Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[16 and me]

Yesterday I caught Samuel pecking one of the chicks:

Martha flies at any hen that even looks crosseyed at a chick, but she didn't stand up to Samuel (truncated video).

I don't feel it's safe to leave the chicks around him.

Was it just this one peck or was there more to it?

Yesterday I caught Samuel pecking one of the chicks:

Martha flies at any hen that even looks crosseyed at a chick, but she didn't stand up to Samuel (truncated video).

I don't feel it's safe to leave the chicks around him.

I don't think he was being aggressive, looked like he was just giving a scolding to a chick that was moving in on the food he seemed to be calling hens to (or maybe he was just eating). Was there more to it than just what was in the video? If not, I wouldn't worry.

 

[Shadrach]

Probably a cockerel that has an attitude already being put in his place .

Something like that I would think.
Chickens peck each other all the time. It's part of their language.

 

[fluffycrow]

I can't see a problem in that video. Samuel just gave one of the chicks that got too close to him while he was eating a warning peck. The chick will have hardly felt it from what I can see. Not all pecks from males, or females are hard. In fact most of them aren't hard pecks. Samuel didn't attack the chicks. I've seen lots of roosters do this. It's part of teaching the chick what it needs to know.

I don't know enough about your chickens than to say if I saw that in a group I was responsible for I wouldn't worry any more than usual. If there are other instances of similar behaviour and someone has got physically hurt, mum or chick, then I would reconsider, but on that video I didn't see anything that I found concerning.

I am slightly shocked by this response. When Cruella had her chicks, Lady Gaga was very good with them. Watched over them if they got away from mum, kept a close eye on them even when mum was around, called them over for food, all the good stuff.

At around 2 weeks I think it was, while Lady Gaga had called them over for food, one got literally in Lady Gaga's face. He tolerated them being very close to his face and around him, but this one was literally touching his beak. He gave that one the slightest peck, the chick barely peeping at all.

After about half a week, Cruella stopped allowing Lady Gaga to be close to her, or the chicks. I always thought it had to do with the peck he gave, as he didn't do anything else that would lead to this.

Now I don't exactly know what to think, other than feeling proud for Lady Gaga, as he's shown incredible maturity, for a bird that isn't even 1 year old, yet

 

[fuzzi]

The point is moot, now.

Samuel went into the chicks brooder, had them cornered, in a hostile stance. I grabbed him and restrained him. I shut the brooder before returning him to the coop.

Martha was standing there, didn't defend the chicks at all, though I have seen her launch at the other hens if they came close.

Later I was standing outside the door to the coop and the chicks started screaming. I looked and Samuel was chasing them around the coop, not giving pecks, but was in full out attack mode, focused on them like prey.

I took him out and dispatched him out of sight of the others. It's the first time I have had to do that task, and I cried.

I can now see a pattern, from an initial attack that left a chick unconscious with a head wound, then a second attack the next day with a worse wound, to the other examples of him being aggressive against the chicks, which I saw. None of the hens have done more than a short peck, none have chased the chicks.

Thanks for everyone's input.

 

[LaFleche]

The point is moot, now.

Samuel went into the chicks brooder, had them cornered, in a hostile stance. I grabbed him and restrained him. I shut the brooder before returning him to the coop.

Martha was standing there, didn't defend the chicks at all, though I have seen her launch at the other hens if they came close.

Later I was standing outside the door to the coop and the chicks started screaming. I looked and Samuel was chasing them around the coop, not giving pecks, but was in full out attack mode, focused on them like prey.

I took him out and dispatched him out of sight of the others. It's the first time I have had to do that task, and I cried.

I can now see a pattern, from an initial attack that left a chick unconscious with a head wound, then a second attack the next day with a worse wound, to the other examples of him being aggressive against the chicks, which I saw. None of the hens have done more than a short peck, none have chased the chicks.

Thanks for everyone's input.

I am sorry this happened, but you did the right thing.

In my view the chicks are still much to small to receive this kind of "educational" pecks and even less from a rooster.

I once dispatched a gorgeous BCM rooster for suddenly attacking a broody hen through the fence as she took a break from her nest to dustbathe. It was the first time in years I saw him display antisocial behaviour but he went to freezer camp the same evening.

 

[16 and me]

The point is moot, now.

Samuel went into the chicks brooder, had them cornered, in a hostile stance. I grabbed him and restrained him. I shut the brooder before returning him to the coop.

Martha was standing there, didn't defend the chicks at all, though I have seen her launch at the other hens if they came close.

Later I was standing outside the door to the coop and the chicks started screaming. I looked and Samuel was chasing them around the coop, not giving pecks, but was in full out attack mode, focused on them like prey.

I took him out and dispatched him out of sight of the others. It's the first time I have had to do that task, and I cried.

I can now see a pattern, from an initial attack that left a chick unconscious with a head wound, then a second attack the next day with a worse wound, to the other examples of him being aggressive against the chicks, which I saw. None of the hens have done more than a short peck, none have chased the chicks.

Thanks for everyone's input.

Oh I am so sorry! The one little peck I saw on the video in itself was no indication of such aggressive behaviour. I am so sorry you went through that. I culled My Samuel this morning too. Rough day.

 

[fluffycrow]

The point is moot, now.

Samuel went into the chicks brooder, had them cornered, in a hostile stance. I grabbed him and restrained him. I shut the brooder before returning him to the coop.

Martha was standing there, didn't defend the chicks at all, though I have seen her launch at the other hens if they came close.

Later I was standing outside the door to the coop and the chicks started screaming. I looked and Samuel was chasing them around the coop, not giving pecks, but was in full out attack mode, focused on them like prey.

I took him out and dispatched him out of sight of the others. It's the first time I have had to do that task, and I cried.

I can now see a pattern, from an initial attack that left a chick unconscious with a head wound, then a second attack the next day with a worse wound, to the other examples of him being aggressive against the chicks, which I saw. None of the hens have done more than a short peck, none have chased the chicks.

Thanks for everyone's input.

I'm so sorry! Hugs to you

 

[notabitail]

The point is moot, now.

Samuel went into the chicks brooder, had them cornered, in a hostile stance. I grabbed him and restrained him. I shut the brooder before returning him to the coop.

Martha was standing there, didn't defend the chicks at all, though I have seen her launch at the other hens if they came close.

Later I was standing outside the door to the coop and the chicks started screaming. I looked and Samuel was chasing them around the coop, not giving pecks, but was in full out attack mode, focused on them like prey.

I took him out and dispatched him out of sight of the others. It's the first time I have had to do that task, and I cried.

I can now see a pattern, from an initial attack that left a chick unconscious with a head wound, then a second attack the next day with a worse wound, to the other examples of him being aggressive against the chicks, which I saw. None of the hens have done more than a short peck, none have chased the chicks.

Thanks for everyone's input.

 

[Molpet]

The point is moot, now.

Samuel went into the chicks brooder, had them cornered, in a hostile stance. I grabbed him and restrained him. I shut the brooder before returning him to the coop.

Martha was standing there, didn't defend the chicks at all, though I have seen her launch at the other hens if they came close.

Later I was standing outside the door to the coop and the chicks started screaming. I looked and Samuel was chasing them around the coop, not giving pecks, but was in full out attack mode, focused on them like prey.

I took him out and dispatched him out of sight of the others. It's the first time I have had to do that task, and I cried.

I can now see a pattern, from an initial attack that left a chick unconscious with a head wound, then a second attack the next day with a worse wound, to the other examples of him being aggressive against the chicks, which I saw. None of the hens have done more than a short peck, none have chased the chicks.

Thanks for everyone's input.

I'm so sorry

 

[Molpet]

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...under-threat-as-bird-flu-takes-hold-worldwide

Seems like everyone is loosing heritage breeds of all kinds of livestock.