Millie-Annie Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 they are driving me bonkers. Rene (ex-batt) - top chicken, fights with Veronica who gives as good as she gets, terrifies and bullies Marigold but gets on ok with Lyla Veronica (ex-batt) second in command albeit a tiny, skinny, featherless, scrawny s"Ooops, word censored!" - fights with Rene, bullies Marigold who now ignores her as they live together, is fine with Lyla Marigold (suffolk noir)- is terrified and bullied by Rene, is bullied by Veronica but she doesn't seem to mind this, but now bullies Lyla Lyla ex-batt) - gets on ok with Veronica and Rene but is now bullied by Marigold, as they had a set to today. Not only did M come out on top, she came out of it with a mouthful of L's feathers. However, Marigold is pecking Veronica and Lyla's new feather growth when she gets an opportunity which I know is quite common but can lead to cannabilism, so they (V & L) are now sprayed purple, with wound spray. I tried to change the sleeping arrangements tonight, I put Lyla in with Marigold instead of Veronica. Until I noticed Marigold pecking her, so I then got Veronica out of bed with Rene and swapped them. Rene looked up as if to say what the heck is going on. When Lyla then climbed up the ramp and into bed I swear she actually muttered "its like Piccadilly bleedin' circus in here tonight' Will they ever all get on? Do I need to leave the pairings longer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreveryoung Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 yep - sounds like the mad hatters tea party to me!! Im sure in time they will get on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennydavies Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 Millie-Annie, Take a deeeeeep breath. Sit down with a nice glass of the red stuff and let them get on with it They will sort themselves out and at the end of it, if there is very bad extreme bullying you will be nice and calm to deal with it. Try the waterpistol thing, hold the naughty one down and if need be get some Ukadex anti-peck spray. Once they sort themselves out you will have so much joy owning them you will forget all about the bad bits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millie-Annie Posted June 18, 2010 Author Share Posted June 18, 2010 Jenny I have done just that this morning. I have let them out into the top of the garden where there is loads of space and left them to it. Lyla and Veronica are purple and now stink of anti pecking spray. Marigold is covered in anti pecking spray and vaseline on her comb and wattles and Rene has worked out how to get round the back of the shed into the extension run, which no one else has worked out yet, which is probably why it is peaceful. I will split them back up when I go to work shortly but for now all is calm. I didn't have any of this with my first three girls, they just were glad to be out of the battery and loved each other Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennydavies Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 I sympathise with you totally, we went through the bullying ritual and it's sooo frustrating, you feel like sellotaping beaks and walking away for a bit of P & Q. We felt so sorry for our one that was getting bullied, we found out later that "she" was a "he". He now keeps his own flock of Ladies in order Oh the joy of owning chickens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
