To Cook...?

[novastar]

would any of you kill/cook a chicken that was is a mega bully? I only have two hens and have recently added a Silkie rooster who will be a year old next spring. The other hen eats in defense and will not relax, and she gets her toes/feet pecked all the time The bully hen is majorly pecking the rooster as well. I know there is a pecking order but....

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

How big is your set up? Smaller coops can cause aggression. I have butchered based on behaviors. Did your hens get along before the rooster?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

What kind or "flavor" of chickens are the rest of your birds? Silkies are frequently subjected to extreme prejudice by the rest of the flock because of their appearance and limited ability to clearly see their surroundings.

 

[bobbi-j]

I would have no problem eating a bully bird. Some chickens just don't fit in the flock. But maybe there are things you can change first. Oldhen asked some pertinent questions.

 

[novastar]

Thank you for responding.
She was the runt of the flock when I got them all as chicks (4 of them). So I feel she has this sort of complex? Unfortunately, I only have two hens left. The mean one and the nice one were together since they were chicks. The nice hen eats in defense, will not relax, and I noticed tonight that the mean one pecks at the other ones toes when they roost at night. The nice hen just shrivels up as small as she can so she doesn’t get poked! It’s so sad.
I have recently added a Silkie roo to the girls hoping that he would add some dominance and put the one in line. He is young, not even 1 year old yet, so he is getting chased around and they will not let him roost with them. Hoping this gets better.
My two hens are SLW and will be 3 this coming March. The Silkie roo will be 1 this spring.
My set up is nice. Plenty of space to roam with a nice cozy spot to roost at night. The hens have known each other since they were chicks.

 

[bobbi-j]

How big in feet by feet is your set up (coop and run)? Your cockerel is still immature, and they will not respect him. I don't know much about silkies, so I don't know if they will ever take him seriously. How high is your roost? I have read that silkies generally don't roost, depending on how high it is. I hope someone with that breed will correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Silkies can roost and some are quite feisty. It depends on breeding. Some are dumb as a box of rocks and can't see a thing. I used to own a trio of silkie roosters, they ran the place for a while, so it does depend.

Young roosters in general will often run in fear if their bluff is called. It will probably take until spring before he starts to feel his oats as the saying goes.