Silkie rooster getting ripped to shreds. . .

[TwinkleCake]

Hi everyone!

It's a pleasure to meet you all! I have a bit of a problem and I don't know where else to turn. I hope someone can help. Thank you in advance!

I have a small flock of chickens: six five month old pullets and two older hens (1 Easter Egger, 1 Speckled Sussex, 1 Australorp, 2 Buff Orpingtons, 1 Barred Rock, and 2 barnyard mutts). They're housed in a reasonable coup with plenty of space and are free ranged during the day. I had two roosters who were raised with them, who unfortunately, we had to let go of for aggression issues. Being determined to have a rooster for protection, and keeping in mind the safety of my five children, my husband and I decided to adopt a six month old silkie cockerel. This guy is perfect with the children, but lacks dominance to be placed in the flock. After nearly being torn apart by my older hen, we decided to place him in the run and free range the girls. He ran to a nesting box and hid there for the rest of the evening, unnoticed by the rest of the flock. Before they returned, we took him out and slipped him back in at nightfall.

All night I worried. All night I read. The horror stories, the softer skulls, the Silkies who are flogged and killed by established flocks. I was scared to let them out in the morning. And sure enough when I did, he was attacked by several. This time it was bad. He didn't fight back. They tore out his feathers and continued until I separated them. They're now in the run and he's outside. He won't do anything but pace to go back in with them. He's been doing that all day.

Please help. I don't want him to get killed but I don't know what I'm doing!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Pen him next to them or in a pen inside the coop. Keep him penned for a few months so everyone forgets he hasn't been there, and he gains some maturity and confidence. He should eventually start sweet talking the hens through the fence, especially when food is given out.

I think you rushed it. Expect it to take some time. It would have been different if he grew up in the flock, but he's a stranger and still a youngster. Your hens are hormonal at their age and prone to being more aggressive. You have to wait until they want him and his attentions.

In a month or two start letting him out and see how it goes. Put him back in the pen if it becomes too much and maybe add the main aggressor with him to get to know him.

They will kill him at this point or do serious harm, so separate him out for his own safety.

 

[TwinkleCake]

Thank you for such a quick response. Ugh. You're right. An additional pen will take some time to build. What should I do in the meantime? I don't want to get rid of him, but I fear I should.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

A small temporary pen can be easy to put together, especially if your coop has some room to it. We have put up some cheaper temporary pens, both inside and out. His shelter doesn't need to be elaborate. If it's not doable than maybe a new home with more gentle birds is better for him. Silkies in general are a more gentle breed.

 

[henless]

It's really best to keep new chickens separated from your stock for 30 days to make sure he/she is not sick. Once the quarantine period is over, then it's time for them to get to know one another.

If you don't have a separate coop/run that is next to the flock to put him in, then you can get a cage for him. Put him in the cage with food & water and set it in the pen with the other chickens. This allows them to get used to each other without having the opportunity to beat each other up. If you don't have a cage, maybe you can wire off a section of the coop that he can call his own.

After a week or so, get one of your chickens, preferably one that is at the bottom of the pecking order, and leave it in the coop when you let the others out to free range. Then let your silkie out so the two can get to know one another. Do this for several days, but watch them and make sure they don't beat one another up. Hopefully, they will get to be buddies.

Next step would be merging him in with the rest of the hens. Normally, I would put him in after dark on the roost next to his buddy. When morning comes, the chickens hop down off the roost and usually the new one is accepted into the flock without too much trouble. This doesn't always work, but it does a lot of the time. It also helps to have objects around the coop/run so that the new chicken can hide behind when things get rough.

Now, since he is a silkie, he may not roost. Some silkies do, but a lot just roost on the ground like a young chicken. If this is the case, maybe you can get him a silkie or two so he will have someone to huddle with during the winter.

It's easier to get new chickens into an established flock when you introduce more than one. One chicken makes for an easy target. Two or more keeps the flocks attention divided so that no one chicken gets all the attention.

Every situation is different, and not all solutions work with all situations. If you think your chickens are still being too rough with the silkie, you may have to put him in a separate pen and get him some ladies of his own.

 

[adstowe]

Do you have access to a dog crate? You can put him in there with his own little feeder and waterer and that way they can't get to him, but they get used him being there.

 

[TwinkleCake]

Wow, thank you both so much. You have no idea how valuable your advice is. I just sat my kids down and read what you both wrote. We will take your advice and start with a small cage while we build an extra pen. They love him already and this is hard for them (5 under the age of 9).

I have one last quick question. Will this breed of rooster ever really become dominant? Will he ever hold his own like the Whyndotte or Polish we had to rehome? I don't want him to charge the kids, but I don't want him to be harassed either . . .

 

[TwinkleCake]

Yes, we have a dog crate! And that's exactly what we'll use.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Wow, thank you both so much. You have no idea how valuable your advice is. I just sat my kids down and read what you both wrote. We will take your advice and start with a small cage while we build an extra pen. They love him already and this is hard for them (5 under the age of 9).

I have one last quick question. Will this breed of rooster ever really become dominant? Will he ever hold his own like the Whyndotte or Polish we had to rehome? I don't want him to charge the kids, but I don't want him to be harassed either . . .

I have had silkie roosters, most get more confident as they mature. It can depend on his breeding, with show lines being more meek and hatchery lines being more robust. He should do okay once everyone matures. If not you can always get him a few girls and keep two flock, something I do.

 

[henless]

It's hard to say. Silkies are usually one of the gentlest breeds of chickens. I've read stories on here about Silkies being the head chicken and some never getting past the bottom slot in the pecking order. I've never owned a silkie, so I couldn't say.