Ascholten
Free Ranging
My friend gave me a chicken. He needed to downsize a bit. Ok, I can take some, sure. Do you have any that are friendly. Well, those, run to the other side of the run when people come in, these hang around. Ok lets go in here then. I get in there the chickens are rather indifferent to people. One, she was a cutie, barnyard MUTT, looks a bit Americauna, he says some RIR in her too but I don't see any red...anyways. She's about as old as my existing hens, so I mentally go. well that's a good thing, while the young one would be better egg wise, I don't want to go through that drama of all of them beating the living crap out of the not laying eggs yet one.... again. I walked to her and kind of pulled her tail, she stood there eating, I scooped her up, she put up a minor fuss, I pet her and them proceeded to walk around the yard for 15 minutes with the chicken in my arm. Not a death grip, just lounging in my arm. Ok cool, this one IS friendly to people, I like her already. In fact im liking her more than some of the ones I already have. (oh please don't tell them I said that !! )
I get her home, keep her by their cage, they see each other. she's in the travel cage. Big Red,aka the bully is standing on top of the new ones cage picking at her IN her travel cage, I mean, she hopped right on top of that cage and started being a witch. Im thinking and here we GO. ok $^#$$#ch YOU are going to get locked away for a week again if you keep that up !!
The new one gets out of her cage. There was an arm hole in it, I accidentally scared her and she squeezed out. Ok now ALL of them are free in the yard.
Big red comes running up to her immediately and hops on her back. Big red is the bully. Well feathers fly and big red gets the crap beat out of her and goes running off. The other one just stands there like nothing happened. Im actually nodding in approval thinking, good !! serves you right you bully #$^%$#.
Now the lowest one in the pecking order comes up, they both are standing there eating and the old beta comes at the new one. This is like watching a cock fight, holy crap, this is not just squabbling and nit picking. and these are GIRLS, not angry cocks. BOTH of them lock up and got each other in their mouths one biting the waddle the other biting... something, they are both standing there all wrapped on each other. I let this go on for about 20 seconds then said ENOUGH !!! What the HELL is wrong with YOU TWO!! I walk over there and just like that, scoop a bird up in each arm, so am standing there with both completely tame and sitting in my arms birds....to be honest they were probably a bit tuckered out from fighting. scolding both of them. Put them down on the ground one by one and swat each ass on the way out. They both walk off minding their own business. That was that, they stood around a few feet from each other, not another problem.
along comes one of the other old flocks, her too, takes a jump at the new bird, who pecks at her for about 15 seconds, she runs off.... the 4th and final one wants no part of any of this and is minding her own business pretty much, and no problems at all.
so here I am all worried the new bird is going to get bullied horribly, and it ends up within the first 20 minutes of being here, the new one put them all in their place right up front. Now I am not stupid, I KNOW there is going to be more squabbles, this is NOT over by a long shot, but well, in an odd way, the fact that the new one IS sticking up for herself is comforting. The fact that the new one is NOT a bully, she is not chasing them around.. THEY brought it to HER, and she ended it !! is comforting too. The fact that even in a brand new yard, I was able to walk up to her and go come on honey you need to go in now, and just basically picked her right up and put her in the coop, is a great thing too.
Im not sure what to expect here. I am going to leave the cage open so that IF they do start something tomorrow, girls can run away and escape if need be. I don't want to risk them all locked up and ganging up or something. This is not the first time ive left the cage open access, yes I know thats generally not a good thing but I have done it before and there are some coon preventions around it. Generally the worst thing that happens when I allow them out on their own to free range is something gets eaten that I didnt want eaten.
I did NOT see this coming, this is going to be an interesting next few days. Ive seen plenty of cock fights, just never seen two hens locked up like that on each other, they were not bred for that. hmm.
Aaron
I get her home, keep her by their cage, they see each other. she's in the travel cage. Big Red,aka the bully is standing on top of the new ones cage picking at her IN her travel cage, I mean, she hopped right on top of that cage and started being a witch. Im thinking and here we GO. ok $^#$$#ch YOU are going to get locked away for a week again if you keep that up !!
The new one gets out of her cage. There was an arm hole in it, I accidentally scared her and she squeezed out. Ok now ALL of them are free in the yard.
Big red comes running up to her immediately and hops on her back. Big red is the bully. Well feathers fly and big red gets the crap beat out of her and goes running off. The other one just stands there like nothing happened. Im actually nodding in approval thinking, good !! serves you right you bully #$^%$#.
Now the lowest one in the pecking order comes up, they both are standing there eating and the old beta comes at the new one. This is like watching a cock fight, holy crap, this is not just squabbling and nit picking. and these are GIRLS, not angry cocks. BOTH of them lock up and got each other in their mouths one biting the waddle the other biting... something, they are both standing there all wrapped on each other. I let this go on for about 20 seconds then said ENOUGH !!! What the HELL is wrong with YOU TWO!! I walk over there and just like that, scoop a bird up in each arm, so am standing there with both completely tame and sitting in my arms birds....to be honest they were probably a bit tuckered out from fighting. scolding both of them. Put them down on the ground one by one and swat each ass on the way out. They both walk off minding their own business. That was that, they stood around a few feet from each other, not another problem.
along comes one of the other old flocks, her too, takes a jump at the new bird, who pecks at her for about 15 seconds, she runs off.... the 4th and final one wants no part of any of this and is minding her own business pretty much, and no problems at all.
so here I am all worried the new bird is going to get bullied horribly, and it ends up within the first 20 minutes of being here, the new one put them all in their place right up front. Now I am not stupid, I KNOW there is going to be more squabbles, this is NOT over by a long shot, but well, in an odd way, the fact that the new one IS sticking up for herself is comforting. The fact that the new one is NOT a bully, she is not chasing them around.. THEY brought it to HER, and she ended it !! is comforting too. The fact that even in a brand new yard, I was able to walk up to her and go come on honey you need to go in now, and just basically picked her right up and put her in the coop, is a great thing too.
Im not sure what to expect here. I am going to leave the cage open so that IF they do start something tomorrow, girls can run away and escape if need be. I don't want to risk them all locked up and ganging up or something. This is not the first time ive left the cage open access, yes I know thats generally not a good thing but I have done it before and there are some coon preventions around it. Generally the worst thing that happens when I allow them out on their own to free range is something gets eaten that I didnt want eaten.
I did NOT see this coming, this is going to be an interesting next few days. Ive seen plenty of cock fights, just never seen two hens locked up like that on each other, they were not bred for that. hmm.
Aaron