Aggressive hen

[Admiry96]

Hello new here. Having some problems with my flock. The other day they teamed up on a hen. They pecked her open behind the legs and it was so bad I had to cull her. Today I made the chicken run larger was about 44sqft now it is 96sqft. After the work I noticed 2 birds were bleeding from their vent. It looks like one hen is overly aggressive. But the others jump in and peck each other causing damage.

 

[MarkJr]

I would try separating the overly aggressive one and see if peace is found in the flock. If so, after 3-4 days separation you could reintroduce and observe. If it happens again, at least you know who the problem is.

 

[rosemarythyme]

How many birds in 96 sq ft.? Any photos of your set up? More space is always great, but is there anything in it to keep them busy?

 

[lorric372]

From my experience, it'll be one aggressive hen and the others jump in once they see red skin or blood. I would separate for 3-7 days depending on level of aggression. I had to separate one of mine a good while back and, as I didn't have a spare coop, she went in to chicken boarding. Came back a new(ish) chicken!

 

[Admiry96]

How many birds in 96 sq ft.? Any photos of your set up? More space is always great, but is there anything in it to keep them busy?

5 are in the run now I removed the aggressive hen. I’m not sure what they need to keep busy. I am going to look that up but if you have any suggestions that work would be appreciated.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

Hello new here. Having some problems with my flock. The other day they teamed up on a hen. They pecked her open behind the legs and it was so bad I had to cull her. Today I made the chicken run larger was about 44sqft now it is 96sqft. After the work I noticed 2 birds were bleeding from their vent. It looks like one hen is overly aggressive. But the others jump in and peck each other causing damage.

Separate the bleeding ones, individually. Take out the aggressor.

 

[rosemarythyme]

5 are in the run now I removed the aggressive hen. I’m not sure what they need to keep busy. I am going to look that up but if you have any suggestions that work would be appreciated.

If your run is just an empty space, consider adding clutter to provide hiding spots for picked on birds and something for them to interact with as well: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

Other things you can consider adding would be piles of dried leaves or other plant matter for them to dig through/tear apart, run roosts (branches, stumps, a wood sawhorse), and a dust bath area.

These aren't magic bullets, you still have an overly aggressive bird (or birds) that needs to be dealt with and injured birds that need to heal, but a flock with plenty of distractions is more likely to stay busy than bored birds looking for something to do.

 

[Admiry96]

If your run is just an empty space, consider adding clutter to provide hiding spots for picked on birds and something for them to interact with as well: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

Other things you can consider adding would be piles of dried leaves or other plant matter for them to dig through/tear apart, run roosts (branches, stumps, a wood sawhorse), and a dust bath area.

These aren't magic bullets, you still have an overly aggressive bird (or birds) that needs to be dealt with and injured birds that need to heal, but a flock with plenty of distractions is more likely to stay busy than bored birds looking for something to do.

Thank you for the pics. Some good ideas I might need to down size them a bit but gives me a good place to start. Made a small area next to the run blocked off with some wire fencing and another one for the injured to heal. Going to start with some roosts in there. I also found hay or straw bales may help.