chickenmom57
In the Brooder
- Jun 12, 2017
- 6
- 6
- 16
I am new to raising chickens and to backyardchickens.com. Growing up, my family always had chickens, but these are my first since leaving home 40+ years ago. Yes, I am getting old! 
In April, I purchased 4 bantams chicks then a few weeks later, 4 more chicks, 2 silkies, a sebright and a d'uccle. These chickens are more for therapy for my husband and I than anything else. They all are handled every day and eat out of my hand.
The original 4 (three hens and a rooster) were already in the coop outside when I bought the others. The little ones were kept inside until they were feathered then I started slowly introducing them to the older chicks a few minutes at a time and everything went well. After about 2 weeks, I left the younger chicks in the coop overnight. The next morning, I found one of my little ones, a silkie, laying in the pen, bloody and barely breathing. My rooster was obviously the culprit because his legs and beak was covered in blood. I brought the silkie in the house and worked with her for days, nursing her back to some semblance of health. She couldn't walk for days, she can't open one eye and her head is mostly covered in a hard crusty skin now.
At the time it happened, I put the younger chickens back in a smaller cage in the coop for protection where they still stay until the late afternoon when I turn all of the chickens out into the yard to forage. When the silkie was able to walk again, I put her in the yard and immediately the rooster started stalking her and jumped on her again. He has moved on to greener pastures but now one of the older hens is bullying and pecking on the same little silkie. I am not sure what to do at this point. She is obviously a weakling but I really don't want to get rid of her. Any suggestions?
In April, I purchased 4 bantams chicks then a few weeks later, 4 more chicks, 2 silkies, a sebright and a d'uccle. These chickens are more for therapy for my husband and I than anything else. They all are handled every day and eat out of my hand.The original 4 (three hens and a rooster) were already in the coop outside when I bought the others. The little ones were kept inside until they were feathered then I started slowly introducing them to the older chicks a few minutes at a time and everything went well. After about 2 weeks, I left the younger chicks in the coop overnight. The next morning, I found one of my little ones, a silkie, laying in the pen, bloody and barely breathing. My rooster was obviously the culprit because his legs and beak was covered in blood. I brought the silkie in the house and worked with her for days, nursing her back to some semblance of health. She couldn't walk for days, she can't open one eye and her head is mostly covered in a hard crusty skin now.
At the time it happened, I put the younger chickens back in a smaller cage in the coop for protection where they still stay until the late afternoon when I turn all of the chickens out into the yard to forage. When the silkie was able to walk again, I put her in the yard and immediately the rooster started stalking her and jumped on her again. He has moved on to greener pastures but now one of the older hens is bullying and pecking on the same little silkie. I am not sure what to do at this point. She is obviously a weakling but I really don't want to get rid of her. Any suggestions?
