Chickens fighting all of a sudden??

[Jac Jac]

I gave up on 'production reds', including the hatchery RIRs, years ago, because many of them were feather picking little beasts. They moved to other flocks, with full disclosure, because they weren't good in my mixed breed flock.
Always work toward peace out there!
Mary

Thanks, Mary. I'm considering that also, but trying to endure this teenage hormonal nonsense until I move to a larger farm. It's taking a while because I'm disabled and don't drive anymore, yet we must have a permanent place in the country. Things will work themselves out soon or...anybody got a good stew recipe??? (I will need someone to cut the chickens' throat AND dress it, 'cause I'm chicken 'bout that too.)

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Your local meat processor might do it for you for a nominal fee. You know, wherever a hunter might take their deer to be processed.

 

[ellend]

My Old English Game Bantams usually kept one at the very bottom of the pecking order, and were pretty mean about it. Make sure your little one can get food and water (have multiples spread out) or they can actually starve her to death by driving her away from it.

 

[ellend]

My bantams did the chase, jump, and feather pulling for years. The worst offender is now the sole remaining bantam, and she eats first while the big chickens (Easter Eggers) wait. Blue had been losing her place in the pecking order (#2--the #1 kept her from becoming too excessively mean) and now she is happy to have a flock again. Although she keeps the bigger, younger chickens in line, she is no longer mean at all. So far, my Easter Eggers are quite egalitarian at around 19 wks..

 

[Mo'sMenagerie]

Well she’s been roosting on the one right in front of the nesting boxes with her sister but now she won’t sleep with her sister and the big girls won’t let her roost with them so she’s decided the nesting box is best for her lol

How are things going with flock? Has it gotten better? What have done to try and stop the fighting?

I did as suggested in an earlier post by crating my bully brahma for 3 days, and she went right back to kicking everyone off the roost. She's a bad influence and now seems to have gotten one of my nicer hens to be mean too. I'm going to try her back in the crate at the bottom of the coop for another couple days and see if it makes a difference the second time around.

 

[featherhead007]

"Can't we all just get along?"
Sorry I couldn't resist. Pecking orders can be very mean sometimes, my hens have problems, but a little violence is expected. No I don't like it either! Roosters usually fix the problem, sadly I don't have one anymore.