Bullied Hen Won't Roost or Lay

[PsychoChickenLady]

Hello. I’m sorry this is happening to you! I had something similar happen to my BO earlier this year. After 2.5 years of being together, the other flock members all of a sudden decided that my limping Buff was to be ostracized from the group. She was off on her own all the time and would sleep in the nesting boxes. It was bad bullying, lots of feather picking, fighting, etc. Each situation is different, but here’s what I did to help with reintegration (she’s now back with the flock):

1. I made sure she was getting plenty of food and water. I actually fed her separately for a week or two (scrambled eggs, oatmeal, yogurt, mixed with her regular feed).

2.When it was time to start reintegration, I would let Buff out first, lure her over with some scratch, then have my husband let the others out, and while feeding them all some scratch, I was ready with the high power garden hose to blast whoever was bullying her. The majority of the hens got the point once they got blasted with water once or twice, haha.

3.There was one hen in particular that was the bully. Is there one or two hens in your flock that are clearly bullying your BO? I took my bully hen and put her in a small milk crate for a few hours IMMEDIATELY after I saw she was going after my Buff. I’d recommend seeing if you have a clear bully hen and isolate her.

4. As for sleeping in the nesting boxes, she’s probably doing that because she gets picked on at night for roost space. I know I’m in the minority here on BYC, but I don’t mind if my hens sleep in the nesting boxes! I have one hen who does and I don’t mind and she doesn’t have any issues in the flock.

Hopefully the extra feeding, hose squirting, and bully isolating may help you. Let me know if you have any other questions and I’ll do my best to help

Great advice! This past week (coldest one yet, -20°C) not only has one of my chickens been sleeping alone in a nesting box, several of the chickens are sleeping on the floor. I'm assuming it's because it was so cold, but I'm worried about the one who is all by herself. I've moved her from the box to the roost every night this past week and she's still in the box. (I haven't checked twice in the same night, so I'm not sure if she gets down again). And one laid an egg from the roost this week! (Gosh, I have so many questions!! Is there a pot-luck forum, LOL, )!

Oh, right, I almost forgot, any suggestions for when it's too cold to use a hose? I like your milk crate idea, I'll have to try that with my top two "henchmen." Thanks!

 

[Chickenman MAN]

That's a shame! We thought an 8 x 16 run would be fine for all seven (might be 6 unnless our long-term sick chicken bounced back from her take moult/EYP episode... Fingers crossed that won't be the case). We will separate.

Hm... 8 by 16 is a whopping 128 square feet. Rule of thumb is 10 sqft/chicken so I'd think that'd be more than enough for seven chickens! I can't speak too much here as my chickens are spoilt, small coop but massive run. Mine are ex-bats, and we had one who was pecking the hell out of the other chickens. We put pinless peepers on her for 6 weeks and we planned to take them off but on that 6th week she took them off herself (eye roll). She didn't like it at first but as long it is on securely after about 1 hour she got used to them and was just as happy as the other chickens. After she managed to take them off she was fine and I have seen no bullying or pecking since. I'd suggest using these. Also, have a hiding spot in your run big enough for, say, two hens, this can be a little wood structure, water container (like I have) etc. You may end up finding eggs in there but it will allow her to escape the bullies and maybe even lay.

 

[Chickenman MAN]

Hello. I’m sorry this is happening to you! I had something similar happen to my BO earlier this year. After 2.5 years of being together, the other flock members all of a sudden decided that my limping Buff was to be ostracized from the group. She was off on her own all the time and would sleep in the nesting boxes. It was bad bullying, lots of feather picking, fighting, etc. Each situation is different, but here’s what I did to help with reintegration (she’s now back with the flock):

1. I made sure she was getting plenty of food and water. I actually fed her separately for a week or two (scrambled eggs, oatmeal, yogurt, mixed with her regular feed).

2.When it was time to start reintegration, I would let Buff out first, lure her over with some scratch, then have my husband let the others out, and while feeding them all some scratch, I was ready with the high power garden hose to blast whoever was bullying her. The majority of the hens got the point once they got blasted with water once or twice, haha.

3.There was one hen in particular that was the bully. Is there one or two hens in your flock that are clearly bullying your BO? I took my bully hen and put her in a small milk crate for a few hours IMMEDIATELY after I saw she was going after my Buff. I’d recommend seeing if you have a clear bully hen and isolate her.

4. As for sleeping in the nesting boxes, she’s probably doing that because she gets picked on at night for roost space. I know I’m in the minority here on BYC, but I don’t mind if my hens sleep in the nesting boxes! I have one hen who does and I don’t mind and she doesn’t have any issues in the flock.

Hopefully the extra feeding, hose squirting, and bully isolating may help you. Let me know if you have any other questions and I’ll do my best to help

I totally agree! I used to pick up the bully hen and put her in the coop if she was pecking (until pinless peepers were installed)...maybe I should've brought out the supah sokah! I also agree with sleeping in nesting boxes. I have 4 ex-bats and two of them used to always sleep in the nesting box, I gave them a poke and they'd walk onto the perch. Now, I don't really care! They look sooo cute sitting down and the only issue is poo on eggs...but it washes off just fine.

 

[lbgreenfield]

Great advice! This past week (coldest one yet, -20°C) not only has one of my chickens been sleeping alone in a nesting box, several of the chickens are sleeping on the floor. I'm assuming it's because it was so cold, but I'm worried about the one who is all by herself. I've moved her from the box to the roost every night this past week and she's still in the box. (I haven't checked twice in the same night, so I'm not sure if she gets down again). And one laid an egg from the roost this week! (Gosh, I have so many questions!! Is there a pot-luck forum, LOL, )!

Oh, right, I almost forgot, any suggestions for when it's too cold to use a hose? I like your milk crate idea, I'll have to try that with my top two "henchmen." Thanks!

Haha, pot luck forum! You should start one!

As for the nesting boxes/roosts, you can try and block off the nesting boxes right before bed time like others have suggested to get the hens to roost on the bars. Cardboard Is an easy solution to block off the nesting boxes!

Other non-water solutions I’ve done before are:
+ Pin the bully down flat on the ground while telling them they are a bad chicken (ha) and hold them down for a few minutes.
+ Scare the bully with a plastic bag (mine hate plastic bags)
+ And in really, really bad cases with no ability to blast them with the hose (bully injures chicken, bleeding, severe feather pulling, fighting, flogging me or my family) I will catch the bully and hang her upside down by her legs for 2-3 minutes.
Hope that helps!