jem mama
In the Brooder
Hi everyone,
New on this forum. I have 5 chickens,1 which is a silkie rooster. He is still fairly young, and just started crowing two months ago. Originally we thought he was a hen until he started crowing and displaying some other rooster characteristics, but I had no problem with him until the last month or so. He started picking on one of our two original hens, a bantam seabright of unknown age (but at least two years old). He usually does this when I'm feeding them; he will chase and peck at her and try to prevent her from eating. It was not terrible though, until today for some reason. My son went to feed them, and he comes back saying that that particular hen was not eating from the little feeding trough I have for the chickens, but just pecking from the floor. Fifteen minutes later, I look from a window, and see our rooster pecking at the seabright non-stop and she doesn't seem to be moving, and I run out to stop the carnage. By the time I got down, she looked dead-- legs facing up, not moving. I pushed her onto her side, and see she hasn't died yet, but feathers all over the ground. I've brought her into the house and put her in a dog crate to see if she will heal. One eye seems to be injured, she has some blood on her head, and not sure if a foot is injured, but she seems very weak. She did finally eat some, but then keeled onto the floor of the crate, sleeping, I hope.
Anyone have experience with a rooster mercilessly picking on only one hen? He is fine with all the others. We have one other bantam cochin also, which he doesn't have a problem with at all, but the seabright is our smallest chicken. Scared to re-introduce her back if/when she recovers. I don't understand why he would do this-- she is actually older than him too, and I thought they usually leave the older ones alone. Help!
New on this forum. I have 5 chickens,1 which is a silkie rooster. He is still fairly young, and just started crowing two months ago. Originally we thought he was a hen until he started crowing and displaying some other rooster characteristics, but I had no problem with him until the last month or so. He started picking on one of our two original hens, a bantam seabright of unknown age (but at least two years old). He usually does this when I'm feeding them; he will chase and peck at her and try to prevent her from eating. It was not terrible though, until today for some reason. My son went to feed them, and he comes back saying that that particular hen was not eating from the little feeding trough I have for the chickens, but just pecking from the floor. Fifteen minutes later, I look from a window, and see our rooster pecking at the seabright non-stop and she doesn't seem to be moving, and I run out to stop the carnage. By the time I got down, she looked dead-- legs facing up, not moving. I pushed her onto her side, and see she hasn't died yet, but feathers all over the ground. I've brought her into the house and put her in a dog crate to see if she will heal. One eye seems to be injured, she has some blood on her head, and not sure if a foot is injured, but she seems very weak. She did finally eat some, but then keeled onto the floor of the crate, sleeping, I hope.
Anyone have experience with a rooster mercilessly picking on only one hen? He is fine with all the others. We have one other bantam cochin also, which he doesn't have a problem with at all, but the seabright is our smallest chicken. Scared to re-introduce her back if/when she recovers. I don't understand why he would do this-- she is actually older than him too, and I thought they usually leave the older ones alone. Help!
