there a set amount of time it usually takes for them to figure it out? Like they should have a winner in a month or so? My other chicks had it figured out in a week, but they had a rooster to hassle them.
I've taken up trying to let them out longer. Maybe they're not stimulated enough? The problem is mostly when they're coming out of their brooder/cage. They're NOT very tame, nor do they like treats (Heck, they're terrified of veggies for some reason) so distracting them is difficult.
