Can I keep a cannibal hen?

[DoriMama]

I bought my first two chickens ever last Saturday. On Sunday (eight days later), one of them pecked the other to death. I believe it was because the chicken had broken feathers on her back from breeding, and the other chicken perceived her as injured and attacked. I contacted the breeder, and she has offered to replace the killed chicken and to trade the other chicken if I want. I would feel terrible trading my hen in, but I don't think I could sustain another loss...I cried for a day and a half. Will the chicken continue to kill other hens? Or is it safe to keep her with the new chicken? I don't know if chickens develop a taste for violence (read: blood), or if a new chicken will be safe. Also, will it be better if I get two new chickens? I feel that part of the problem may have been unbalanced power. The chicken that died was obviously not the dominant hen, so perhaps if I get two more, the dominant chicken will be less inclined to single out one of them? Please help. I have until Saturday to decide if I can keep this hen.

 

[Wisher1000]

If you will always think of that one as the "cannibal chicken" then you may as well start over with new ones, but keep in mind that almost all chickens are capable of the same thing. Did you watch the incident? Are you sure that is what happened? Is the hen sweet with you? Maybe ask for two hens that are already buddies...

Just my thoughts...

 

[emvickrey]

My first experience with cannibalism was horrible. I had aquired a small flock of different breeds that my neighbor moved off and left. She had started with 50 chicks and by the time they made it to adulthood there was 8 left. She hardly fed them and they resorted to eathing the smaller and weaker ones. They would go off for days and once for 2 weeks and we would go over there and toss them food and try to get them water. They had the pen padlocked. Their food bucket was where it got rained in and the water bucket was under a roof. They lived in the most discusting place i've ever seen.

When we got them DH built a coop and it was kept clean and they had food and fresh water 24/7. They stopped trying to eat each other for a few months then started doing it again. I guess they liked the taste of fresh meat. I started finding a chicken here and there with a hole in it. I would take it out and try to mend it. Then there would be another. So I watched them to find out who was doing it. It was the little banty's. So I found another home for them. But it didn't stop there. I ended up sending them all down the road to a farm where they had lots more chickens and other animals and they could free range. Then I started all over.

Since then I haven't had any cannibalism. I have had some trouble introducing younger or new chickens to an exhisting flock. They would get harassed and attacked but not hurt. Since I switched to silkies, I haven't had any of those problems. The only time there is aggression is between roos. I have 1 roo per pen so no fighting.

When I was trying to introduce younger chickens to an exhisting flock and had problems I would but the aggresser in "chicken Jail". Which is a cage placed just a couple of feet outside of the run of the pen it belonged to. It would stay there for a few hours and sometimes it would work. When it didn't I would grab it by it's legs and carry it around the pen upside down. When I put it back in and if it did it again it would get the upside down treatment a little longer. I had done the chicken Jail one time on a pair for abouth a month. Of course they had shelter, food and water but they finally decided if they wanted to live in the coop they had to behave.

So If I where you, I would get some birds that are already used to each other to avoid the hassle. It can be time consuming and/or grusome if you can't be out there to watch and intervene.

Also, if you want to keep the one hen, then get a couple more instead of just one. Introduce them while free ranging so they have someplace to run away if attacked by the other hen. That hen says it's her coop and if she don't want them in it she will kill them or it. I never add less chickens to a pen than what are already in it. Power in numbers. If they went after all of them, they would get exhausted. There may be some harassing and pecking but it's establishing "pecking order" It's when they are going in to do damage is when you have to intervene.

I know i'm rambling but I hope it helps you make a decision.

 

[wingsofglory]

No, get rid of her.

Once they think of a food source, they don't stop. Whats worse is they teach any new ones you get.

I had a young rooster that would reach over, pull a feather from the back of any sitting near, then eat the piece of meat attached to the end. I did not rehome because it would just bring heartache to any person I gave him too. But he was out of the coop that minute before the others copied him, and my neighbor ate him for dinner.

I could never sleep, worrying about going out the next morning and finding a hole in new chickens.

Good chickens are such fun and source of joy. This just sounds like a nightmare.

 

[Suechick]

I agree, trade her in!
We have enjoyed our little flock of 5 so much. But it would be horrible if we had to watch out for this kind of behavior. Life is too short to keep mean chickens.

 

[emvickrey]

When I had those that I had, I didn't know very much about that subject. I did know I didn't want to deal with it. Now any mean chickens have to go. I've since switched to mainly silkies and they are alot calmer. I only have 3 different breeds but I don't have any idea how many I have. I'm afraid to do a head count. The numbers will go down after this weekend. I'm taking most of the juveniles and all the chicks to a swap meet to sell. That should cut my numbers in half. Untill the eggs hatch anyway.

Before when I had the LF I would get alot of roosters that hatched and always had a few that thought they could beat me or anybody else up. They got kicked out and their new owners sent them to freezer camp. I've learned alot on this site. The people here are very helpful. I'm still learning and probably always will.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

You need to cover those broken feathers, wounds or red skin showing through with duct tape. It works great for protecting the area. Feathers are able to grow back underneath of it. I've used this method several hens that were being over bred by my roo.


ETA-- link http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/issues/1/1-6/Joyce_Dixon.html

 

[rufus]

Yes, you can keep the cannibal chicken, in a crock pot.

Rufus

 

[wingsofglory]

There is something else when I reread your post.

When people sell chickens, many times they are selling their problem chickens. Most people won't part with a good layer.

I only get chicks and raise them myself. Yes, five months is a long time to wait for eggs, BUT i know they are not egg eaters or mean or sick or any other problems.

Of course, if you know a breeder that regularly sells started pullets, or someone who has to move and can't take their chickens, or retiring, or something, thats different.

I hope you have a better experience from now on. They are so much fun.

 

[GallusGal]

Wings of Glory makes a very good point. If you see a GREAT DEAL on a chicken, step back and wonder why for a minute. My rooster Nuru was dumped off in the woods in the middle of January (we know he was dumped off because he turned up in the middle of a state park - birds don't get there by accident any more than dogs do). And I think I know why: he's very aggressive towards people. Now I don't know that the breeder deliberately sold you a cannibalistic bird - doesn't sound like it since they seem willing to replace - but always be wary of the possibility.

I personally would get more than two chickens. I find that one on one, there is often way too much of a power inequality, and one bird ends up skinny and harassed and stressed while the other thrives. I always have tried to keep my chickens in a minimum of trios, though I'll admit I've never had any serious problems with aggression/cannibalism/etc. so I don't know if that would solve the problem in the case of this bird.