Older hen pecking at younger chicken

[dixiehens]

I just moved my two and a half month old chicks (I have three) to the backyard coop, I was planning on keeping them in there for 2-3 days to get used to it, but I have a hen who is a Rhode Island Red (her name is Ashley) who is pecking at the chicks, is this normal? Is that what they do?

What should I do?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

It is normal "chicken" behavior. Yes that is how chickens behave... more or less.

 

[dixiehens]

What should I do?

 

[azygous]

If you're cooping the chicks up to imprint the coop on them as home, then the best solution is to lock the older hens out during the day except for when they need to lay.

However, in three days, your chicks have probably imprinted on the coop by now, so the best thing to do is to let them out but make sure there is plenty of space in the run for them to elude the adult chickens. It also helps to have a lot of "furniture" in the run such as stumps, old chairs, and perches, so the chicks can use them to get away from bullies.

Free ranging helps with this problem but it has its own risks.

 

[dixiehens]

Thanks so much