Never Knew Birds could be that MEAN

St. Phatty · Jun 13, 2020

This is a Silkie bird that hid under a box after some neighbor's dogs visited.

The dogs were friendly, but the birds didn't know that !

It took me 3 days to find her. Her left leg was paralyzed at first, like it had fallen asleep.

Over a one week recovery period, she learned to walk again.

She was much more active yesterday so I thought I would try re-introducing her to the flock today.

Big mistake - putting her back in the group (of 4 other birds).

I went back in 15 minutes and found her, like this.

They pecked all the skin off the back of her head, down to the bone.

I think that included where her ears were.

Anyway, now she is eating. She launched into some mayonnaise with genuine enthusiasm, so that is a healthy sign.

I think she needs to drink water but she does not agree. Having trouble getting her to do that.

I now have a cat food can full of melted ice cream. I smear that around her beak and she licks it off.

Anyway this poor bird, if she lives through the night, now has another week or 2 of Bird Rehab.

Oh man I feel like smoking some Blueberry headband.

I'm afraid to touch the wound. I have Chlorhexidine Gluconate, sterile rinse that dentists and vets use. But I think I'll keep giving her her favorite foods and wait a few days before daring to touch the wound.

Mr. J · Jun 13, 2020

Bro that chicken is done. I think at this point the humane thing to do is to send it to chicken heaven.

superx · Jun 13, 2020

Bring it to a gentle simmer in hot water, add a carrot one leek and stick of celery and then season at the end...enjoy.

CosmicGiggle · Jun 13, 2020

Good luck, hope she makes it thru the night. :tiphat:

troutman · Jun 13, 2020

When they see blood on other birds they attack. I've seen it with other domestic fowl.

I'm sorry, but I think stopping the bird's pain is more humane. It seems like too much damage has happened to it. :frown:

Even if the bird recovers you'll never be able to put it with the others again.

flylowgethigh · Jun 13, 2020

Birds will peck the skin off the heads of other competing species nestlings. I had a nest of baby doves pecked once by a blue jay. Those are mean birds.

Gypsy Nirvana · Jun 13, 2020

- yeah - birds can be real mean to each other - especially when men put razors on their talons - then throw them together in a cockfight -

St. Phatty · Jun 13, 2020

troutman said:
When they see blood on other birds they attack. I've seen it with other domestic fowl.

I'm sorry, but I think stopping the bird's pain is more humane. It seems like too much damage has happened to it.

Even if the bird recovers you'll never be able to put it with the others again.

if you have enough birds, you end up having a second coop, where birds that can't behave themselves, and injured birds, get put.

i have one rooster that was en route to pecking his father's eye out. he is now in the backup coop & i'm looking for a new home for him.

i understand cock-fights a lot better right now.

i actually don't think they are necessarily cruel. the small bird that is such a good fighter - heck why not let him fight ? i would let him enter a fight like that, but only au natural, no steel blades. Then when one bird gives up, pull them apart.

for about a week, he was having sort of like wrestling matches, or Capoeira, with his father. but he can't walk on his hands/ wings, like Lateef Crowder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK53_rSOjEw

yes i wish i could do something to help the hurt bird with her pain. i will be giving her penicillin in her food. she is eating with medium gusto.

the back of her head is like an anatomy lesson. she only weighs about 1/2 pound, there is not enough meat for a human type meal.

flylowgethigh · Jun 13, 2020

Fighting roosters is legal in TN. You would be surprised at how many people have a bunch of roosters in their yards, in adjacent states. Closest I have ever been is a "chicken drop". Also known as hillbilly bingo.

10x10 grid marked on a crib floor, each square has a number. People draw 100 numbers and they put a rooster in the crib. When it shits, the number it lands on wins. Damndest thing you ever saw, and the redneck country bar will be packed when they do it.

St. Phatty · Jun 13, 2020

flylowgethigh said:
Fighting roosters is legal in TN. You would be surprised at how many people have a bunch of roosters in their yards, in adjacent states. Closest I have ever been is a "chicken drop". Also known as hillbilly bingo.

10x10 grid marked on a crib floor, each square has a number. People draw 100 numbers and they put a rooster in the crib. When it shits, the winning number wins. Damndest you ever saw, and the redneck country bar will be packed when they do it.

doesn't necessarily sound cruel, but I have a feeling that they don't stop when one bird wants to quit. and they might give the birds steel spikes.

it seems logical to call the white hen, that got scalped, "Reginald Denny", after the truck driver that got the Attempted Murder treatment during the LA riots in 1992.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Reginald_Denny

if I showed you a picture of her attackers - 2 Americauna hens - the normal response might be, "oh how cute".

but i'm going to name them "Kiki" and "Antoine", 2 of the guys that dropped cement bricks on Reginald Denny's head.

for those who don't know exactly what I'm talking about, I suggest watching the action that occurred at Florence & Normandy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EDlZF9soUk

this is an interview with the guy that climbed into Reginald Denny's truck. Denny got back into his truck, with a fractured skull, and tried to drive away.

Bobby Green I think is the guy's name, climbed up, pushed Reginald over to the passenger seat, and drove the truck to the hospital.

camera-shaking, low quality video of the beating itself

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIdAlTpg-m4

trichrider · Jun 13, 2020

my hens did that to the newest of birds and it turned out it was a rooster.
a big motherplucker. beautiful bird tho'

he has now reached maturity and is and has been exacting his revenge on the same hens, copulating them several times a day lol.
we had to remove another rooster and a hen from the flock because he was brutalizing them...he has inch long spurs.
luckily he holds us in high regards for saving his ass...or i would be afraid to go in the coop.

St. Phatty · Jun 13, 2020

trichrider said:
View Image

he has now reached maturity and is and has been exacting his revenge on the same hens, copulating them several times a day lol.

that's the price the Hens pay for what is SUPPOSED to be a security detail against - Hawks - at least.

the Older Bantam that the small black Bantam (his son) tried to murder, has the exact right habit of walking around with the Hens, keeping them company while they free range.

I got a Brahma, who is old enough to bother the hens by trying to mate, but is a long way from mature. he is hanging out with the young hens that did that damage to their sister. most of the time they are very nice - unless you're a bug.

the Bantam has spikes about 2 inches long. the young Brahma has spikes that are about 1/8 inch long.

if I had more land I would like to get the black Bantam with a group of birds, partially so see him defend them if it comes to it.

flylowgethigh · Jun 13, 2020

My friend had a black bantam, as well as several free range chickens. Old farm house out in the middle of the farm. Something got that rooster one night, and ate it right there in the yard. Maybe a coyote, or two. Owl?

St. Phatty · Jun 14, 2020

flylowgethigh said:
My friend had a black bantam, as well as several free range chickens. Old farm house out in the middle of the farm. Something got that rooster one night, and ate it right there in the yard. Maybe a coyote, or two. Owl?

That's why I trained the birds to roost 8 to 10 feet off the ground.

Now the older birds are training the new birds, which is easier on me.

it's not perfect, a mountain lion could still attack from the roof.

Veggia farmer · Jun 30, 2020

St. Phatty said:
That's why I trained the birds to roost 8 to 10 feet off the ground.

Now the older birds are training the new birds, which is easier on me.

it's not perfect, a mountain lion could still attack from the roof.

Have two/three LGD dogs here, very happy about that :biggrin:

St. Phatty · Jul 8, 2020

Well Reginald Denny has her skin back.

In another month, she'll have more feathers, probably.

seems like in order to have a "mellow" bird flock you have to be able to remove the birds that cause trouble. which means having a coop just for injured birds, over-aggressive roosters, etc.

actually Reginald Denny is very quiet, she is technically a chicken but so far isn't making any loud bird noises, like squawking. I think her maturation into laying may have been delayed by her paralyzed leg and the murder attempt.

i have one other bird, a small black Silkie, that is very people social.

BUT when I put her outside, one of the Rhode Island Reds departs from her normal activity, eating & exercising & resting, to harass and peck the small black Silkie.

so the small black Silkie also joins the Bird Exiles.

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