Aggressive Hen At Bottom of Pecking Order

[Fishkeeper]

Hey, if you're a big enough koi, you outweigh the ducks.

 

[KWor]

My hen, who is at the bottom of the order did the same thing, but she chased our cats (she doesn't dare pick on the dogs, who are quite large). She also only picks on the two cats who are scared of her -- the old cat and the timid cat. The feisty cats, she doesn't mess with.

She's a very clever little hen, and she will stalk the cats, and chase them, pecking their butts til they run back thru the pet door into the house. My old cat was terrified!

I started doing "Cuddle Therapy" with my wicked little hen, and that has been working well. Whenever I was outside, I would pick her up, and give her extra attention and cuddles in my lap. I would walk around the garden with her in my arms, cooing and petting her. She was raised indoors, in our bathroom, but was never as loving as the rest of the chickens. She tolerates this -- but really started liking it when I began giving her treats (fruit, worms, or chicken feed) from my hand, while holding her.

She was always getting chased away from the food, and pecked at by the other hens, so the extra treats while sitting in Mom's lap has really made a difference. It has taken a month, but she has stopped chasing the cats!

I can only imagine what a jerk she's going to be to the new littles we have in the bathroom brooder right now when we try to integrate them in a month. I'll have to increase my Cuddle Therapy to super high levels, I guess.

Good luck with your hen!

 

[KWor]

My hen, who is at the bottom of the order did the same thing, but she chased our cats (she doesn't dare pick on the dogs, who are quite large). She also only picks on the two cats who are scared of her -- the old cat and the timid cat. The feisty cats, she doesn't mess with.

She's a very clever little hen, and she will stalk the cats, and chase them, pecking their butts til they run back thru the pet door into the house. My old cat was terrified!

I started doing "Cuddle Therapy" with my wicked little hen, and that has been working well. Whenever I was outside, I would pick her up, and give her extra attention and cuddles in my lap. I would walk around the garden with her in my arms, cooing and petting her. She was raised indoors, in our bathroom, but was never as loving as the rest of the chickens. She tolerates this -- but really started liking it when I began giving her treats (fruit, worms, or chicken feed) from my hand, while holding her.

She was always getting chased away from the food, and pecked at by the other hens, so the extra treats while sitting in Mom's lap has really made a difference. It has taken a month, but she has stopped chasing the cats!

I can only imagine what a jerk she's going to be to the new littles we have in the bathroom brooder right now when we try to integrate them in a month. I'll have to increase my Cuddle Therapy to super high levels, I guess.

Good luck with your hen!

The cuddle therapy sounds most interesting! My dogs are large but it doesn't seem to bother her The largest one who gets attacked most often is so mild and relaxed, I worry he will become nasty to the chickens if this keeps up. This is the first group of hens I've had and I must admit I'm a bit of a scaredy cat when it comes to dealing with mean creatures-bird or otherwise! I might just try the cuddle therapy if I can work up the nerve to pick her up without hesitation.

 

[KWor]

If it's anything like horses, I usually find the lowest horse in the herd is the one who is most aggressive toward the newcomer, trying to make sure they don't go any lower in the herd order. Perhaps the low hen is trying to assert herself over you and the dogs for the same reason? Just a guess, as I've completely given up on trying to figure out bird-brains.

I've wondered this myself, but it seemed so strange since we are larger than her and give food/treats/water. But if it happens in other cases, it must be!

 

[sbhkma]

We see "size" as a physical thing. Most animals do not. To them, size is an attitude/aura/general way another creature acts. The largest dog is not always the alpha. The largest chicken is not always the alpha. Chickens and other animals aren't human and often the problems that arise are of our own making because we treat them as if they think like humans.