Bully near the bottom

[Ch1cken7]

I have a rather large lavender Orpington who despite her size is seemingly second to last or maybe 3rd to last in the pecking order. Unfortunately she’s vicious to the lowest hen who is a frizzle.

Frizzle feathers are easy targets, she’s messing wing feathers and now neck feathers because of this one chicken.

I’m struggling cause I don’t have a separate run, coop, water, food to house a single bird in. But I need to get this bird out. I’ll figure out something but question is 2 things.

1) how separated are we talking? Like cannot see each other? She needs to be in a boxes pen away from any chickens to reset? How long?

2) she’s so low in the order I don’t understand how it would reset anything in the hierarchy, wouldn’t she come in kinda low anyway and start again?

I have 6 hens and they’re all the same age about 1 year except for 2 oldest who are about 2 years. Top dogs don’t bully, just the one.

 

[thistlewick]

From what I've always read on this forum, you remove the bully and put HER in a pen that everyone can see/she can see everyone for a few days and that can reset things.

Then, if that doesn't, you remove her to a pen where no one can see her for a few days to give her a 'time out' -- not too long, just a couple days.

Then, third option if none of that works, is try pinless peepers if you're so inclined (they look mean to me, but ppl want to keep laying hens so I get it)

And fourth, if a hen is just a complete unadulterated AHOLE, then well - soup. (or sell her)

@MrsK's excellent advice "always solve for peace of the flock"

 

[Ch1cken7]

But what about the egg laying situation? I have a large dog crate she could hang out in while inside the run. But she wouldn’t have a ton of space or a place to lay eggs privately

 

[Ch1cken7]

I got creative and roped her off underneath the 4x8 coop. We have a coop attached to the run so I just ran a fence along the bottom. The coop sits several feet high so the bottom is accessible for them. I put some containers of food and water.

What about roosting at night? Will I need to bring her into the garage at night to be alone?