Silkie died, now the others are fighting

[AussieChook]

Hi Folks,

Would really appreciate your advice about some worrying chook developments we've been experiencing.

A couple of weeks ago our beloved silkie died after being a bit out of sorts for about a month. In the week that followed, the other two were normal, but in the second week, the Polish (who is usually the bottom of the pecking order even though she is larger) has been picking on our wyandotte pretty relentlessly, chasing her around the run. And it seems to be escalating, it started off with headbutting and now it's become proper grabbing. It's pretty stressful for the wyandotte to get picked on, and it's also very strange to see this whole new side of the Polish, who is usually the one getting bossed around on the perch at night.

So they're clearly working out a new dynamic with just the two of them, but how long can this last and should we separate them, or should we let it play out?

Any advice warmly appreciated

 

[ChickenPeep]

What gender are they? Are they all females?

 

[AussieChook]

Yep, all ladies, two left. And we've got no plans to get a rooster (not allowed in our suburb)

 

[kbgriffiths]

My rule of thumb is not to interfere unless there is blood...

 

[AussieChook]

Yep, sounds fair enough. And it hasn't gotten to that stage and fortunately it looks unlikely to.

Thanks very much for your help - much appreciated.