Bullying. Again. What am I doing wrong?

[2 Acres]

I would call her bluff, she has you trained. Treats should be an unexpected surprise, not something to skip meals over

Like finely chopped carrots drizzled with yogurt???

 

[2 Acres]

I really need help, BYC. I'm sorry this is longwinded, but I want to give as much relevant detail as possible. I'm certainly not new to bully behavior.

Backstory
I lost my original flock in 2023 (we rehomed several times) due to bullying and feather picking. We had 4 chickens in a 9x12 pen, 2 of which were production reds (the feather pickers). I learned my lesson about production breeds, flock size, breed disposition, redundant feeders/waterers, and visual blocks. We decided to try again this spring with an upgraded pen and new bantam flock.

The Bantam Flock
As many of you know, it's been very difficult to purchase chickens this year. I originally wanted a uni-flock of six smaller, docile birds. I ended up with 6 Pekin Bantams (3 Mottled and 3 Calico) + 2 Mille Fleur d'Uccle. One d'Uccle passed the first night. The rest are now 14 weeks old. All female.

The Problem
My d'Uccle has started to bully one of my Mottled Pekins. The d'Uccle has always been a bossy bird that's stimulated by pecking order disputes. But this new behavior is excessive. She goes out of her way to follow and harass the lower ranked Mottled. The Mottled does not fight back. She bows her head in submission and gets pecked repeatedly until she can't take it anymore and tries to leave. The d'Uccle will follow. The d'Uccle does have a tendency to get visually fixated (she'll peck at something out of place for 20+ minutes straight), and the Mottled she's bullying has a much redder comb than her sisters. I don't know if this is relevant. The d'Uccle is nowhere near point of lay. Still has a small, pale comb.

How I've Handled It
I watched this play out for about 2-3 minutes to see if it would resolve, then intervened. I started by giving the d'Uccle a peck correction on the head. She shook this off and resumed her harassment. I then gently pinned her down like a rooster would. She responded well to this and held a submissive position, even after I stood up. But she also shook this off and went back to harassing the Mottled. I then picked her up (she hates this) and held her for several minutes. That seemed to knock her out of it. I came back out a couple hours later, only to watch the d'Uccle stepping over other chickens to harass her victim who was dust bathing against the wall. At that point, I picked her up and brought her inside. She's sitting alone in the basement brooder. I will purchase a dog crate to put in the run this weekend.

My Setup
I'll attach a photo.
I do not free range, but I have a 9x18 covered run. There's a dedicated perching area with multiple levels and trays with pellets. I have 2 dig boxes with high walls to block sight of each feeder; one box is for dust bathing and one for peck toys (which contain a whole-grain version of their regular feed). There's a 4-foot bench they love to sit on and under. I have 2 feeders (with crumble that they ignore) and 2 waterers. We scatter pellets around the entire run twice a day for them to forage. I will occasionally offer them some of the plants growing on the left, or some fresh produce (cucumber, blueberries, etc), at the end of the day. The run has an industrial greenhouse fan, radiant barrier under the roof, and shade cloths that I move about to maximize cooling.

Please tell me what I am doing wrong. Is it really a matter of space? Is it because I'm not free ranging? Is my d'Uccle just kind of a butthole? How could I handle this better? I'll put her back out with the group at bedtime and monitor again tomorrow. Like I said, I'll pick up a dog crate to put in that empty center space (which is what the space is there for).

Any comments, feedbacks, suggestions... anything, seriously. It will be so much appreciated. I don't think I can handle having a flock unravel on me again. So please, let me have it if there's something I can be doing better!

Nice and tidy... but a far cry from my "franken coop". My girls get several hours of free range, which lets them eat the local fare that grows on my property. (they won't leave my wild raspberries alone). On top of that...they hide under a 30 ft tall and wide Witchazle bush to hide from ariel predators. It also doubles as a dust bath station.

I applaud your efforts... but sometimes simple is better.

 

[2 Acres]

Nice and tidy... but a far cry from my "franken coop". My girls get several hours of free range, which lets them eat the local fare that grows on my property. (they won't leave my wild raspberries alone). On top of that...they hide under a 30 ft tall and wide Witchazle bush to hide from ariel predators. It also doubles as a dust bath station.

I applaud your efforts... but sometimes simple is better.

In comparison... A half mile away from me, there is a house with a coop that is only 15 or so feet off the road... exposed to every element.

 

[2 Acres]

I agree about the feed-it was the first thing that struck me while reading your explanation of the situation. Chickens are very food-motivated. Feeding time is the only time my hens pick on the pullets. I’m sure you’ve tried different feeders? I had a flock that refused to eat pellets. After a few days with no other options they gave in. My current flock gets treats a couple times a week (usually meal worms) and only as a training exercise to get them into the coop after a day of ranging. I used to give more scraps but not until evening usually. In your situation I would try skipping the treats altogether and leaving them no choice but the feeder. You can try sweetening the pot a little with something like Rooster Booster to see if that gets them to at least start using it but if they see a resource as scarce (even if it’s not) they are more likely to fight over it.

My chickens don't even know what mealworms are... and me either. My treats to my chickens are more "diverse" and more sporadic, such as carrots and yogurt, grapes, and bananas. (If it's good for me, then it's good for the chickens).

 

[2 Acres]

It's definitely not scratch, but it's very scratch-like in appearance. Each chicken needs to eat all the different components to have a complete diet. It just feels a bit risky to have that be their primary feed when they're already such picky little s. Like you said, they could be fine. But the price is eye watering!

Here's the nutrition label, for anyone interested.
View attachment 4165289

Since I have 2 roosters, I like the calcium percentages.

 

[2 Acres]

Agreed. This was just meant as a mental reset for her, which may be totally pointless in the end. It is alarming that she sat in one spot for the 4 hours and did not eat or drink. Though I suppose I'll be forcing her hand if we do a true pecking order reset.

She must be an "Alpha" hen.

 

[2 Acres]

I would call her bluff, she has you trained. Treats should be an unexpected surprise, not something to skip meals over

She's a bored "drama queen