BR Bully Behavior Escalating

[RedDrgn]

We've got five hens that are 11 months old, which we got as 1-day old chicks. We have one cockerel who is 8 months old, who we added to the flock in March.

Up until a little over a month ago (prior to quarantining our wellie due to respiratory issues), everyone was fine. Our BR and DOM were near the top of the pecking order, our wellie played the middle ground, and the EE and BA were near the bottom. Then we started to notice our BR seeking out and chasing and pecking our BA when they'd be out free ranging. Of course, this would then continue in the run (100SF, plus 12SF coop).

The BA got pretty good at avoiding the BR, even running away ahead of time when she'd see her, and our roo got fairly decent at breaking up their altercations. However, once we pulled the wellie, their relations went further downhill to the point where we pulled the BR out of the flock for quarantine twice (once for 3 days and the second time for 8 days). The 3-day period made little difference other than to reduce the frequency of her attacks. The 8-day period put her butt at the bottom of the pecking order. That lasted about two weeks, during which we brought the wellie back without any issues. Then she went right back to doing her "thing" to our BA to the point where we've seen her pull beakfuls of feathers out of the back of the BA's head and has worn a large bald spot there as well.

We've kept Blue Kote on the exposed skin, but it doesn't stop the pecking. We've seen the BR chase the BA away from the feeder twice in the past week and the BA. The BA should be built like the BR, but she's at least 1.5lbs lighter at this point. Last night, we saw the BR after the wellie (this is new) and the BA. When they went to roost, the BR pecked the BA off of two different roosts twice (which we've never seen before) and then went after and removed the wellie from the roosts, and kept both off until it was too dark too see. My DH and I didn't interfere, just observed.

The 1.5 weeks, egg production has been way down and we're wondering if it's related to the rough-housing. The BR and BA haven't laid any eggs in 4 straight days, which has never happened since they started laying in January, and both are our best layers.

What do we do? If we used No Peck or pine tar, it seems we'd have to smear everyone but the roo (for all we know she beats on everyone else, too). Should we bother with pinless peepers (I'm not keen on using them) or send her to freezer camp and get a few more chicks as my DH suggested ?

What in the world set her off in the first place? She was raised together with everyone but the roo. Why the sudden "I HATE EVERYONE ATTITUDE!"?? She was always at the top of the order, but she was never downright nasty before.

 

[speckledhen]

Though my BRs are never at the bottom of the pecking order, some downright bossy in the flock, I've never had one who was a real bully like you describe. My heritage BR hens are quite mild-mannered, more so than the hatchery descendents.

Sometimes, you can just get a "bad egg" in the flock. No way you can always determine exactly why one bird behaves that way. If she is really that bad, you may have to rehome her to someone else. A change of scenery where she is indeed at the bottom of a new flock could be the best thing for her.

 

[RedDrgn]

She's vehement. If the BA is in sight, she's after her until she gets out of sight or the roo stops her, whether it's in the run or roaming our 2/3-acre property. She's like a black and white BA-seeking missile. I've seen the other girls peck each other now and again, sometimes hard and sometimes persistently, but nothing like this has become.

If we could, we'd just rehome her, but our wellie is positive for MG. While she's fine now and no one else ever exhibited symptoms, we're assuming the whole flock is positive. We can't let any of our birds leave the property (unless they're visiting the vet).

I really don't want to lose her, because she's gorgeous and had always been so friendly and funny and an amazing layer (prior to bad-attitude mode). I also don't want the whole flock in a stressed-out, featherless disarray.

 

[BeulahBreezes]

What is 'MG"?

 

[RedDrgn]

Mycoplasma gallisepticum

 

[RedDrgn]

As an update, we'll have pinless peepers that we'll be putting on our vindictive hen by the end of the week. If she manages to figure out how to peck the tar out of the others with those on, then we'll have to take it as her way of requesting a trip to freezer camp.

 

[Fred's Hens]

It happens and yes, with mass produced hatchery stock, it seems more common. We hatched a BR last summer. I really like her looks and when she entered lay, she was laying almost daily and laying a great egg. But she became a witch beyond words. Sometimes there is no explaining it. Put in "jail" for 9 days. She emerged subdued and all was fine for about a week. She again re-established herself as the Wicked Witch of the West.

I understand from my neighbor that she was mighty tasty.

 

[RedDrgn]

It happens and yes, with mass produced hatchery stock, it seems more common. We hatched a BR last summer. I really like her looks and when she entered lay, she was laying almost daily and laying a great egg. But she became a witch beyond words. Sometimes there is no explaining it. Put in "jail" for 9 days. She emerged subdued and all was fine for about a week. She again re-established herself as the Wicked Witch of the West.

I understand from my neighbor that she was mighty tasty.

And here I kept watching and stressing about whether our roo would go bad; I honestly never suspected one of our girls to turn over that leaf.

It sounds like yours went the exact same route and even followed a very similar timeline as ours, thus far. I've heard that nasty chickens are always the most flavorful.