Amber and Honey have a major dust up

This afternoon I was cleaning up the run when Amber and Honey suddenly started fighting. I have seen them do this a few times before but this was the worst yet. They had their ruffs raised right up and were really flying at each other. They would hold on to each other by the neck feathers and drag each other round.

I tried to part them with my arm but they barely seemed to notice me and Amber had Honey by the neck feathers and was pulling at her. I grabbed the water spray and sprayed them both but even this didn’t stop them.

The big girls watched with what looked like shear amazement. If one of the little girls came past one of the big girls the big girl would give her a swift peck.

Eventually they parted and Honey went and hid behind the bush but Amber was still stalking her. I felt sorry for Honey because Amber would chase her out from the bush and then Honey would get a swift peck from which ever big girl was near her.

The big girls seemed upset and were all shouting as was Amber. It seemed so vicious and reminded me of seeing cock fighting on television wildlife programs.

I have never seen the big girls fight like this. They used do a bit of chest bumping as babies and the odd peck is given from time to time, but never this sort of fighting. I don’t know if this is usual for bantams or peculiar to these two girls or something to do with this breed. It was the whole of the black neck feathers that were raised up. I will do some research on this and report any findings.

I can’t imagine the other girls ever behaving like this. The bantys have been together in a big mixed group at the farm I got them from, since they were babies and together with our flock since they were six months old. Pepper and Dotty have been together since babies and with us from when Pepper was two and a half months old and Dotty was two months old. They are so bonded that in the two years we have had them, I have never ever seen them peck each other and during the bedtime routine when they go to the coop roof, Dotty still flutters her head underneath Pepper, like babies do, which reaffirms their bond. Bluebell has always been more of a loner but although Pepper and Dotty will peck her if she gets in their way, they still never fight.

Amber shouting and looking dishevelled

Honey looks okay but subdued

They both have little spots of blood on their combs

Amber walked into the photo just as I clicked and you can just about see a little spot of blood on the middle ridge of her comb. Honey has a tiny spot of blood on her comb just above her beak and another spot on her eye lid just above the pupil.

Amber looked worse with ruffled feathers but she is definitely the top one of these two and I assume that this is probably what this is about. It’s definitely worse than the usual pecking order stuff though and at one point it crossed my mind that I might need to separate Amber.

Yet once it was over they just carried on as normal and a little later you would never know it had happened. Ambers feathers returned to normal so I assume she preened them back into place and the little girls were together as usual.

Amber’s feathers have returned to normal

The two little girls are back to normal

The three big girls all take a drink together

The girls all settled to their usual routine at bedtime and I love the way once one goes to the water they all go to the water.  The little girls went into the coop together and the big girls went to the coop roof where I lifted them down and put them in.

Harmony seems to be restored once more. I did say to my husband that if I hadn’t been there to witness it I would never have known it had happened and he pointed out that any blood on the little girls combs would probably have been blamed on Bluebell.

I still can’t quite believe it all happened with so much ferocity and I wonder what starts them off. I am glad there doesn’t appear to be any lasting damage.