Hello all,
Since the most urgent topic is tackled and under construction I really would like your advise on another subject I have been struggling with.
This is going to be a bit of a long story..
I have had my 3 silkies for almost 4 years now and beside a little misunderstanding or excess in hormones (moods!!) once every while there never really has been a problem among them.
Last autumn Jelle and I found a young chicken in the woods. We decided to keep her/him and if it would be a him we would try and give him a good chance of living with us.
After a few weeks he started crowing and we knew we where dealing with a he
He was growing fast and starting to ..tread? my little ones. It was very stressful for them: he already was to big and they would be lying flat on the ground while it was happening. What to do?
After some considering we decided to find a few ladies his own size, hoping he would prefer this (he does actually).
Through the internet we found two hens: one ex-battery (Heidi) and a Brahma with 'wrong colors' (Klara-bella). The ex battery was so extremely aggressive, I seriously considered taking her back. We got her with the message she was to shy/socially not strong enough for the flock the lady had. After some consultation with a 'save ex-battery hens organization' we managed to calm her down. In the mean time Klara-Bella and Otto were forming a steady couple.
We applied all the rules relating to introducing new hens to your flock. For some reason Klara-Bella is still so aggressive towards the little ones that now we have two runs, two coops, the garden is divided in two so both flocks have the opportunity to free range.
If they happen te be together, what she does is: she starts following one of the little ones through the garden, Heidi joins in, they close in the little one and start pecking. Sometimes Otto treads one of the little ones and if she gets the chance she pecks them while they can't get away.
Now we have started to separate her as soon as she starts. She is put back in to her run and has to stay there for a while.
What would you advise? Is there a possibility of 'starting over again'?
Some times Heidi is with the little ones, without Otto and Klara-Bella. In general this is ok.
I am at the point I'd rather find a new place for the big ones but know it is almost impossible to find a place for a cockerel. Beside that: Jelle has totally fallen in love with Klara-Bella, so even if Otto is going, I don't think I will be able to convince him she has to go too..