Bloody hen fight!

[Gramma5]

There is one long roost inside my coop but only one in the run so far. My chubby leghorn has claimed it as her own and God bless any other hen that tries to get on it. Yesterday morning I took a pic of her enjoying it as she looked so happy there. We left for a few hours and when I came back the scrawny leghorn was sitting on it. Her claws and beak were all bloody and little lil chubby was in the coop with her feathers all bloody and part of her comb messed up.

No doubt what happened here .....

Is this usual chicken behavior?

 

[iwiw60]

Yep....it's called "pecking order" ...

 

[Gramma5]

Wow! I've seen them get nasty towards each other, but this is the first time blood was drawn.

 

[iwiw60]

Wow! I've seen them get nasty towards each other, but this is the first time blood was drawn.

If it continues, and it gets worse...you may well have to decide which one to keep. They both might turn up dead some day...doubt it, but it can happen.

 

[enola]

Get yourself some pinless peepers. Put on the two hens that are fighting, they will be able to see to eat and drink. But they won't be able to see each other well enough to get into a scuffle.

 

[Gramma5]

Get yourself some pinless peepers. Put on the two hens that are fighting, they will be able to see to eat and drink. But they won't be able to see each other well enough to get into a scuffle.

Well, my skinny girl was being pecked to death. She wasn't being allowed to eat or drink so I had to set up a separate coop/yard for her so she could heal. Now she's healed it's time to go back into the main coop. I knew they would just start pecking her again so Pinless Peepers it is! My daughter helped me put them on the five chickens that were ganging up on the little leghorn. The instigator went first. I put Polly back in this morning and there seems to be no problem with the pecking. However, Polly has been roaming my patio for 2 weeks and now she's pacing in the coop. She had a taste of freedom, LOL.