5 one-year-old hens with 6 ten-week-old juveniles

[AnneRaduns]

I have 5 one-year-old hens with 6 ten-week-old juveniles in a large coop. They free range during the day, and all seems ok. I am on 5 fenced acres, so there is plenty of room to move around. However, when they are all heading into the coop at night, one of the older hens is a real bully. I am talking just mean as she can be to the juvenile chickens. None of the younger chickens will stand up to her. The younger chickens are on one side of the coop (not separated with fencing or anything) and the older hens are on the opposite side. The super mean hen just goes out of her way to peck at the younger girls. Aside from ignoring it or putting the meany in the run at night - is there anything I can do? I guess the answer is wait until the younger girls get a bit bigger and put her in her place. I just hate seeing the younger girls get tormented by this bad-to-the-bone hen.

Thanks in advance

 

[Lady of McCamley]

You can isolate the mean hen to knock her down a peg or two.

Obviously make sure you have lots of roosting space and roost bars to choose from.

Sadly, this is common flock behavior. Young pullets get no respect, especially from the top hen. Life balances a bit better when the pullets begin to lay...AFTER they all figure out who gets the nesting box first.

So as long as nobody is drawing blood (if she does, then imho the stew pot she goes as nobody has the right to be that mean), this should shake out in time.

Vying for roosting space is a number one reason for conflict in the flock. Mine always have mini-drama at night.

LofMc

 

[T-R-O-U-B-L-E]

I have a bully like that. Her name is Plum. A little different though. She tries to attack the hens her age and they put her in her place. But she is the reason I can integrate another (younger) hen into that flock. Grr!

 

[AnneRaduns]

Thank you for the perspective: she's mean but doesn't draw blood. I have plenty of roosting space and the coop itself is big enough for 22 or so hens ( you know chicken math), so the 11 chickens I have a lot of room to spread out. I guess the fact that she was just being gratuitously mean was upsetting. But as long as there is no blood, she'll live to see another day