elmwood
New member
Hi,
After 6 pleasant and rewarding weeks of hen keeping
we decided to add a little friend to our flock of three Pekins especially as the youngest Pekin has a hard time of it OR SO WE THOUGHT....... My goodness what a nightmare weekend. We are on hourly chicken rota watch!
We picked up our Sablepoot on Friday pm and placed her with our Nutmeg, who is the youngest Pekin and bottom in the pecking order, inside an enclosed run and house. My god it was world war 3. The Pekin sat on her, tore at her feathers and generally bullied her into submission. Naturally we were horrified, and separated them straight away. So the Sablepoot is in a house and run on her own when we are not on duty. When we are monitoring the situation, she free ranges, at the other end of the garden, metres away from the 3 Pekins. (Advice from my wonderfully patient poultry lady Susie Page, who has managed to reassure us, thankfully.)
So the Pekin lunges at the Sablepoot if they come within 5 feet of each other and when the new one is in her run, our Pekin paces up and down tearing at the netting..... Its all very distressing for everyone. BUT today things are a little calmer. The Pekin is still trying to assert her authority despite being put in her place by the other two Pekins. However, the top bird has now joined in albeit briefly, breaking the skin on the Sablepoots nose/face. She takes refuge behind us even hid under the throw I was wrapped up in.
Despite all this she has a lovely tame temperament, curious, and confident. We just don't want her losing her adorable personality. Have spoken to my poultry lady to see if she can get hold of another Sablepoot. YES, we would have had two if they were available.......AND YES we need to give things time to settle. If push comes to shove we will split the garden and are already drawing up plans. But if she is to remain separate from the main flock, she will definately need another friend.
We honestly thought seeing as the youngest Pekin was constantly being put in her place, it would help if she had a friend. How wrong were we?? The hen pecked Pekin has now become the bully! She even puffs herself up to such a size, you wouldn't believe. oh and after 6 weeks, she has finally started to scratch. We started to think she was too delicate to scratch or scavenge. She hasn't laid yet, even though she makes as much fuss about it all as the other girls, and even goes so far as to sit in the nest box .....Our new girl has laid despite the ruccus - bless her. Job was done in all of five minutes, she must have been desperate.
I guess we are too soft, but I cannot even begin to imagine the day she might join them in the hen house? The fear of feathers and blood in a morning..... Surely it can't all be this bad or else why would people bother to introduce new hens.
Interestingly enough the original three pekins are super close now........and I think they seem to be a little more tolerant of Nutmeg.....the rather ungainly, non egg laying, bully.....
Why we tried to fix what really wasn't broken......a lesson learnt!
Our sablepoot is a lavender porcelain, named Tillie...... and we think she is rather special.
After 6 pleasant and rewarding weeks of hen keeping
we decided to add a little friend to our flock of three Pekins especially as the youngest Pekin has a hard time of it OR SO WE THOUGHT....... My goodness what a nightmare weekend. We are on hourly chicken rota watch!
We picked up our Sablepoot on Friday pm and placed her with our Nutmeg, who is the youngest Pekin and bottom in the pecking order, inside an enclosed run and house. My god it was world war 3. The Pekin sat on her, tore at her feathers and generally bullied her into submission. Naturally we were horrified, and separated them straight away. So the Sablepoot is in a house and run on her own when we are not on duty. When we are monitoring the situation, she free ranges, at the other end of the garden, metres away from the 3 Pekins. (Advice from my wonderfully patient poultry lady Susie Page, who has managed to reassure us, thankfully.)
So the Pekin lunges at the Sablepoot if they come within 5 feet of each other and when the new one is in her run, our Pekin paces up and down tearing at the netting..... Its all very distressing for everyone. BUT today things are a little calmer. The Pekin is still trying to assert her authority despite being put in her place by the other two Pekins. However, the top bird has now joined in albeit briefly, breaking the skin on the Sablepoots nose/face. She takes refuge behind us even hid under the throw I was wrapped up in.
Despite all this she has a lovely tame temperament, curious, and confident. We just don't want her losing her adorable personality. Have spoken to my poultry lady to see if she can get hold of another Sablepoot. YES, we would have had two if they were available.......AND YES we need to give things time to settle. If push comes to shove we will split the garden and are already drawing up plans. But if she is to remain separate from the main flock, she will definately need another friend.
We honestly thought seeing as the youngest Pekin was constantly being put in her place, it would help if she had a friend. How wrong were we?? The hen pecked Pekin has now become the bully! She even puffs herself up to such a size, you wouldn't believe. oh and after 6 weeks, she has finally started to scratch. We started to think she was too delicate to scratch or scavenge. She hasn't laid yet, even though she makes as much fuss about it all as the other girls, and even goes so far as to sit in the nest box .....Our new girl has laid despite the ruccus - bless her. Job was done in all of five minutes, she must have been desperate.
I guess we are too soft, but I cannot even begin to imagine the day she might join them in the hen house? The fear of feathers and blood in a morning..... Surely it can't all be this bad or else why would people bother to introduce new hens.
Interestingly enough the original three pekins are super close now........and I think they seem to be a little more tolerant of Nutmeg.....the rather ungainly, non egg laying, bully.....
Why we tried to fix what really wasn't broken......a lesson learnt!
Our sablepoot is a lavender porcelain, named Tillie...... and we think she is rather special.
.
