I have a broody hen with a single chick that I'm struggling to reintroduce to their flock. They've been in a broody coop with their own mini run that's located within the larger area so they've been able to see and interact with the flock the whole time.
I let them out into the main area for the first time today. There's some minor scuffling between the broody and the other hens but it's nothing unusual and they seem to be sorting it out. The big problem is the rooster. He was jump kicking the hen and aggressively chasing the chick around. The broody wasn't even defending the chick because she was being attacked so badly herself. She was just running away and calling the chick to follow her.
The rooster always liked this hen before she went broody and they were very settled together so I'm a bit shocked to see him attacking her like that. I do think the chick looks like a cockerel but I've never seen a rooster have a problem with his own chick before, regardless of their sex.
When I went in to help, the rooster attacked me too, so he's obviously stressed. He's never been aggressive to humans before but he has always been a bit feisty and used to try to fight other roosters through the fence when they were in an adjacent area, even though he's a bantam and my other roosters are all large fowl.
I have the door of the broody run held partially open so the chick has somewhere to escape to and somewhere to eat and drink where the adult birds can't fit, but it wasn't going in there because it was trying to follow the hen. And obviously I'm also worried about the hen herself but, of course, anywhere she can fit, the rooster can fit. So it looks like my normal chick safe zone isn't going to help in this case.
I've never seen anything like this before! I removed him to let the hen and chick settle a bit but I'm wondering if anyone can suggest any ideas for when I try again? Is it something they will be able to work out? Or is it clear he hasn't accepted the chick as his and therefore will continue to be a problem?
I let them out into the main area for the first time today. There's some minor scuffling between the broody and the other hens but it's nothing unusual and they seem to be sorting it out. The big problem is the rooster. He was jump kicking the hen and aggressively chasing the chick around. The broody wasn't even defending the chick because she was being attacked so badly herself. She was just running away and calling the chick to follow her.
The rooster always liked this hen before she went broody and they were very settled together so I'm a bit shocked to see him attacking her like that. I do think the chick looks like a cockerel but I've never seen a rooster have a problem with his own chick before, regardless of their sex.
When I went in to help, the rooster attacked me too, so he's obviously stressed. He's never been aggressive to humans before but he has always been a bit feisty and used to try to fight other roosters through the fence when they were in an adjacent area, even though he's a bantam and my other roosters are all large fowl.
I have the door of the broody run held partially open so the chick has somewhere to escape to and somewhere to eat and drink where the adult birds can't fit, but it wasn't going in there because it was trying to follow the hen. And obviously I'm also worried about the hen herself but, of course, anywhere she can fit, the rooster can fit. So it looks like my normal chick safe zone isn't going to help in this case.
I've never seen anything like this before! I removed him to let the hen and chick settle a bit but I'm wondering if anyone can suggest any ideas for when I try again? Is it something they will be able to work out? Or is it clear he hasn't accepted the chick as his and therefore will continue to be a problem?
