Aggressive hens

[cochick1]

Hello. My family and I were out of town for the weekend. My mom stayed home to take care of the animals. We have 4 hens who are a little more than a year old. We got them all together. Our Rhode Island Red has always been on the bottom of the pecking order. She is a very sweet chicken but she is odd and has always kept to herself. The others started pecking at her head a few months ago. Over the weekend, 2 of them started attacking our RIR to the point that she was pacing on one of the ledges that we have in their run. She would barely eat or drink and had to have food/drink up on the ledge as she was too scared to get down. When we returned last evening, I witnessed the 2 of them go after her and she jumped into my arms. 1 of them is primarily the instigators. I put a large dog crate up in the run and have put the two bullies in there. Is this advised? Do I still let them out to free roam while they are being crated? How long to I keep them like this? I have put a honey/lemon oil/blue food coloring solution on our RIR's head to help it heal-they did not make it bleed but it is sore and irritated and the feathers are gone. Do I need to keep her separated long term and build a separate coop? My boys are very upset, as am I. Please help!!!

 

[neo71665]

Last A-hole hen I had I locked her up in jail for a month. When I let her out she was on bottom of the pecking order and that calmed her right down. Don't let her free range it won't knock her down and she'll just keep on.

How big is your run and how many birds do you have?

 

[cochick1]

We have 4 hens and we have a good size coop and large run... if I keep the bullies crated for a while, do I need to still let them dust bathe?

Last A-hole hen I had I locked her up in jail for a month. When I let her out she was on bottom of the pecking order and that calmed her right down. Don't let her free range it won't knock her down and she'll just keep on.

How big is your run and how many birds do you have?

 

[neo71665]

good size and large are not measurements

 

[cochick1]

Sorry. I don't know the measurements. I would guess the coop is 4'x4' and then we have a run built around it that is about 12'×8'.

 

[rayrose]

If the run is built around the coop, then the run is only 8x4. That's
not very big. RIR has nowhere to escape from the other two. Pics would help.

 

[cochick1]

Here's a few photos from earlier this year.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Get photos from further back so we can see the entire space and what's all in it.

 

[aart]

I put a large dog crate up in the run and have put the two bullies in there. Is this advised?

Yes.
Leave them in there for most the day and maybe all night(if secure from weather and preds) for a week.

I have put a honey/lemon oil/blue food coloring solution

This is not going to help anything heal nor deter pecking attention.
Honey may draw flies...and just be a sticky mess.
I'd clean it off.

Get photos from further back so we can see the entire space and what's all in it.

Yes, please, take your tape measure and camera out for dimensions and currant pics.