bullied hen

[fphilli1]

My wife has 8 laying hens, 7 Orpingtons and one light brhama. For the past couple of weeks they all pick on one of the orpingtons named Meaky.... We have used the Blue die but now it is like a magnet to them. They have picked on her so much she has become lathargic and does not move around with the others. What should we do???? They are all around 2 years old. We do not have a rooster. We have a fenced coop and a large fenced garden we let them loose in a couple of hours each day.... . Please help !!!!!!

 

[tammye]

you can try and remove the bully for a few days, this can help shake up the pecking order. She may need a few days of rest and food, they are probably not letting her eat either. Can you set up two feeding/watering stations? could help her get some food. You may need to rehome her if it can't be resolved

 

[klmclain1]

It's possible that she is lethargic because she is sick - and the other hens are picking on her because she is sick. I would segregate her and keep an eye on her to a quiet, warm place. She may have worms, she may have something else - you'll need to watch. They pick up on this stuff often much faster than we do and will kill her given the opportunity.

 

[fphilli1]

Thank you for the information. We put her in a separte pen with a large Dog house for shelter, water and food. How do you check for worms? Thanks again, we a novice at this and have not had that much trouble with any of the 8 we have. My wife named her Meaky because she has always been meak, timid, an a loner.... Thanks again....

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

You can put pinless peepers on all the mean ones.