bullied hens

[chickies 4]

Help! We are new to the wonderful world of chickens, and aren't sure what to do about the dominant hen pecking the others so much that they all have damage at the base of their tails. The other 3 are also thin, although I don't see her chasing them from the food. Also, we are using the "Rooster Booster" to deter the pecking, but does that get absorbed into the eggs? If we get rid of the bully, will another one just take her place, or will our girls all get along? Any help is much appreciated!

 

[bella1210]

how old is your hen.

 

[chickies 4]

They are 10 months old, and the pecking has been bad for a couple of months.

 

[bella1210]

did she have babies.

 

[chickies 4]

No, we just have the 4 hens in a 12x4 pen that has a 4x4 coop attached. Is it a space issue?

 

[bella1210]

i don't know my hen was mean but it was because she had babies.

 

[mmaddie's mom]

In the past, I have had to get rid of bullies

They should be able to live in peace and harmony despite the "pecking order".

 

[freerangemom]

I have had the same problem. The two older girls just never accepted the 5 new ones. The pecking and chasing away from the water became too much for me to bear, so I built a second coop and keep the two aggressive ones away from the other 5. It's a drag having two coops. I let them free range together, but they just stay away from each other. Every once in a while I try to put them back together but it hasn't worked yet.