Why chickens peck rooster

Farmers sometimes notice that not all is well in the chicken flock, instead of protecting the hens, the rooster may offend them or be attacked. In our article we will talk about what can be the cause of such behavior of birds, actions in order to avoid slander, as well as the necessary actions with a wounded bird.

Causes of rooster biting

If in the hen-house there is aggression of the hens towards the rooster, accompanied by pecking at the head and other parts of the body, it is worthwhile to understand the initial basis of this behavior. Below are the main causes of this phenomenon in the chicken pack.

Lack of nutrients in feed

Many farmers feed chickens feed, which should include all the necessary nutrients, but in practice it often does not meet the standards.

Important! When molting and intensive egg-laying, the body of chickens especially needs a complete balanced diet.
With a lack of trace elements in the body of birds and vitamins, especially proteins, there is a violation of the acid-base balance. Having not received the necessary nutrients in the feed, birds can pluck feathers from their neighbors in the house and eat them. This can lead to blood running in the birds, and when a wounded chicken or rooster ceases to resist attacks, they can be pecked to death.

Incorrect bird conditions

With proper arrangement of the house chicken and rooster will live in peace and harmony. Birds start to clash for such reasons:

  • if the room for their stay is very close;
  • excessive noise may irritate them;
  • insufficient or excessive lighting.
In the winter, yawning happens most often., because the birds are in close quarters, and can peck just out of boredom.

Get acquainted with the features of the content and ways to improve the egg production of chickens in the winter.

Too bright light in the hen house can lead to the fact that birds will see veins on the skin of chickens and roosters, and will peck at these places, which is fraught with the appearance of fatal wounds.

Excessive dry air in the house can also be the cause of chicken aggression. Insufficient air humidity causes breakage of the feather cover, which the bird treats with a special secret. The hen presses his beak on the oil gland, thereby damaging the skin, which will make the rest of the birds want to attack.

Established hierarchy in the hen house

The house has its own rules and a well-established hierarchy. Usually the rooster acts as the head of the pack, which monitors the hens. He looks for everyone to eat, go out for a walk, and protects the flock from danger. But still sometimes the rooster loses its position as a leader. This can happen if the authority of the rooster is shaken with the hens, for example, when confronted with a man when he defeated the leader of the chicken pack.

Did you know? In 1945, a case was recorded when a rooster named Miracle Mike lived without a head for over a year.
Chickens can attack a rooster if he is new to the house. Before the appearance of chickens, there already exists a certain hierarchy, and they do not want to accept a stranger. Another reason for the attack of chickens can serve as a young rooster. Because of his youth, they accept him as an equal, so they can attack him as a weaker one.

What to do with a wounded bird

If the collision has already occurred, and the cockerel or the hen has serious injuries, it should not be ignored. It is necessary to take timely measures so that the victims get better.

First aid

The wounded bird must first be deposited from the aggressive members of the pack. Having isolated it from aggressors, it is necessary to engage in the treatment of wounds. Usually for this purpose they use disinfectants - iodine, glycerin, zelenka. Treat bird wounds with iodine

Treatment of affected birds

Next, the injured bird is kept separately, using a special cage for this or blocking with a partition. The injured member of the pack must be kept separate until full recovery.

While the wounded bird is in isolation, it is necessary to find out the exact cause of the attack and eliminate it, otherwise the hacking will continue, and this is dangerous because it can become a habit in chickens. Aggressive birds need to change their diet, adjust their lighting and improve their living conditions.

Did you know? In 1474, a real trial took place, where the defendant was a rooster who laid an egg. By the decision of the Holy Inquisition, the rooster was beheaded.

If, after a full recovery of the cockerel, attacks from the relatives do not stop, the main instigators of the conflicts must be punished. However, there are individuals who are not helped by anything, their aggression may be caused by the nature of the character, in which case they need to be used for meat, otherwise the peace in this house will not be achieved.

Find out if you need a rooster to carry the eggs and what are the features of the process of reproduction and fertilization of eggs.

Preventing biting

Considering the reasons that chickens become aggressive to the rooster, you need to do everything possible so that a peaceful atmosphere reigns in the hen house. To do this, it is necessary to take care of proper care for chickens, the focus should be on the following factors.

Nutrition and Diet

The first thing you need to balance the diet of poultry, it must be nutritious and contain the necessary nutrients.

To increase the level of protein can be added to the food of chickens such products:

  • dry milk;
  • soy products and meat and bone meal;
  • introduction to the diet of special vitamin-mineral complexes;
  • it is recommended to throw limestone with small pebbles, which will facilitate digestion.

In order for laying hens to rejoice in their productivity, it is necessary to properly formulate their diet.

The rooster should eat bran, legumes, cake, and laying hens it is very useful to eat greens and grain. We must not forget about the amount of water consumed by birds: per individual should account for an average of 300 g of water.

We recommend to learn how to make drinking bowls for chickens from plastic bottles with your own hands.

Conditions of detention

To stop the beginning of prosecuting and prevent this unpleasant phenomenon, it is worthwhile to organize suitable conditions of detention in your hen house. For this you need to take a number of measures:

  1. Lighting. You can make it in the coop blue or red. The length of daylight hours should be 10-12 hours per day. Lamps should not be too bright.
  2. Free space. It is necessary to organize a room, on one square meter of which no more than 5 chickens should fit, otherwise they will be too crowded.
  3. Feeders and drinkers. It is necessary to check whether there are enough of them for the whole bird flock and if there are no fights while eating or water.
  4. Ventilation. The coop should be well ventilated, but at the same time be free of drafts.
  5. Walking Chickens need to be periodically released for walking
  6. "Ash baths". Organize chickens with ash, river sand and sulfur for chickens.
Important! A radical method of dealing with catching fish is debicking, which is a trimming of the beak with special knives.

Bird care

In addition to the maintenance and feeding, it is also necessary to provide the birds with proper care in order to avoid pecking. It is better not to combine different breeds of chickens, and if this is not possible to avoid, carefully monitor their behavior. If there is a particularly aggressive hen in the flock, it is worth while to set aside for a while from the others or to run a young rooster in the hen house. If the hens peck new in the rooster hen, it means that they actively oppose the appearance of an alien in the established hierarchy. In order to resolve this issue, the rooster must first be placed behind the net, so that the hens gradually get used to its presence. After a while, you can try to move it closer. If the attacks do not stop, you need to take the most brisk chicken and punish her, or completely rooster the rooster.

Find out how many years the chicken and rooster live at home.

Grooming chickens and attacking a rooster is not the norm and has a number of possible causes. Knowing about them, you will be able to take the necessary actions to avoid aggression in the hen house and to establish a calm and harmonious atmosphere in the chicken pack.

Watch the video: Why do chickens get bullied? (April 2024).