BOSSY HEN

[Jaci33]

I recieved 7 hens that are laying and 7 hens soon to start. This is the first time together. I have one hen who is very very bossy, she tries to keep them away from the feeder and the nesting boxes.Last night I watched her controll the roost also, Ten hens on one roost and 2 others on her roost, and 2 on the laying boxes. WHAT TO DO WITH HER

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Did you introduce these birds slowly, or just throw them together? It is best to intro them slowly from behind a cage or fenced off area for a few weeks so they can get to know each other with out too much blood shed. But as long as they are not killing each other, you can leave them together. However because there is a pecking order, there will always be one that is dominant toward the others and more so toward new comers.

So you will need to add more feeders and waterers so the new birds don't have to compete for food or water. Lower ranking birds have been known to starve to death because they can't get to the feeders. I just added some young chicks to my flock and added 2 more water and feed stations as until they grow, there will be competition.

As for roosting, you may need to go up at roosting time and get the newbies up on the bar at the other end by them selves for a while, til everyone learns their spots. Chickens can be brutal.

If this more dominant hen becomes completely impossible to deal with, you can try rehoming her or use pinless peepers on her. I have a very dominant hen that was a comb ripper when she was young and was brutal on the other hens. So she had her time in the pinless peepers for a few years. She has since calmed down enough that she does not need them anymore.

Good luck and it is really up to you to make sure these new birds get their share of food, water and roosting space. You may need to put in another bar.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! X2 What TwoCrows said. If you can, you could also try separating her from the flock for a week or two, sometimes that will put bully hens lower on the pecking order. There are a couple of nice articles in the Learning Center https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/bullying-behavior-in-chickens and https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/a-guide-to-understanding-the-chicken-pecking-order

 

[1muttsfan]

Hi and welcome to BYC from northern Michigan

I would also recommend separating her for a week or two, then a gradual reintroduction.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

X2, introduce them slowly buy separating them so they can see but not touch each other. Check out this link.
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/06/integrating-new-flock-members-playpen.html

Provide extra feeders and waterers as bossier hens will try to hog them if there are only a couple. Sadly, the new ones can starve to death if there aren't any other feeders or waterers. Chickens are very aggressive when it comes to food and they will do whatever they can to eat it all themselves. So, extra feeders and waterers are imperative.

Dominant hens can be a real pain so you may have to take one or two away for a day so they have to worry about keeping their place instead of just attacking the newbies. These sweet hens can suddenly turn mean and start tearing combs, plucking feathers and even causing injury to the new ones.

You should either add new roosts so the new ones can roost without being pecked or, as Two Crows said, go out to the coop each night and place them where they should sleep. Chickens are also very mean at roosting time.

Good luck, best wishes and glad you joined!

 

[Jaci33]

Thank you everyone, I am going to try all your suggestions. Let you know how it goes.

 

[drumstick diva]

If nothing works, it's only one hen - so I think she would love to swim with noodles in a soup pot. The other chickens would probably applaud

you