Which hen do I keep?

[Gasthaus Luther]

I have a Welsummer and a Russian Orloff. They are both 6 months old. The Welsummer is social and is fun to have but she’s very feisty and has been pecking at the Russian Orloff to the point of the Orloff having no more fathers around her neck and we saw blood for the first time, which is what made us realize that her missing fathers were from being attacked. We have now separated them and are trying to decide whick one we keep and which one we give away. They both lay eggs everyday. We fear that if we keep the Welsummer that she’ll do the same thing to another pullet or hen. Plus it seems like it will be easier to find a hen a good home if it is healthy.
Our thoughts right now are to re-home the Welsummer and get a docile, friendly hen to replace her like a Buff Orpington. Thoughts?
Thank you!

 

[Aunt Angus]

What a dilemma!

How many hens do you have? I suggest removing the Welsummer from the flock to "reset" the pecking order. Then, after a few days, you can reintroduce the Welsummer, and she will no longer be so high on the pecking order. That often solves a bully problem.

 

[Tonyroo]

Always get rid of the aggressive hen especially feather pickers. They never break the habit completely.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Always get rid of the aggressive hen especially feather pickers. They never break the habit completely.

That's not been my experience, but then I've only ever had one actual feather picker.

 

[kurby22]

I would suggest the hen time out too, like at least 4-5 days to give everyone time to reset the order and see if that helps. If not, I’d rehome the Welsummer too. I have had both and I just LOVE my Orloff, she’s a super sweet weirdo

 

[Gasthaus Luther]

Thank you! We only have 2. Our poor Orloff doesn’t even look like an Orloff anymore. We initially took her to the vet about 2-3 months ago thinking maybe it was mites. They are our first hens and we only have the two. We never saw the Welsummer picking on the Orloff until Sunday when we saw blood and then saw the the Welsummer pecking. We felt so bad and got them separated stat! I looked up pecking and it mentioned that once there’s blood it can become cannibalism and the pecking becomes more aggressive and frequent. That’s why I think we finally were able to see that we had a bully on our hands.

 

[kurby22]

Thank you! We only have 2. Our poor Orloff doesn’t even look like an Orloff anymore. We initially took her to the vet about 2-3 months ago thinking maybe it was mites. They are our first hens and we only have the two. We never saw the Welsummer picking on the Orloff until Sunday when we saw blood and then saw the the Welsummer pecking. We felt so bad and got them separated stat! I looked up pecking and it mentioned that once there’s blood it can become cannibalism and the pecking becomes more aggressive and frequent. That’s why I think we finally were able to see that we had a bully on our hands.

How much space do they have? Is it possible she might be bored? I know the feather pecking can be worse when they have less to do? Do they free range? My Welsummer was a really busy girl and NEVER sat still—always foraging! My Orloff is much more mellow and chill. Perhaps you would do well getting a less busy breed like an Orp or Marans? I have a flock that’s dominated by Orps, Marans, Wyandottes, and Ameraucanas and they are all pretty content with their space, their flock friends, and lounging :-D The Faverolle and Orloff fit in great!