The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: katog on June 24, 2012, 01:33:17 pm
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6 weeks old yesterday and today they are in varying states of bruised, swollen and some bleeding, it seems to be 1 in particular picking on the others but all taking a shot at the one with blood on it's comb. Mother hen not trying to help at all.
i guess it's just natural and will settle down once the order has been established???
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I had this last year. Turned out the bully was a cockerel so he was put on his own.
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I was going to say "cockerel" - we had 2 in a hatch, proper cock-fighting by 6 weeks. (they were sex-linked, so we knew they were fellas anyway) lets just say they are not fighting any more...
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With chicks excessive fighting is due in part to a lack of space. Feather pecking starts next. How much space do they have Katog?
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There's ma hen and 6 x 6 week old chicks in a shed aprox 3'x5' and a run the same size twice a day they all get out to free range in the field for 2 - 5 hours a time so I don't think it could be that.
One was particularly badly beaten and it's the largest of the 6, I have removed some loose netting in which perhaps that one got stuck.
I don't know how to tell which is male at this age - the father was a dorking and the mothers any of black rocks, ex-bat gingers, rhode island red or a dorking.
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I think the run is too small, but as you say with free ranging as well it should be sufficient at that age. Usually the top chick is male and the bottom female. Inbetween is anyones guess.
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I had a problem with young Friesians fighting ...... the cockerels. They free ranged during the day. It was at around the age you say. They just seemed to settle down after a couple of weeks. Maybe established a pecking order. ???
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puberty!
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No more fighting - 2 days after the fight Ma Hen laid an egg I guess she's decided they're old enough now.