Fighting

The Chicken Lady · « **on:** March 05, 2007, 15:31 »

My hens are fighting today and I don't know why. They have lived together for two years with some of the others just one year. The polish cockerel which I hatched from an egg and was raised by a silkie has a bleeding face. I will have to catch him tonight wash him and I think separate him until he has healed. Some of the warrens are attacking one of my best broody silkies and then it seems to become a free for all. Anyone know what is going on :?: :?

muntjac · « **Reply #1 on:** March 05, 2007, 15:42 »

spring .. seperate them off and let things settle down .make sure they can see each other so you dont have them fighting when they get back together, qwik wipe with a damp cloth on the cockerel should see him alright

bramble · « **Reply #2 on:** March 05, 2007, 20:44 »

Have you got quite a big coop?

MontyTom · « **Reply #3 on:** March 05, 2007, 22:26 »

Karl, do you get asked that very often? :roll:

Maisiesmum · « **Reply #4 on:** March 05, 2007, 22:36 »

does this happen often with chickens, sort of falling out and working out heirarchy every so often? Does keeping a cockerel make a difference to it ie keep them in line, or is it him they are fighting over LOL?

Maisiesmum · « **Reply #5 on:** March 05, 2007, 22:39 »

does this happen often with chickens, sort of falling out and working out heirarchy every so often? Does keeping a cockerel make a difference to it ie keep them in line, or is it him they are fighting over LOL?

muntjac · « **Reply #6 on:** March 05, 2007, 23:31 »

yes monty i do . chickens are like kids in the playground . a hen may be top hen in the coop but one day she fels off colour and another will push her beak in and get scrappy . the cockerals dont give toss who is top hen , he is after his nooky n thats it . mine fight i just leave em to it . im the boss and the food provider so even the cockerals suck up to me . as long as the birds are not tearing each other apart let em get on with it , if you have to seperate em do it with wire netting so thye can see each other . or neck the one doing the bullying .after all its gonna be bigger than its victim in the majority of cases

The Chicken Lady · « **Reply #7 on:** March 06, 2007, 08:37 »

The main culprits are: the polish bantam who lives in a chalet with 5 warrens and a wyndotte, he picks a fight with a cream legbar hen who lives in a shed with all my other birds. Once they fight all my warrens seem to join in - thats 10 of them. Last night I caught frizzle and bathed his head where it was bleeding. This morning it was not bleeding anymore but he shot round to the other cote and started fighting with dutchess (she lays blue eggs hence the name). I caught him and took him in the back door and let him out at the front to diffuse the situation. I will keep and eye on them today. They have plenty pf room. I use to have about 40 comfortably but at the moment I only have 26. They roam over 10 acres during the day and only go in to lay or to roost. :?

muntjac · « **Reply #8 on:** March 06, 2007, 11:30 »

you have 2 different coops and thats the reason for fighting shift a coop further down the field and let both sheds have thier own territory .or fence them off . one cockerel may wanna poach a cute looking hen from the other coop n she may not wanna come

so she gets a battering ,,,,, yeh domestic violence in chickens huh :roll:

colin · « **Reply #9 on:** March 06, 2007, 13:53 »

chicken lady? i dont live far from you, can you let me know of a place to get 3,4 hens from, bantams would be nice, or a good fancy hen, if you can recomened one?? thanxs.

The Chicken Lady · « **Reply #10 on:** March 06, 2007, 14:25 »

Oooppps. I posted the information under the Chicks heading. Depends what you want and where you live Manchester. I have given you some numbers. We used to have a free paper Buy & Sell - not seen it for a while, papers like that often have contacts in. Hope I have given you enough info on the other subject heading. Let me know where in Manchester you are.

The Chicken Lady · « **Reply #11 on:** March 06, 2007, 14:30 »

Muntjac, I hear what you are saying. One cote is in the garden and the other at the back of the house. I had planned on moveing the one from the garden and getting a bigger shed to keep them all in!!!! Have to see how they settle. Frizzle would sometimes stay in the top shed and as I say has not been a problem before. They seem to have settled now though. See what happens when I go out to give them some corn. Don't they waste alot of time I have spent most of the day watching them!!!!! :oops:

muntjac · « **Reply #12 on:** March 06, 2007, 14:51 »

erm ... dont " they " waste a lot of time ... u spent all morning just watching chickens do chicken things ?

The Chicken Lady · « **Reply #13 on:** March 06, 2007, 14:55 »

Well I managed to do a spot of painting but I let the fire go out in the other room and have had to light it quickly before my husband comes home and throw all the pots in the dishwasher

Aunt Sally · « **Reply #14 on:** March 06, 2007, 15:12 »

Quote from: "muntjac"

erm ... dont " they " waste a lot of time ... u spent all morning just watching chickens do chicken things ?

Is there a better way to spend time Munty

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