Hen pecking at heads of other hens while it’s being mounted by Rooster

[Snoopy11]

Hello everyone,

As a few of you know, I have a flock of about a dozen or so chickens (5 more pullets in the garage now). 1 Rooster is present.

Well, for some time now, one of my Wyandotte chickens (Bugsy is her name) has been pecking the other hens... while the other hens are being mated.

It has gotten to the point that one of my other hens (her name is Red) is extremely afraid of Bugsy... Red is afraid enough to stay in the coop all day just to avoid Bugsy. Red is obviously being bullied by Bugsy... and pretty much all of the chickens are timid of Bugsy as well. As soon as I bring Red outside the coop, Bugsy runs up and attacks Red.

Today, I decided that things were getting out of hand, so I locked Bugsy in our large chicken run area with food and water. None of my other hens engage in this type of behavior except for Bugsy. When I lock Bugsy in the run, Red will come out of the coop... but she is still rather afraid. I think Red could get back to normal with time... as long as Bugsy is not present.

I would certainly appreciate hearing your thoughts on this issue... and how you all suggest that I should proceed.

All of the chickens are around 1 year old (maybe a bit more)... and they free range in the daytime.

Don

 

[nuthatched]

Bugsy has dibs I guess

 

[The Birb King]

This happens to my chickens sometimes too. If a hen is being mated, another hen that is higher in the pecking order might come up and peck them a little bit. My situation is not very serious, but I think you are doing the right thing. Keep her separate for a little bit and let her calm down...

 

[CoopBoots]

Haven't tried this myself, but separating the bully entirely for a while can reset her spot in the pecking order. It doesn't guarantee she isn't aggressive enough to reassert herself, though, and you wouldn't want her lonely, so maybe pinless peepers would serve you better. People also advocate for a lot of clutter in the run to provide hiding spots / block line of sight for shyer flock members to utilize as well.

 

[BauerWFarm]

Haven't tried this myself, but separating the bully entirely for a while can reset her spot in the pecking order. It doesn't guarantee she isn't aggressive enough to reassert herself, though, and you wouldn't want her lonely, so maybe pinless peepers would serve you better. People also advocate for a lot of clutter in the run to provide hiding spots / block line of sight for shyer flock members to utilize as well.

Personal experience plenty of “clutter” really helps the underdogs. When throwing out treats or scratch I always make sure there is some in all the “hiding places”

 

[BauerWFarm]

Hello everyone,

As a few of you know, I have a flock of about a dozen or so chickens (5 more pullets in the garage now). 1 Rooster is present.

Well, for some time now, one of my Wyandotte chickens (Bugsy is her name) has been pecking the other hens... while the other hens are being mated.

It has gotten to the point that one of my other hens (her name is Red) is extremely afraid of Bugsy... Red is afraid enough to stay in the coop all day just to avoid Bugsy. Red is obviously being bullied by Bugsy... and pretty much all of the chickens are timid of Bugsy as well. As soon as I bring Red outside the coop, Bugsy runs up and attacks Red.

Today, I decided that things were getting out of hand, so I locked Bugsy in our large chicken run area with food and water. None of my other hens engage in this type of behavior except for Bugsy. When I lock Bugsy in the run, Red will come out of the coop... but she is still rather afraid. I think Red could get back to normal with time... as long as Bugsy is not present.

I would certainly appreciate hearing your thoughts on this issue... and how you all suggest that I should proceed.

All of the chickens are around 1 year old (maybe a bit more)... and they free range in the daytime.

Don

I have hen named Ethel… she is a Barred Rock… I had 4, two were cockerels…. So one was rehome and one was kept. Then one of my females was killed by raccoons…. Which only left Ethel and Mr Doodles….. idk what happened in that girls mind but she is even bossy to the top tier White Brahma’s when it comes to making with Mr. Doodles…. The minute she knew he was mating she runs over and pecks at the head . She is my smallest hen!! Idk if it’s a jealousy thing, or she needs to show she has authority and a force to be reckoned with??

My flock sounds about the same age as yours too…. Maybe the Barred might be 15 Montses…. At most. I will say she has cut back on this aggressive behavior but I still keep an eye out.

I suggest isolating yours is definitely a good idea. Mine never reached a point where the hens wouldn’t actually be scared of Ethel…. As she is not an intimidating bird…. Sadly she is sort of loner after the other female was killed. I have other hens that were purchased in stages and she never joined any of them later when released….

Idk if this helps but I hope it does.