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Help!! Fighting chickens

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I have just got an eglu on tuesdy and have put 2 18month old blackrocks (off a friend) and 2 15 week old speckeldys off a local breeder in it.

 

I put them all together in the run ive made at the same time on tues evening as recomended by the breeder and all was well, however, on wed am when i can to open the eglu one of the blackrocks was attacking the speckledys.

 

I was warned that this may happen but once i opened the door the blackrocks came out and lost interest in the speckeldys. For the rest of the day all seemed to be going well not much arguing.

 

This am no noises from the eglu but whilst i was at work the blackrocks (both of them this time) started attacking the spekeldys(or so my grandad informs me as he went to see them) so much so that they spent the whole day on the roof of the eglu and when they tried to come down for food the were charged at by both the blackrocks.

 

When I got in from work I seperated them in the run and the speckeldys spent the next hour or so eating - they must have been starving. :cry:

 

What i want to know is how long sould i let them try and sort themselves out for beacuse im worried about the speckeldys as one had blood on her head?

 

Should i keep them seperated during the day and then try to reintroduce them all together later or is it too late now?

 

All advice welcome as ive never had chickens before

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What they are doing is quite normal, although it can look quite blood thirsty and aggressive. Make sure the speckledies are getting some time apart from the black rocks to recover and eat and drink. Put down extra feed & water stations - the bullies can't man them all at once. Scatter some treats around - if they are all feeding together it takes their minds off violence.

 

Keep your eye on any bloody patches, wash with salt water or dab with tea tree oil. As long as it's only nicks, that is normal. If they start seriously pecking and drawing blood, that is the time to worry. It usually takes about three weeks for it all to settle down completely.

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ok getting worried now.!!!!

 

Mathida the blackrock that is in charge has now turned on steve the other black rock as well.

 

The two speckeldies sit on top of the eglu and steve had now been confined to inside the eglu. She wont let any of them more or she charges at them.

 

Also this morning i watched whilst she charged at emily one of the speckeldies grabed about six feathers off her and then ate them. Is this normal ?!?

 

I have seperated her at the moment in the run so the others can eat and drink. I will put them all back together later so that they can try and sort themselves.

 

Am i making things worse by interveening? :?:?

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This is all fairly normal, so don't panic!

 

On the issue of intervention, you have to strike a balance. On the one hand, if you don't let them squabble at all, they'll never settle. On the other, if you let them squabble but intervene when it gets really nasty, you're just asserting your status as surrogate cockerel and the hens will probably accept that. It's a bit like having a dog - you have to assume the role of pack leader in order to maintain discipline.

 

I've been bossing my top hen a bit after she started seriously bullying the new pekins, and she's toned down her attacks noticeably. Instead of pinning them to the ground, she now just stands over them and pecks them - and yesterday she crouched for me for the very first time, even though she's been laying for weeks. Just to make sure she understood who was boss, I tapped her on the head a couple of times with my fingernail - it pays to speak a few "words" of chickenese :)

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