Does separation help with bullying?

[TheFugitivePen]

Our top hen, Midge, is a bit of a bully.
Initially, it was nothing concerning. She was always one of the first ones to food and seemed to push others out of the way (or just step close to the food and the other pullets would move away), and she was prone to pecking anyone she thought was too close, but there was no bloodshed (except once when she pecked at another hen's torn earlobe--I couldn't tell if that was aggression or curiosity). We're also new to chicken keeping, so I didn't want to overreact to what may have just been a chicken expressing her opinion.

Yesterday, my husband caught Midge attacking another pullet in a nesting box. We have 4 nesting boxes, and only one was occupied ... and that was the ONE box Midge just HAD to have. The other pullet (who is high in the pecking order--not a low ranking) refused to move, and her comb was pulled off her scalp in the very back by an angry and insistent Midge. I was able to separate them, get the bully to stay in a different box, and clean up the wounded pullet after she had laid her egg (the poor thing was panting SO HARD she was so stressed and upset).

Last night, we took Midge off the roost and isolated her in a prepared pen in our garage/basement and let her have supervised free range time to keep her isolated from the flock. We don't have a rooster or a fence but have plenty of neighborhood dogs and predators, so our girls stay in a large run. She could see the other girls through the fence but not peck or push them. We hope that a few days of isolation and re-integration will knock her down the pecking order and diminish some of her pushy behaviors. She didn't gain her top-hen status (or bully tendencies) until our previous top hen was isolated for an injury. We're hoping the same kind of reversal happens for Midge.

Has anyone had any success redirecting or removing bully behavior? What tips do you recommend for dealing with a bossy chicken who can turn mean?

Just FYI: We have 8 black Australorps, all almost 7 months old, in a roughly 100-foot run with an 8x10 coop. All of our pullets were raised in a brooder together and, for the most part, seem to get along rather well. We believe 6 of our girls are laying, but we know 5 of our girls are definitely laying (we've caught them all in the act ... just haven't identified the potential sixth pullet). They have tons of tree cover and a little branch fort/roost my son made them. I'm working on adding more "clutter" to the run for more perching and activities. In general, they seem very chill, happy chickens who love scratching around the run for treats and dustbathing.

 

[azygous]

There are two types of bullying. The first and most common is the one you're seeing with this young hen. She's likely aggressive by temperament and she's also striving to be top hen. This is bullying associated with the natural pecking order, which can be a fluid thing, continually shifting. This can involve a certain amount of "messiness".

The other kind involves a hen or hens who are timid by nature, and when they get shoved around by the social climbers in the flock, they take the bullying to heart and become withdrawn and this can make the bullying even worse since this timid withdrawn behavior can actually trigger the bully.

The first type of bullying can be handled as you are doing. Removing the bully for a day or two, out of sight of the flock, forces her to challenge the current social order upon her return. The second type isn't as easily resolved although it can be with time and commitment. Here's my article on it. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chicken-bully-chicken-victim-a-two-sided-issue.73923/

It's now up to you to decide if you simply have a bully needing to be taken down a peg or two or if you have a serious victim that's triggering the bulling needing to be rehabilitated.

 

[TheFugitivePen]

There are two types of bullying. The first and most common is the one you're seeing with this young hen. She's likely aggressive by temperament and she's also striving to be top hen. This is bullying associated with the natural pecking order, which can be a fluid thing, continually shifting. This can involve a certain amount of "messiness".

The other kind involves a hen or hens who are timid by nature, and when they get shoved around by the social climbers in the flock, they take the bullying to heart and become withdrawn and this can make the bullying even worse since this timid withdrawn behavior can actually trigger the bully.

The first type of bullying can be handled as you are doing. Removing the bully for a day or two, out of sight of the flock, forces her to challenge the current social order upon her return. The second type isn't as easily resolved although it can be with time and commitment. Here's my article on it. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chicken-bully-chicken-victim-a-two-sided-issue.73923/

It's now up to you to decide if you simply have a bully needing to be taken down a peg or two or if you have a serious victim that's triggering the bulling needing to be rehabilitated.

Thank you! I'm hoping that this will help curb some of her behavior. I'd hate to remove a chicken without trying to find an alternative solution. She's mellow enough with humans (she squats for my eight-year-old and lets him hold her), but she is pushy with the other pullets. This is the second time she's drawn blood, and I don't want it to become a regular occurrence.

Yes, I've read your article (It's excellent!), thank you for sending it! It's so insightful and helpful! I've kept an eye out for withdrawn pullets. Until the attack in the nesting box, I haven't noticed specific targets.

I do have 3 girls at the bottom of the pecking order who don't seem to eat as much as the others, so I'm going to examine their crops each night that Midge is in isolation. If they seem fuller when Midge is out of reach, then that tells me our bully was more of a problem than I realized.

Thank you again for your advice!

 

[Mrs. K]

When you add the clutter, consider an extra feed bowl, but what is most important, is a feed bowl placed where a bird eating at it, cannot be seen by a bird eating at a different bowl. I do think a lot of clutter that breaks the line of sight helps a great deal.

However, there are some birds that just do not fit in a flock, for whatever reason. I like and want a peaceful flock. I would not let this drag on. If the time out does not work, I would try pin-less peepers. If that does not work out, then I would move this bird out of my flock.

There is a misconception out there, that birds raised together are friends for life. Truthfully being raised together has little influence on their behavior.

Mrs K

 

[Sueby]

I had a mean girl chicken once, she was just nasty to everyone. I separated her out for a week or so & as soon as she went back in she was just as mean. I separated her again, this time where she couldn't see the others, for a good month. I put her back again & she was just as mean, if not meaner. I put pinless peepers on her & that solved her bullying. Some people don't like them but they did their job & kept her from bullying. I use nipple waterers that she was never able to figure out with the peepers on so I kept an open bucket out there for her for a while. When winter came & the heated nipple waterers came out I pulled the peepers off her, of course she went back to mean girl so we ended up culling her. It was the best thing for the flock & for me. I wasn't going to keep 2 coops & do double the work through the winter for 1 mean girl.

I hope that separating your bully helps, if not consider pinless peepers. My girl walked backwards for about 20 minutes or just refused to move when we first put them on. It didn't take long for her to figure them out. She was able to eat & roost with no problem & went on happy chickening not beating everyone up.

Good luck.

 

[Pghelp]

When you add the clutter, consider an extra feed bowl, but what is most important, is a feed bowl placed where a bird eating at it, cannot be seen by a bird eating at a different bowl. I do think a lot of clutter that breaks the line of sight helps a great deal.

However, there are some birds that just do not fit in a flock, for whatever reason. I like and want a peaceful flock. I would not let this drag on. If the time out does not work, I would try pin-less peepers. If that does not work out, then I would move this bird out of my flock.

There is a misconception out there, that birds raised together are friends for life. Truthfully being raised together has little influence on their behavior.

Mrs K

Excellent advice on extra feeding stations out of sight. Two of my best layers are dreadful bullies and they’re not even at the top of the pecking order. I finally resorted to Pinless Peepers (which I thought I would never do!) and they have made such a difference. My run also has multiple hiding places and escapes.

 

[Owl Creek]

Multiple feeding and watering sites helped us.

 

[Owl Creek]

Also; I added large limbs and stalks of bamboo that they can climb or roost during the day if not wanting to interact in the run. They all love it. I hung some suet cake treat holders up high to encourage the climbing

 

[ChicFil- A]

Our top hen, Midge, is a bit of a bully.
Initially, it was nothing concerning. She was always one of the first ones to food and seemed to push others out of the way (or just step close to the food and the other pullets would move away), and she was prone to pecking anyone she thought was too close, but there was no bloodshed (except once when she pecked at another hen's torn earlobe--I couldn't tell if that was aggression or curiosity). We're also new to chicken keeping, so I didn't want to overreact to what may have just been a chicken expressing her opinion.

Yesterday, my husband caught Midge attacking another pullet in a nesting box. We have 4 nesting boxes, and only one was occupied ... and that was the ONE box Midge just HAD to have. The other pullet (who is high in the pecking order--not a low ranking) refused to move, and her comb was pulled off her scalp in the very back by an angry and insistent Midge. I was able to separate them, get the bully to stay in a different box, and clean up the wounded pullet after she had laid her egg (the poor thing was panting SO HARD she was so stressed and upset).

Last night, we took Midge off the roost and isolated her in a prepared pen in our garage/basement and let her have supervised free range time to keep her isolated from the flock. We don't have a rooster or a fence but have plenty of neighborhood dogs and predators, so our girls stay in a large run. She could see the other girls through the fence but not peck or push them. We hope that a few days of isolation and re-integration will knock her down the pecking order and diminish some of her pushy behaviors. She didn't gain her top-hen status (or bully tendencies) until our previous top hen was isolated for an injury. We're hoping the same kind of reversal happens for Midge.

Has anyone had any success redirecting or removing bully behavior? What tips do you recommend for dealing with a bossy chicken who can turn mean?

Just FYI: We have 8 black Australorps, all almost 7 months old, in a roughly 100-foot run with an 8x10 coop. All of our pullets were raised in a brooder together and, for the most part, seem to get along rather well. We believe 6 of our girls are laying, but we know 5 of our girls are definitely laying (we've caught them all in the act ... just haven't identified the potential sixth pullet). They have tons of tree cover and a little branch fort/roost my son made them. I'm working on adding more "clutter" to the run for more perching and activities. In general, they seem very chill, happy chickens who love scratching around the run for treats and dustbathing.

I think Midge might meet my stick !!!