Chickens fighting...

So we 4 chickens and and today one of the New Hampshire reds started attacking the barred rocks one... It's bullying her.. And I think she is the only one laying right now..(the one being attacked) (They are 5 1/2 months) not sure what to do?? Any advice!? Thank you! Should we get rid of her? Of separate them?

Welcome to BYC!

Sorry about the issues you are having. Generally bullying stems from uncomfortable chickens. If they are cramped in, bored, nothing to do, hot, not enough room, they are going to fight. So make sure you have enough space for the amount of chickens you have. Make sure you have enough nest boxes. I have 2 boxes for every 4 birds. 1 box just will not do for 4 birds. The coop space needs to have 4 or 5 square feet per bird, 10 square feet in the run. Give them things to do...hanging cabbages or veggies, seed blocks or get them out to free range. But keep them busy.

Finally if you have a bully, you can do a couple things. You can separate this bird out for a FEW weeks. Keep her somewhere out of sight of the others so when she comes back in a few weeks, it is like she is brand new. She will have forgotten about being a bully. You can also use pinless peepers on her. I have an aggressive hen that occasionally needs to wear these things....



These will stop them from pecking, pulling feathers and being aggressive. They can see up, down and to the sides, but not directly in front of them to aim and strike with the beak. It takes them about 1 or 2 days to get used to these things. They need to wear them at least 1 month and any other time they start back up with the aggression.

And lastly, you can rehome her or eat her.

Good luck with your flock! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. Welcome to our flock!

Hello and Welcome To BYC! Sorry about the problems you are having with the mean hen. TwoCrows gave you some great advice about dealing with bullys. There are also a couple of articles in the Learning Center on bullys and pecking order you might want to look through for ideas. https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/bullying-behavior-in-chickens and https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/a-guide-to-understanding-the-chicken-pecking-order

Happy you joined the flock