Ohiah
In the Brooder
- May 13, 2024
- 10
- 5
- 24
For context: There are 5 living in a producer's pride sentinel. One chicken (sweet Easter Egger) is a tiny little thing with pendulous crop that they don't bother. That leaves Big Easter Egger, Orpington, Australorp, Wyandotte. They have a smaller coop but almost half an acre to roam about in a fenced yard.
>> My chickens are about 23 weeks old, but one is a few weeks older (the big Easter Egger). They were all raised together in the brooder. At the end of August, the rooster was removed. Things got pretty nasty as they were resetting their pecking order... that was at the beginning of September. My orpington and australorp both sort of were scalped (just at the base of their crowns) and their crowns were a bit beaten up. I didn't know WHICH chickens and thought they were all trying to get top hen. I treated those injuries and they both healed up fine. They were all fine for the most part. Never any violent acts beyond those initial injuries. I'd watch big Easter Egger charge at the others from across the yard. They'd all puff up their neck feathers at each other. Mostly just squabbles or interest in what the other might have found. (normal behaviors, I assumed). The girls were all fine. No fighting or anything.
The big easter egger broke the tip of her beak last week. I'm not sure how that happened but I'm assuming on the hardware cloth trying to get a beetle or something. It wasn't bleeding and was just the tip. She eats and drinks fine. Hoping that will grow back but if not, it doesn't affect her eating/drinking so is ok. She is top of the pecking order, from what I can tell. She is the biggest of them all. So mostly they just got along up until yesterday.
The big Easter Egger pinned down the orpington and started ruthlessly attacking her (seemed like trying to rip her comb off..). Orpington wasn't as injured nearly as awful as she had been before. And I suspect my big EE is the culprit of the crown/scalp injuries before. This time orpington's earlobe is also hurt a bit too...like bruised but not bleeding.
I immediately removed mean EE and isolated in her own little quarantine cage. They can all still see each other. I put the isolation cage outside of the Sentinel run. I left her in there all night. The orpington wasn't being bothered by any of the others so I left her with the flock (except isolated Easter Egger). I sprayed Orpington with Vetericyn as I had before.
Today, I let the flock out of the tiny-attached run into the big yard to roam about. After a while, I thought it was ok to let big easter egger out to roam in the yard too that she'd spent the night in "chicken jail" and should be ok.... wrong. She ran out of isolation STRAIGHT for orpington (passed the other girls) and started attacking her again; trying to pin her down, biting her wing and her comb. I removed her off of orpington and put her right back into chicken jail. Orpington was scared but is ok.
Note: They are on a high protein 20 % layer feed (Kalmbach Full Plume) mixed with 18% kalmbach chick/starter crumbles. Have oyster shells & grit available all the time. so I don't think it's a nutrition issue. There are 2 hanging 18" feeders in different spots that hold 3 lbs of food each. and they have a 3 gallon waterer. So I don't really think it's "fighting over resources" either
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I don't think she is laying yet. I only have two laying so far... the orpington and one other mystery girl which I suspect is the australorp. I thought she might have been a TSC "pullet" ROO. But I asked on here and yall confirmed she's not a male.
How long do I need to leave her in cage? Should I move her out of sight of the others instead of near them? Any other advice?
>> My chickens are about 23 weeks old, but one is a few weeks older (the big Easter Egger). They were all raised together in the brooder. At the end of August, the rooster was removed. Things got pretty nasty as they were resetting their pecking order... that was at the beginning of September. My orpington and australorp both sort of were scalped (just at the base of their crowns) and their crowns were a bit beaten up. I didn't know WHICH chickens and thought they were all trying to get top hen. I treated those injuries and they both healed up fine. They were all fine for the most part. Never any violent acts beyond those initial injuries. I'd watch big Easter Egger charge at the others from across the yard. They'd all puff up their neck feathers at each other. Mostly just squabbles or interest in what the other might have found. (normal behaviors, I assumed). The girls were all fine. No fighting or anything.
The big easter egger broke the tip of her beak last week. I'm not sure how that happened but I'm assuming on the hardware cloth trying to get a beetle or something. It wasn't bleeding and was just the tip. She eats and drinks fine. Hoping that will grow back but if not, it doesn't affect her eating/drinking so is ok. She is top of the pecking order, from what I can tell. She is the biggest of them all. So mostly they just got along up until yesterday.
The big Easter Egger pinned down the orpington and started ruthlessly attacking her (seemed like trying to rip her comb off..). Orpington wasn't as injured nearly as awful as she had been before. And I suspect my big EE is the culprit of the crown/scalp injuries before. This time orpington's earlobe is also hurt a bit too...like bruised but not bleeding.
I immediately removed mean EE and isolated in her own little quarantine cage. They can all still see each other. I put the isolation cage outside of the Sentinel run. I left her in there all night. The orpington wasn't being bothered by any of the others so I left her with the flock (except isolated Easter Egger). I sprayed Orpington with Vetericyn as I had before.
Today, I let the flock out of the tiny-attached run into the big yard to roam about. After a while, I thought it was ok to let big easter egger out to roam in the yard too that she'd spent the night in "chicken jail" and should be ok.... wrong. She ran out of isolation STRAIGHT for orpington (passed the other girls) and started attacking her again; trying to pin her down, biting her wing and her comb. I removed her off of orpington and put her right back into chicken jail. Orpington was scared but is ok.
Note: They are on a high protein 20 % layer feed (Kalmbach Full Plume) mixed with 18% kalmbach chick/starter crumbles. Have oyster shells & grit available all the time. so I don't think it's a nutrition issue. There are 2 hanging 18" feeders in different spots that hold 3 lbs of food each. and they have a 3 gallon waterer. So I don't really think it's "fighting over resources" either
------
I don't think she is laying yet. I only have two laying so far... the orpington and one other mystery girl which I suspect is the australorp. I thought she might have been a TSC "pullet" ROO. But I asked on here and yall confirmed she's not a male.
How long do I need to leave her in cage? Should I move her out of sight of the others instead of near them? Any other advice?
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