Backyard bully is picking fights, but getting beat up

[katylouise29]

We are "chicken virgins" and we've recently inherited an established flock of 20 hens of various breeds. We've only been taking care of them for about a month, and all was harmonious with the flock. They free-range on our property throughout the day and have a nice, spacious coop to go back to at night. There are no issues with boredom here, as they have over 3 acres to use as their playground.

Yesterday, we noticed that one of the hens, who we think is an Easter Egger (but might also be an Ameracauna), was bleeding on her comb and easier to catch than normal. We separated her long enough to clean up her wound and put Vick's Vapor Rub on her feathers (we read on this forum that it helps prevent more pecking and promotes healing).

When we re-introduced her back to the flock a few hours later, she started specifically targeting 3 different hens--starting fights with them, and losing each fight. She got pecked pretty badly, and started bleeding even more and lost more feathers in the squabbles. Again, we separated her and cleaned her up.

We tried once more to bring her back to the flock while giving worms as treats. As all the other hens went crazy for worms, she took the opportunity to target those same three other hens, picking fights and losing each time. Finally we gave up hope and are isolating her until she heals.

Has anyone else ever seen this kind of behavior? We think it's pretty rare, as it's difficult to find any info on the subject. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[dawg53]

Welcome to BYC. Consider putting pinless peepers on her.
https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/pinless_peepers.html

 

[katylouise29]

Thanks dawg53. We ordered the peepers but it looks like they won't be in until the end of this coming week. She's been isolated for 4 days now and really seems bored and sad. She even pecked a hole in the egg that she layed, something that she has never done. Out of sympathy as we wait for the peepers, we tried to reintroduce her back to the flock today, but she went right back to her old ways, picking fights.