Chickens attacking chickens

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Chickens attacking chickens

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monkey1973

Joined: 17 Jan 2005
Posts: 683
Location: Bonnie scotland

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 05 2:16 pm Post subject: Chickens attacking chickens

Anybody have any experience of chickens attacking other chickens. For want of a better description, one of my hens recently had its head pretty well caved in and whilst I do not know for sure, I suspect, that our rooster gave her a bit of a doing over. He has, at times, shown aggression to this hen (particularily at feed times) but never to the extent of real violence (more just a chase me, chase me kind of thing). The hen is now seperated and we are trying our best to nurse her back to full health but I would be interested if anybody had experienced anything similar.

Nanny

Joined: 17 Feb 2005
Posts: 4520
Location: carms in wales

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 05 2:26 pm Post subject: chickens attacking chickens

hens can be quite vicious towards each other and the rooster can get quite aggressive in the mating season...he migth have held her head down while mating or something like that. sometimes the hens will turn on one, start pecking it and just carry on for no reason apparent to us...you can get things which will stop them though i personally have had no experience of this behaviour in my own hens...

monkey1973

Joined: 17 Jan 2005
Posts: 683
Location: Bonnie scotland

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 05 2:29 pm Post subject:
My next worry is, if she recovers, he or they just go at her again.

Gertie

Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 1638
Location: Yorkshire

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 05 3:25 pm Post subject:

One of our hens (Jo-Hen) was getting hen pecked by the others, so much so that she had what appeared to be an abcess on her back end which burst.

(I have to say that hens can be nasty little devils when they put their minds to it! ).

We brought Jo home and she is still here out in an ark in the garden, she has now been joined by Nettie - erm,

who had a trip to the vets and was in our *hospital* (well, the haybarn) until she came off her medication.

As both sets of our neighbours have told us how much they love seeing them in our garden so they are staying put! This way we can get a couple more to go round the allotment - Lundy has fallen for this little ploy!

Nanny

Joined: 17 Feb 2005
Posts: 4520
Location: carms in wales

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 05 8:05 pm Post subject: chickens
sometimes yes i believe sometimes they settle down but then may have to be kept seperate somebody has tobe head chicken and somebody has to be bottom of the pile the anti -pecking things sometimes work i am told but as i say i have never had any experience of it so i can't give an informed answer

Blue Sky

Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 05 8:12 pm Post subject:

Our cockeril was very vicious towards our hens, he harrassed them non-stop. Always rounding them up and bossing them about. He used to go for me too when I tried to enter the run to feed them. (I say "used to" because in the end I got tired of it and we had him for Sunday lunch - and we are normally veggies!). Life has been alot less stressful for our hens since he departed. They seem to be roosting properly again now. We intend to get another cock for them and hopefully one not so vicious this time.

thegreendruid

Joined: 18 Jul 2005
Posts: 4
Location: Shropshire border

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 05 8:55 pm Post subject:

we have recently acquired a flock of 5 hens and at first one particular hen was getting picked on. We were warned when we got them that older hens will often pick on younger hens, but we were told that if one is getting pecked more than others, it is a good idea to spray a little household anti-bacterial kitchen spray across their back and it stops the other hens pecking them. Hope that helps!

chris and sarah

monkey1973

Joined: 17 Jan 2005
Posts: 683
Location: Bonnie scotland

Posted: Thu Jul 21, 05 10:10 am Post subject:
I'll keep you all posted on what develops.

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