Why are chickens so mean to each other????

[old geezer]

Quote:
it took a good day and a half to come up with a good name for this little savior and warrior chicken--

-----after much though --i give her the name "AYLA " ......that' s the name of the girl in the prehoristic movie---"clan of the cave bear " any who saw the w movie knows why she got this name---fits this little leghern hen to a tee.....

 

[kissezmychicken]

A lady at the store told me she put a pullet in with her hens and it was dead by morning. They are savages..Did human do that to them?

 

[ChickenChaser9]

I just want to point out that flock integration is not something that will happen over the course of a few hours or days. This is a 2 week process if you want it to be a safe experience for the smaller birds. This is NOT an area to cut corners. Chickens take the pecking order very seriously. Their entire society is built around it and it can seem cruel but no more so than how humans treat each other. Integration requires patience and due diligence. For the safety of everyone involved I urge you all not to take the short view on this. Even baby chicks raised by a mother who has always been a part of the flock will be subjected to the pecking order and momma hen has to keep them away from the others for a couple weeks for everyone's safety. It isn't cruel. It is just how chickens figure out their place in the world. Best Wishes.

 

[Hillaire]

I'm going to be trying the tactic my grandfather always did with his new chickens when my buff orpington bantams and porcelain d'uccle get big enough and that is putting them at night and seeing how they fair in the morning. Always worked for him I guess it's worth a shot.

 

[bobbi-j]

A lady at the store told me she put a pullet in with her hens and it was dead by morning. They are savages..Did human do that to them?

I think it's more their instinct. They're very territorial - not at all welcoming toward other chickens at all. They need to get used to each other. Adult chickens will kill a younger bird if not integrated properly. That means plenty of room for the new one to get away, multiple feeding and watering stations and hiding places. Many people use a "look but don't touch" system to get them used to each other before fully integrating. I understand that this can help cut down on the bullying a lot.

I don't know the circumstances of the situation you mentioned. Did she just dump it in with the others and walk away? If that's the case, they could well have killed it. If she put it in with the others at night and found it dead in the morning, I'd have to think twice about that. Chickens are usually inactive at night, so I doubt they'd attack a new chicken at that time. Maybe when they woke up in the morning and found a stranger in their midst.