Bullied chicken

[ksavageclarke]

I bought 2 gorgeous polish crested pullets. One has adjusted and the other acts sad and depressed sitting on a roost all day. After 2 weeks there is a noticeable difference in size, she is not thriving as we had hoped. Whenever she gets down the chief biddy hen and roo attack her and she ends up sitting with her head in a corner. We have been taking her into the house for a few hours each cay so she can eat and drink. I have no idea how to help her. I know this happens witht he pecking order, but this seems extreme. We hope to separate the ducks soon and maybe she can live with them or be re-homed. Any suggestions??? We would like to keep her she is a lovely gentle bird.

 

[Judy]

When you know who a single bully is, it's usually suggested to remove him or her and isolate for a week, then reintroduce, so that the bully will then be at the bottom of the pecking order. It seems unusual to me that the rooster is also doing this, but this could certainly just be my own ignorance. I believe I would try isolating the hen, out of sight of the others, for that week. Then I'd watch the roo to see if the behavior continued. Or just remove them both -- though I'm not sure the isolation would work as well if the bully isn't alone.

Crested birds like Polish seem to get targeted. I wonder if the crest doesn't present too much of a temptation.

 

[Busybee1]

What other breed hens do you have? i am having a similar issue with a sultan i just bought. I think i should have bought 2 of them so they could hang together. Please keep us posted on how she is doing.

 

[ksavageclarke]

black copper marans hen and roo are bullying one of 2 polish crested pullets. The other polish crested has adapted well. I removed the marans hen and 2 young birds that also tend to bully and the roo is quite passive toward her now and they laid down for a nap quite near each other.

I have to put them all back in the house together at roosting time, but can keep them separate during the day in order to see if that helps. The abused polish is off her roost and interacting in a more normal fashion.

I love my chickens, but I have to say that the young muscovy hens are lovely creatures and far less dramatic.