will chickens eat chickens?

[RollinWithTheStones]

Looks like something got into the coop. Opened it up this morning and found a 9 week old chick helping herself to her brother's carcass.

Is that normal?

 

[teach1rusl]

Yes. Folks have often reported cannibalism among chickens. Once blood is drawn, they are attracted (which is why it's so important to quickly tend to wounds on birds). Sorry you lost a bird.

Time to find out your coop's weakness...

 

[RollinWithTheStones]

Quote:
Thanks, thought it was possible but wanted to make sure.
I lost two chicks but only found one body, so I am hoping he he saddles his chubby butt out from some place, though I know it is unlikely. I think they came up from under the coop doors and squeezed in.

 

[saladin]

2 Axioms of raising Chickens:

1. Chickens die.
2. A chickens FAVORITE food is CHICKEN.


Learn those to rules and you will go far grasshopper.

 

[BMO]

While I am new at this,about the first thing I learned was, If the chicken is wounded, and is still alive, the other chicken will feed off it till it is dead.
I put my injured Chickens in a cage by itself, dress the wound with dressing we use for cuts on horses. Once the wound skins over, I return the chicken to the flock.
my grandmother used to put black tar on her chickens wounds,leave it with the rest, the other chickens didn't like the taste and wouldn't peck at the wound.
I do not remember the black tar she used, wished I could.

 

[southerndesert]

Yup normal and it is just how it is in their world

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
The Black Tar that you are referring to is Pine Tar (click here) .
It is used as against fungicidal and bacterial infections.

Chris

 

[BMO]

Quote:
The Black Tar that you are referring to is Pine Tar (click here) .
It is used as against fungicidal and bacterial infections.

Chris

Thanks, don't even have to buy any , had it all along but didn't know !

 

[stcroixusvi]

Read it here:
Everything eats chickens and chickens eat everything!

 

[daddy_roo]

I just turned my injured hen back with her friends today. A dog fulled the feathers out of her right leg, and she did bleed some. So I put her in an old rabbit cage I had built for a rabbit that died a while back,(he was 15 years old) and I kept the cage in the coop with the others. She was around the others still but they could not get to her. She is starting to grow feathers back now so i turned her out for a few hours the other day and then today she sliped out while I was changing her water. So I figured she is in the coop, Lets see what happens. Shes fine the others leave her alone, and she goes on with her chicken ways.