Rorrry Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 Hi, new to all this so please stick with me... My wife has 3 little bantums, 2 black and 1 smaller grey/blue. Everything was going well, pecking order was established with one of the blacks at the top and the other at the bottom. all 3 birds were great and very friendley (we have 2 kids) however since the weather has turned and we started letting the girls have the run of the garden again all hell has broken loose... The black is still the boss and she keeps the grey sort of in check with a little peck here and there but when she does the grey seeks the other black out and really goes to town on her. i have seen the grey on the back of the black biting her neck and clawing at her back and wings for the length of the garden. the situation has worsened with the grey attacking the black at every turn, chasing her in and out of the house, not letting her eat and so on. To make matters worse the picked on black has turned really nasty towards us and my wife in particular to the point of drawing blood with a bite (i know chickens have beaks and cant really bite but its the only way i can explain what she did) she rears up at my wife and the kids flapping and kicking threatening to claw them if they get too close. the other two are fine when you pick them up and will happily have a fuss but when you pick up the picked on black she is a bag of nerves, trembling and squawking until you put her down and she still trys to bite when you have her. Its becoming a worry, i dont want to get rid of her as she' (was...) a lovley bird but i cant run the risk of her attacking one of my kids. Any help and advise would be much appreciated. My wife wants a cube with maybe another 3 chickens for her birthday but i dont want to add more chickens until we can sort this out. Thanks in advance Ryan and Angela Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMO Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 Oh dear - it's not nice when things turn like that. The picked on one is probably just using her defence mechanism when you go near her and that is why she is pecking you. You could try : - an anti-peck ring on the pecker - spraying anti-peck spray on the hen that is being pecked - make sure there are more than one feeders availbale so the one that is being denied food has access elsewhere (the other hen can only guard one feeder at a time) I am sure some-one else will be along with more ideas soon and I hope it all works out for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 (edited) Oh dear. Are you absolutely sure that the "top hen" is not a rooster? With regard to the not letting the "bottom hen" eat, it is a good idea to have 3 feed and drink stations ....they will only be able to man 2 of them, so she should be able to eat. It might be a good idea to let them out at different times to fre-range and then the little one will be able to eat and will have some respite from this aggression. I would suggest anti pecking rings, but from the sound of it, they would be impossible to fit! How about some Ukadex spray, which is an anti pecking spray, and tastes and smells unbelievably vile and has extremely good write ups. You can get it at **Regency Poultry**, which is located in Temple Normanton, Chesterfield. I see you are in Derbyshire. If you are near Chesterfield, why not give them a ring and call and collect some. They are very helpful. Good luck. Let us know how you get on. Edited March 3, 2008 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyren Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 Hi Ryan Sorry to hear about your bantams! It sounds like you need to separate the bottom hen for a while so that the grey can't pick on her. What would be best is if you had somewhere you could put the little one by herself whilst giving the others access to the nestbox. I have a dog cage, and others use spare eglus or arks - but if you don't have anything like that, can you somehow let the top hen and the grey out to free-range and keep the other one inside the eglu run where they can't get at her? I know it sounds a bit mean to her, but the other two might need time to sort out their relationship without using her as a punching bag. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rorrry Posted March 3, 2008 Author Share Posted March 3, 2008 Oh dear. :shock@ Are you absolutely sure that the "top hen" is not a rooster? LOL, She' not a "Lady" (a la Little Britain) she is the only layer at the moment. Thanks for the help though i'm about 25mins from chesterfield so i will check out Regency. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...