this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2025
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Backyard Chickens (and Other Birds)

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[Were you a mod of backyard chickens on Reddit? Message me if you're interested in modding here.]

This is a community for people who keep chickens in their back yard. This includes pets, layers, and meaties at levels that are sub-industrial. Family farms and homesteads are included.

EDIT

The Fediverse is small. There probably aren't enough people here to make up a community for every type of bird that someone might keep so for now, everyone is welcome. Bring us your ducks and geese, turkeys and quail, Guineas and Peacocks, emus and parrots. The community will be focused on chickens but until there are enough of each bird community for their own community they will find care and comfort here.

/EDIT

There may be discussions of animal processing. This is part of chicken keeping. If you don't like it leave and block the community.

You may also be interested in:

Homestead

Parrots

Cockatiel

RULES:

  1. All Lemmy.ca rules apply here.

  2. Everyone (see rules 4 and 98) is welcome.

  3. If you've seen a question 100 times answer it the 101st time or ignore it. Even better, write a complete, detailed answer and suggest that the mod(s) pin it to the community.

  4. There will be ZERO tolerance for shaming, brigading, harassment, or other nonsense of those who keep and process chickens. You will be permanently banned the first time.

  5. No, it's not a calcium deficiency. Wrinkled eggs are the result of insufficient or insufficiently viscous albumen. Tiny eggs and missing shells are misfires. They happen.

  6. If you post a picture that includes a dead animal or blood mark it NSFW. We're not going to tolerate the militant anti-hunting and anti-farming bullshit here but we're also not going to tolerate people rubbing their hunting and harvesting in people's faces. See rule 98. If you post blood, gore, or dead animals and don't mark it NSFW it will be removed and you might be banned.

[Did you actually think there were 98 rules?]

  1. If you present something as fact and are asked to provide proof or a source provide proof or a source. Proof must be from a reliable source. If you fail to provide proof or a source your post or comment may be removed.

  2. Don't be a dick. Yes, this is a catch-all rule.

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Bullying Drama (lemmy.world)
submitted 4 weeks ago by Luvs2Spuj@lemmy.world to c/backyardchickens@lemmy.ca
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I had a small flock of 3 hens who all got along once the pecking order was figured out.

One day, a lower hen became broody and I allowed her to hatch a clutch of eggs. This broodyness made her a bit defensive and caused some issues with the top hen.

Once the eggs hatched I separated her and her chicks to a nursery space away from the other hens until I felt they were old enough to free range, ~4 weeks. I didn't move her while nesting because I was afraid of breaking her broodyness.

Gradually she became less and less protective and has now returned to laying eggs. The chicks are independent approaching 8 weeks, although still attached to the mother hen. They are still roosting/nesting separately to the other hens in the nursery coop.

When the bullying happens now, she submits immediately to the lead hen and has no protective urges for the chicks.

The issue is that the top hen isn't letting up and I'm concerned about what happens when the chicks become too big to fit in the nursery coop and everyone needs to roost together.

I've seen some recommendations to separate the one being bullied for awhile, others to separate the bully and others to let things play out. One thing I was potentially going to wait out was for the rooster chick(s) to grow up enough to police the hen fighting.

Any other suggestions here?

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