Pippin is our rooster. His name came with him. He is a Black Copper Maran. One of our hens is the same breed so it seemed only fitting to name her Merry. One day I noticed that Merry had been attacked. The nape of her neck was bloody. Researching this problem, I found that it is a common behavior among chickens. Besides that corn can make chickens aggressive, and OBT had recently switched to a new feed containing corn. Also Rhode Island Reds tend to be aggressive. We have three RIR hens. Uh oh.
At first Merry would hide in the woods during the day. If the other chickens were after me, I would probably hide in the woods too. Still and quiet, I would no longer be under attack. Ah, but they also strike at night, and Merry's chicken instincts tell her to return to the coop when the sun goes down. Once she is roosting, she becomes a sitting duck.
Instructed by my dear husband to catch Merry one morning, I chased that bird for many minutes fruitlessly. As she ducked underneath the fence and back in the goatyard and meandered through the brambles and thorns in the woods, I did my best to catch up to her. By the time I decided to give up, I was sweating, and Merry was no worse for wear. When OBT came home, we resumed the chase. I was to guard the back of the fence so that Merry would not gain access to the woods once more. A fairly easy task. OBT ":followed" Merry as she wandered around the goatyard. Finally I asked if I could get Gal and sic her on Merry. This has worked in the past. Gal is small, fast, and likes to chase the chickens. She also has not harmed one yet (surely due to the fact that she is restrained from doing so by being staked). So off Gal went and in no time flat had that hen stopped in her tracks. OBT rescued Merry and put her in the kennel where she has been recuperating
