I wii start by saying I am new, and inexperienced. My hens are about 10 mo. old, 4 RIR and 2 BR from the feed store. One BR is different from the others and has always annoyed them. She, Stewpot, was the first to do many things, like get out of the fenced area, eat certain things, she used to peck my jeans, she tried to roost outside the dog crate, venture off by herself, doing things her way and they would act annoyed with her. Then a few days later they would be doing the things that had so annoyed them when she first did them.
Recently their annoyance seemed to escalate, and she had several scabs on the top of her head and comb. One day the comb was actively bleeding, so I brought her in and let her be in the dog crate in the basement for a few days until she healed. I posted on the NY thread and people told me about Blue Cote, but I didn't have any, and advised me to reintegrate her at night, and check in the early morning.
I did those things, and all seemed well, but when I went back about an hour and a half later there was a lot of noise in the coop, and Stewie was kind of in a nest box for protection, everyone else was on the ladder roost. I let them out to have more room, and Stew went after one of the red girls. Those two were tussling and went back in the coop, another red girl followed, and I did too.
One red girl was standing on Stew, and both of them were pecking the back of her neck in a nasty way. I broke it up and brought her back in to the basement crate. She was not bleeding, just wet with chicken spit. I have thought of her as the victim, but she seems to be a provocative victim, bringing trouble onto herself by challenging the more powerful.
Where do I go from here. Do they just need to fight it out? Do I need a small confinement for S in the coop for a time like a week to reintegrate her...can they get along eventually?
Recently their annoyance seemed to escalate, and she had several scabs on the top of her head and comb. One day the comb was actively bleeding, so I brought her in and let her be in the dog crate in the basement for a few days until she healed. I posted on the NY thread and people told me about Blue Cote, but I didn't have any, and advised me to reintegrate her at night, and check in the early morning.
I did those things, and all seemed well, but when I went back about an hour and a half later there was a lot of noise in the coop, and Stewie was kind of in a nest box for protection, everyone else was on the ladder roost. I let them out to have more room, and Stew went after one of the red girls. Those two were tussling and went back in the coop, another red girl followed, and I did too.
One red girl was standing on Stew, and both of them were pecking the back of her neck in a nasty way. I broke it up and brought her back in to the basement crate. She was not bleeding, just wet with chicken spit. I have thought of her as the victim, but she seems to be a provocative victim, bringing trouble onto herself by challenging the more powerful.
Where do I go from here. Do they just need to fight it out? Do I need a small confinement for S in the coop for a time like a week to reintegrate her...can they get along eventually?
