I am having much the same problem as most, Here are my details:
I have 5 hens and (3 black sexlinks and 2 new wheatan marans) TWO of the sexlinks are extreme bullying the new marans. I have separated them for 2+ days and the remaining original sexlink decided to bully them in their absence (she gets bullied by the other two when they are together just the three of them.) They won't allow them to eat or drink. They stalk them. If they can get to them they will attack and pull feathers out. I don't want to get rid of the new ones and I don't have a place I can easily keep them separated all the time. I have the two bullies in a large dog crate but I'm afraid to leave them outside for fear of something getting them during the night so I try to move them to my shed at night. The crate is too big to try to get inside the run as the door and crate are very close to same width. Should I swap them out and put the new ones in the crate? My coop is secure and I don't worry about them in there but I don't feel comfortable leaving them in the run inside the crate even covered. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated by both me and my hens! Are they incompatible?
I have 5 hens and (3 black sexlinks and 2 new wheatan marans) TWO of the sexlinks are extreme bullying the new marans. I have separated them for 2+ days and the remaining original sexlink decided to bully them in their absence (she gets bullied by the other two when they are together just the three of them.) They won't allow them to eat or drink. They stalk them. If they can get to them they will attack and pull feathers out. I don't want to get rid of the new ones and I don't have a place I can easily keep them separated all the time. I have the two bullies in a large dog crate but I'm afraid to leave them outside for fear of something getting them during the night so I try to move them to my shed at night. The crate is too big to try to get inside the run as the door and crate are very close to same width. Should I swap them out and put the new ones in the crate? My coop is secure and I don't worry about them in there but I don't feel comfortable leaving them in the run inside the crate even covered. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated by both me and my hens! Are they incompatible?