Bully Hen

[halleyd591]

Let me start by saying. I AM A NEWBIE. I have 9 chickens, 2 Dominique, 2 Golden Buff, 2 Buff Laced Polish and 3 Silkies (1 is a Roo). All of them have been together since they hatched and I have had 0 problems out of any of them. They are all almost 6 months old. The day after I got my first egg..a bully problem started. One Dominique started pecking everyone. She eventually picked out half of BOTH Polish tail feathers causing bleeding. As soon as I discovered the problem I removed them from the flock and treated them. They stayed separated for 3 days until they stopped bleeding. I placed them under the coop in a pin before adding them back to the flock to they could adjust. The next day I let them out with the rest of them...no problems.
3 days later I had a bloody Polish..again. The Dominique continued to peck at everyone causing a major problem. I purchased wound spray and sprayed all the others to try and deter her...to no avail.
I decided to remove her from the flock. The injured Polish has been with the rest of the flock after this injury (with Peck-No-More) with no problems.
I kept the bully separated for 3 days before following the same re-introduction procedure. As soon as I let her in the run with the rest of the flock she immediately started again.
How do I get this to stop? She has always been the dominant hen, but she has never acted this way. It was so sudden. I want them all to live in harmony and there is no reason why they can't.
How long should I keep her separated? What products are recommended. It has been in the single digits so I haven't applied any deterrent spray. Which brand?
Is this normal for their age and just started laying for her to turn into a bully?
Sorry so long, but i wanted to include details to ensure the best responses.
Thanks in advance!

 

[ChickenChaser9]

Bullying is not normal. You can treat aggression caused by environmental factors like insufficient space or food but if the bird's personality is the problem there is not a lot you can do to correct bad behavior which is normally brought out during the onset of puberty. Best Wishes.

 

[halleyd591]

That's not good news. Thanks for the response.

 

[keesmom]

How much room do they have? What size is your coop and run?

 

[halleyd591]

Coop is 6x4 ft (4 ft tall) not including nest boxes. Run is around 10x15 ft.

 

[halleyd591]

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Polish and silkies should be kept in their own coop or there should be enough room for them to get away from the other birds. Your coop is too small for the birds you have. You will need to do something else with the polish unfortunately. I have had chickens peck the polish crest open enough to kill them.

Sexual maturity will often cause some hens to get a bit more aggressive. They usually calm down after a few months. Your hens will need a bit more room now that they are maturing and the pecking order becomes more important to them.

 

[aart]

Agrees small space is a part of the issue, especially when you've got snow like that and they won't go outside....
....and the pecking order changes a lot during onset of lay, hormones running rampant!

 

[halleyd591]

We NEVER get snow like that. I'm in NC and it was a freak thing! Haha. My problem started before the snow. So will this problem pass eventually...hopefully?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

It might stop and it might not. It sometimes can help to trim polish birds crest so they can see others coming. Multiple roosts and places for birds to get away from each other can help too.