Cookie, my two year old Austro. has always been the sweetest, calm, and passive hen in the flock of eight. She has been w/3 of the others for two years, and the other 4 for one year. Over the past two weeks, she has gone psycho - attacking the others (smallest first, working her way up the pecking order) by jumping on their backs and pulling neck feathers. She charges to keep them from eating/drinking in the run and even when they are free ranging. One of the hens is so anxious she has isolated herself to the small run attached to the coop and will not socialize with the others at all, even sleeping out of the coop by herself at night. I move her to a roost with the others after dark just so she will feel part of the flock for a while. Question is, how to make this bully stop? I moved her to a separate coop for two days but she was pretty crazy in there and came back with the same attitude. I don't want her to terrorize the others or teache them these behaviors - and I have seen a couple of them trying to do the same thing to the smaller birdes. Any suggestions are welcome !!!!
If you have to room to do so, giving her her own space, you could try isolating her from the flock for about 2 weeks. Letting her see everybody and others see her. This may take her down a few notches on the aggressive behavior and pecking order. (2 days is not enough time in isolation) If she gets bad enough you could always send her to freezer camp. Right now I am dealing with an aggressive Aussie hen that is attacking me!
