Chicken pecking order

 As I am sure you know, I am learning as I go with all of these farm animals. I do my research on them, but sometimes it’s trial and error. We had 28 baby chicks here, they got too big for where they were, so we put them in the chicken coop. We are down to 23 chickens now. The pecking order has not gone well and we have lost 5 chickens. Chickens are brutal. Badly brutal. I had no idea. They are literally killing each other. It looks like things were not going to get better, so I opened the gate and let them go. They all stayed close to the coop but they ran around eating and doing their thing. I didn’t really know what I was going to do after that. There was no plan for after that. I felt they were too small to stay out in the open because of predators. But I didn’t want anymore of them to die. My heart is broken for the ones we have lost. I just didn’t know what to do. They stayed out for a couple of hours. I knew it was going to rain last night but didn’t think I had another choice. The next thing I know, the chicken I now call Momma May, was on top of the chicken coop and was calling them all back into the coop. Every one of them went back in without a fight and cuddled together against the cold night and the rain. All were alive this morning. They were let out for several hours tonight and then they all went back in when they were called. It was an awesome sight. Hopefully this will help them all. They need to get a title bigger and then they can be free range like the other chickens. I don’t think Momma May has much time left with us. She basically stays in one spot laying in straw and doesn’t get up much anymore. For now she is Momma to all f those chicks. It’s heartwarming to see.