My horse is killing the yard chickens

exracehorse

exracehorse

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Probably not much advice anyone can give. But it’s so upsetting. I rent my yard. And inherited free range feral hens and cocks. Good 50. Could be more. I feed them. Shut them up at night. They belong to the land owner. My four year old mare. Who I have owned since she was two .. has never liked them. Used to put her ears back. Snake face etc. Over past three months she has been on a killing spree. I took three ex batteries and they are so friendly and grateful. She booted Dolly. I saw her do it. She was tied up as well. Hen came too near her feed bucket. She had a broken leg. I fixed the leg with a splint and rest. She hurt Bumble the young cock so badly he had to be dispatched. Found him limping. On Saturday my fav hen who used to get in my car for a cuddle was missing. I found her in the field. With her head smashed. I literally sat and cried. I can’t put them in a run. They free range over 7 acres. And pretty feral. Except my three ex batteries. They sleep in a stable. She ran at a group of them last week and tried to stamp them to death. One is missing. The light Sussex. Never known so much aggression. She’s on moody mare liquid. Plus acid ease. Out 24/7. Grass. Hay. The hens don’t take her food. She’s not hungry. Think she would kill a dog if there was one in her field.
 
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exracehorse

exracehorse

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They are shut up at night in a large barn. We have fox’s. To do a free range run would be so expensive with slabs around the wire mesh. And would need a house to put them in. There are about 50 of them. I don’t have the funds. And no one to help me. And she’s in an acre field so would take a chunk of her grazing. I know that is the only solution .. she is one of five horses. In separate fields And the others ignore them. She’s so vile.
 
poiuytrewq

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Snail said:
Has she had her ovaries checked for cysts and a ppid test done? Extreme aggression like this in a mare would ring alarm bells.
You *need* to keep them separate though. It's cruel to both that they're allowed to interact with the results it's been producing.
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Yes this! I don’t know the exact details but I’m looking after a beautiful tempremented little pony mare and she had to have an operation last year to fix something on/to do with her ovaries. I asked how they knew and she was being aggressive and like a stallion!
 
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eggs

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Apart from separating them I don't know what you can do.

In the summer my chickens (only 10 though) are in the horse field but I use poultry fencing to keep them safe from the foxes which also keeps them separate from the chickens although none of mine seems to mind them.

I hook the poultry fence up to the electric fence but have also used a solar powered charger on it.
 
exracehorse

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Pearlsasinger said:
Unless you want the mare to kill all of the hens eventually you will have to keep them away from her. I don't understand why you got the ex-batteries if you knew that she dislikes hens and will attack them.
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Because they were going to be slaughtered. And I thought I could give them a lovely life free range in 7 acres. I got them in the beginning of the year. It’s the past three months she has started to chase and stamp.
 
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So you have come on to say your horse is killing chickens but you won’t separate them (too expensive and will take her field) or rehome them?

If the mare is so “vile” she needs investigations going on as to why. It’s not a normal behaviour to be extremely aggressive. Although I would try hard not to put your emotion onto her, even an accidental kick between horse and chicken would smash its head in, not necessarily because she’s particularly aggressive. If she’s truly overreacting you must get it checked out.

I can deal with an accident but purposefully allowing her to continue killing them is cruel to the chickens. Put chicken fencing up even if it’s just on the mares paddock. Surely the chickens can still then run on the other 6 acres?
 
exracehorse

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LadyGascoyne said:
Is this your very pretty chestnut mare?

I think you’ve said she’s quite mare-ish and you’ve had concerns about her seasons before. I’d definitely have her checked out - ovarian cysts can honestly change their personalities completely and treatment is hugely effective.
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I can look into this. Yes. She’s very alpha. She’s fine with other horses. And humans. It’s the past three months I’d say she’s taken a dislike to them.
 
exracehorse

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splashgirl45 said:
cant you electric fence the mares field so the chickens cant get in there, or how about the orange mesh fencing you often see at road works, something like this

https://premiernetting.co.uk/green-...aJy_OWwtD-VM7hlqwTEFYezDIm0KM9kQaAgNJEALw_wcB
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I’ll do something. Thank you. Can’t carry on.orange fencing won’t work as they will fly over. Needs to be electrified. But nothing horrendously expensive as it’s got to go round an acre plot. And would be battery run as no electric. And I inherited the chickens. They don’t belong to me. They are the land owners. I can’t rehome 50 feral hens. I feed them. Lock them up at night go down especially in the evening late as otherwise the fox will get them. I do my very best. It’s so frustrating as out of the whole 7 acres .. they seem to want to go in her field. And she hates them.
 
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exracehorse

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Gloi said:
The chickens don't need all that space, they'd be happy enough with a run to go out into.
I don't think it's all that rare for horses to kill birds my friend's mare killed her geese and the Shetland went for anything in his field.
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That’s what I was wondering in my post. Is this normal behaviour. Can horses absolutely hate small animals in their fields? Yes she can be marish. And I’d say Alpha. If she was in a mixed herd. Yes, she seems to always be in season. Hence she’s on Moody Mare as recommended. She’s only just four. Probably very ripe hormones wise. But she’s not a horrid horse. I wouldn’t own or keep a horrid horse.
 
exracehorse

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SOS said:
So you have come on to say your horse is killing chickens but you won’t separate them (too expensive and will take her field) or rehome them?

If the mare is so “vile” she needs investigations going on as to why. It’s not a normal behaviour to be extremely aggressive. Although I would try hard not to put your emotion onto her, even an accidental kick between horse and chicken would smash its head in, not necessarily because she’s particularly aggressive. If she’s truly overreacting you must get it checked out.

I can deal with an accident but purposefully allowing her to continue killing them is cruel to the chickens. Put chicken fencing up even if it’s just on the mares paddock. Surely the chickens can still then run on the other 6 acres?
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She’s not a vile horse. She’s vile to the hens. They are not even mine. They belong to the land owner. They were here when I rented the yard 9 years ago. There are loads of them. I feed them. I shut them up at night. If a fox gets one because I missed one .. then I’m really upset. I’ll
Look into some form of fencing around her field. But it’s an acre ! They will fly over it as well. I’m racking my brains out. And I don’t have spare Monet as I earn chicken feed as a cleaner that all goes up look after the horses.
 
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