Sufficient Self members with Poultry!

[MeanCheek]

I got these nine Spitz in the mail the other day

 

[Trying2keepitReal]

they are so cute @MeanCheek

I am letting the mildly aggressive hen out with the flock today (including mama hen and 4 week old chicks). put in a lot of obstacles and 2 feeders and 2 waterers. She has been doing just fine after 25 min, no lunging or pecking. Mama hen is keeping them close. We may have made some progress! I just want the extra pens in the coop and run gone before the weather turns.

 

[Dreamz]

I found out today that not only leghorns are like a 2yr old toddler getting into everything but one has special skills. My mama and chicks are integrated with them now but still prefer the nest. So, I closed them in the afternoon so they have to go up and roost like everyone else. However, this morning, I was a bit late but my leghorn had no problem laying her egg. So skillful, it did not fell on the floor,lol
Maybe she can next butt-spit an egg to a target,

 

[Trying2keepitReal]

Mama hen finally moved babies off floor into nesting box at exactly 4 weeks (dont mind the cardboard I had to block holes in the crate)

 

[Mini Horses]

Soon she'll have them up on the roost.

 

[Trying2keepitReal]

So exciting. I still have one hen that just can't seem to leave the chicks alone. I have been doing longer and longer supervised integration visits, but she just seems to really like to peck them So she is still in a separate box at night and a separate run area part of the day. I wanted to let her out completely and have them all mixed by now while mama is still in protective mode but I am on the fence. I guess I don't know what is normal and what is considered excessive as I haven't had chicks before. She doesn't run, chase and corner them but she does like to take a peck here and there as they pass her. I know pecking when they come up to where they are eating food or treats is normal, so I am not too concerned over that, it is just the non-food pecking that concerns me. Any thoughts from anyone?

I had all of them out unsupervised yesterday for 2 hours and all seemed well, they were even all out in the dust bath area laying right next to each other. Mama hen will chase her and peck her legs as she isn't higher on the pecking order, I just don't want her to peck them just because and get in that habit. you know? Plus I don't want her loose in the coop if she is still doing that when they have nowhere to run and hide.

all comments and suggestions welcome. I am hoping to have the coop and run free of penned off sections within a couple weeks as the colder it gets the more I want everyone to access shelter if needed. Plus it is a PIA to clean around, lol

 

[Dreamz]

I understand what you are saying. But I am not an experienced chicken keeper to say what is happening nor what to do. I have a mama with 4 peeps and they still wanted to sleep in the nesting box. So moved them to the main coop. They did the same. Now I began closing the nests once all have laid and they have no choice to go up. But big girls give them a hard time. Mama was least in the pecking order before I moved her to a small coop inside the run with her sister and the roo that nobody wants but them two. They are no pecking at them as much and it is getting better with time. Wish the same was with the roo but they are afraid of him and he knows it. Maybe giving them more time and let them be until you see something bad. I was constantly micromanaging them but they also need to learn to flee and hide if needed.
Good example is Sophia, my eggless naked neck. I am sure she is defective. Only 25 eggs in two years, 2 of them this year. She seems to have add/adhd/bipolar. She is a trip to watch. Always the last because she is daydreaming somewhere and lowest on the pecking order, yeap,even the small sebrights were before her. Now that just got ducklings, she began being the high on their social order. But as of this week, they had run her back and defending themselves.
My point is that we have domesticated these animals. But they are born with their own intuition or gene to know real danger and avoid it. Give them more time and see how it goes. I hate to clean two coops even less in the cold winter.

 

[Hinotori]

I have some easter egger hens who will peck anyone lower on the pecking order if they are near them. Chicks of course are on the bottom.

I don't have much issue with that on silkies, but they are calmer birds anyway. The paint rooster is on the cull list because he's started pecking at the 6 week partridge pullet that hatched in his pen. The hens (not just her mother) have attacked him a few times over it.

 

[Finnie]

So exciting. I still have one hen that just can't seem to leave the chicks alone. I have been doing longer and longer supervised integration visits, but she just seems to really like to peck them So she is still in a separate box at night and a separate run area part of the day. I wanted to let her out completely and have them all mixed by now while mama is still in protective mode but I am on the fence. I guess I don't know what is normal and what is considered excessive as I haven't had chicks before. She doesn't run, chase and corner them but she does like to take a peck here and there as they pass her. I know pecking when they come up to where they are eating food or treats is normal, so I am not too concerned over that, it is just the non-food pecking that concerns me. Any thoughts from anyone?

I had all of them out unsupervised yesterday for 2 hours and all seemed well, they were even all out in the dust bath area laying right next to each other. Mama hen will chase her and peck her legs as she isn't higher on the pecking order, I just don't want her to peck them just because and get in that habit. you know? Plus I don't want her loose in the coop if she is still doing that when they have nowhere to run and hide.

all comments and suggestions welcome. I am hoping to have the coop and run free of penned off sections within a couple weeks as the colder it gets the more I want everyone to access shelter if needed. Plus it is a PIA to clean around, lol

What you describe doesn’t sound so bad to me. I would just let them all be together and work it out for themselves. A peck as the chick walks by is not the same as if she were hunting them down and trying to kill them.

 

[Trying2keepitReal]

What you describe doesn’t sound so bad to me. I would just let them all be together and work it out for themselves. A peck as the chick walks by is not the same as if she were hunting them down and trying to kill them.

Ok, I am comfortable doing this. I have kept the door open between her pen and the rest of the run all day yesterday and no one seemed to have any marks or injuries I am going to open it all up this afternoon. They will be 5 weeks old this Sat, so they gotta learn and there is more than enough space, roosts, feed/waterers and hiding spots in the run with space for 25 and I only have 12 counting the chicks.

Let her run free in the coop and roost too? If I didn't have to enclose her my life would be amazing. Mama hen takes them to a nesting box now so they aren't on the floor.