Bully chickens

[chickensinCT]

I have 7 chickens, all hens, and two of them are picking on a third. I have a small dog crate I was going to place the injured bird in to get better but will the pecking just get worse when I add her back in eventually?
I have not been able to determine what started the pecking, their food has been the same, they have been housed all together for a little over a year and the aggressive pecking started only recently. Four are two years old (3 buff orps and 1 EE) and three are one year old (1 cuckoo maran, 1 Australorp and 1 silver laced Wyandotte)
The australorp in the worst one and when she starts one the EE one of the Orpingtons jumps in.
Their coop is 10x6 with 3 nesting boxes and elevated roosting perch, the attached run is 20x4.
Any ideas/suggestions to help are appreciated

 

[chkva]

I had an australorp that did the same thing to mine, I'll never forget that chicken. I separated the bully and reintroduced it, it worked and she wasn't too much of a bully after that. She would peck the others here and there, but not like before. I did free range at the time so it might be a different outcome than someone who has a run. She was separated for two weeks.

Sometimes boredom makes them pick on each other. Hang up cabbage or put a pile of leaves and other distractions to help them from becoming bored.

Hoping you find a solution!

 

[hispoptart]

I agree, Unless the picked on one is bleeding, I would pull the bully from the flock. Isolate her for a few days and put her back. If she starts in again repeat the process until she stops. If needed extend the amount of days in isolation each time.

 

[chickensinCT]

The pecked at chicken has a wound on one of her feet that has started bleeding. I was going to give some meloxicam for pain and separate until it healed but I can just separate the bully first
Either way she should get some space to heal

Thanks for info !!!

 

[hispoptart]

depending on how bad the wound is, you might be able to just spray it with blue-kote so the others will leave the wound alone. Pics would be helpful if you can post some.

 

[chickensinCT]

I have used the BluKote on her foot and back but it has not seemed to deter them so far. Will post pics if I can get some when I have a helper in a bit

 

[chickensinCT]

Here are some pics of the chicken who is being bullied...

 

[aart]

Their coop is 10x6 with 3 nesting boxes and elevated roosting perch, the attached run is 20x4.

Pics Please?

 

[sourland]

Do an on site search on Pin Less Peepers. They can help and can frequently be removed once the picked upon birds are refeathered.

 

[varidgerunner]

Remove a bully and you are actually just removing the dominant bird. That will leave a dominant bird, and possibly one with a lot of pent up anger as a result of being number two for so long. Hard for a chicken to walk by another chicken in a four to six foot space. Eight foot space is better. Might work well for a while, but as birds mature, and hormones fully kick in, it can get ugly.