4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[teri]

yesterday all was calm in the garden today became the scene of a huge chick fight.

fuzz, definatley a male and grandad roy...now raising major suspisions... have done nothing but attack each other since they were let out this morning.

i would leave them if it was just the odd peck but it was far too agressive to ignore. both of them now have very pecked faces. they were also grabbing each other by the neck and dragging each other down to the ground. i have seperated them for now bringing Roy inside as Fuzz hasn't attacked anyone else. Roy on the other hand was pecking at everyone else when i move Fuzz. By broody has seperated them a few times and so has the dog for which he recieved a peck off both of them.

i go on holiday on friday so really need to get this problem sorted out asap

any help would be great

[Griffin]

One of them will have to go I'm afraid. I'm lucky in that none of my young lads have had major fisticuffs with each other, and most are kept for a date with my oven but if one caused a lot of trouble he'd find himself staring at the inside of the oven sooner than anticipated! I guess the reason why it works for me is because my flock is so large and there are plenty of places for them to go to keep out of each others way.

 

I know the forum doesn't help with rehoming spare boys. I think there are a couple of stickied topics at the top of this section with advice.

[teri]

thats what i thought, but other than today's fight Roy has no signs of being a boy??? she? is called Roy after the children's granddad who sadly passed away recently.

she is quite upright here i suppose? what do you think, i'll try to get a better picture

[Raina]

Have sent you a PM Teri

[Patricia W]

Yes - 2 cockerels fight. We had 3 babies, thought to be hens and then one crowed! Phillip, our cockerel was enraged ( even though it was the weediest crow I've ever heard!). Luckily, the babies were in the eglu run as Phillip stormed round the garden, all puffed up, crowing away. He finally located the potential contender for his crown and launched himself at the eglu run. Luckily it is cockerel proof as well as fox resistant. The baby went back to the breeder that night and we swopped for a hen.

 

It was actually quite funny, but only because Phillip could do no harm.

 

Tricia

[teri]

i am really suprised that they start so young! they are 9 weeks old tomorrow, the chaucer bantam still doesn't look that much like a boy either! they have been out in the garden all day together without any problems but i am going to seperate them over night to stop any early morning squabbling!

i now have a huge problem in choosing who goes and who stays i have a pair of chaucer bantams and a pair of frizzles the kids are agrueing as they have claimed one or the other and the hubby just shrugged his shoulders and mumbled either, not bothered

my only other option is another coop and run so that i can keep them all who needs a garden anyway

[Lewis]

Hopefully Roy will be a girl, but if not, a second coop sounds like a good idea

[likeabalalaika]

Gardens are overrated.

[teri]

Great news i've just been given a chicken coop and run!!!! its a triangular thing with the runattached and it was free!!!! this means i can keep everyone ....until of course they start crowing like loonies...but i'll cross that bridge....

[Raina]

Great news i've just been given a chicken coop and run!!!! its a triangular thing with the runattached and it was free!!!! this means i can keep everyone ....until of course they start crowing like loonies...but i'll cross that bridge....

 

 

Lucky You

[alih]

Great news!

[likeabalalaika]

Yay! That is such good news.

[Lewis]

Good news

[laurmurf]

We've just come in from separating out a very violent and persistent chick fight ourselve!

 

We noticed this weekend (after coming back from Temple Newsam) that we definitely had 2 boys: 1 of the Araucanas and the Marsh Daisy. As if to emphasize this when we let them free range for the first time the two of them had a couple of minor barneys - which haven't been repeated since.

 

We'd hoped ( ) that the others were looking girly but today our Silkie and Scots Dumpy have been tearing lumps out of each other for the last few hours - mum's ignoring them (she's switched off now and is as likely to peck them as give them a worm) and every time we separate them and give one time out, if we try to let one of them back out to free range they seek each other out to tear a few more lumps!

 

I think this is it for now, isn't it? Only 7 weeks old but full of testosterone already Oh if only we could have had a complete wuss like mostin's Bill!

 

So a hatch of 6 now equals 4 boys for the pot, if I can keep them from fighting long enough and in separate runs for long enough

 

I've learned a lot about this hatching lark......

[Griffin]

Don't lose hope, my young girls will fight too. My lav Aras are both girls but one of them can be quite aggressive when she wants to be, she's just stamping her authority. And chicks scream bloodcurdlingly even if another chick looks at them funny They're big wimps and can make a minor tiff sound like WW3.

[Tulip]

Oh dear..... sounds familiar.

Our baby Seramas have finally begum to blossom and both are growing lovely red combs. So we now have 3 boys. Aloo the CCL is already on the marketplace, not sure what to do about the dinky ones - the pair of them keep circling each other, it's hilarious because thankfully they've not yet hurt each other. Only a matter of time until they get separated I guess

[abwsco]

My two boys were squaring up to each other at two weeks old. They're coming up for 6 weeks tomorrow and I haven't seen any other fighting yet although one is still feather pecking

 

Was going to keep them for fattening up but have been told they need to be 6 months old for eating so unless my friend will keep them in her paddock for me I think we're going to have to cull them soon.

[laurmurf]

I think that may happen here too, Anne.

 

I knew we'd have to do it eventually but thought we'd get the benefit of raising the boys and then when old enough and crowing we'd do the necessary. I didn't think we'd have to consider it so much earlier just because of fighting!

 

If it was just a bit of squaring up, then I wouldn't mind. But we've had the ridiculous and upsetting sight of a tiny fluffy silkie and a squat little dumpy pulling lumps of feather and flesh off each other!

[abwsco]

I think that may happen here too, Anne.

 

I knew we'd have to do it eventually but thought we'd get the benefit of raising the boys and then when old enough and crowing we'd do the necessary. I didn't think we'd have to consider it so much earlier just because of fighting!

 

If it was just a bit of squaring up, then I wouldn't mind. But we've had the ridiculous and upsetting sight of a tiny fluffy silkie and a squat little dumpy pulling lumps of feather and flesh off each other!

 

Laura, I can imagine how upsetting that would be Like you say you don't expect it so early on.

[teri]

well i have just come back from a five day break in the isle of man and all seven chicks are playing together like best mates!!

i know i most definatley have 1 boy, my frizzle, Fuzz! Granddad Roy is now just confusing me i spent ages running round trying to find a seperate run for him/her and my other female Chaucer bantam before going away as an emergency holding pen if fighting continued and my chuck sitter didn't need it at all. (although i did find rather a big egg in there so its definatley been used by one of the bigger girls )

i will try and take some photo's later, got loads of unpacking to do and tents to dry out...not to mention the washing my four kids have created, but i will add some later with the question Am i a him or a her!!!!????

[Raina]

Can't wait for pics