Bullying behavior at bedtime?

[aart]

Agrees with a wider roost helping....and also the right hand side of roost seems to be too close to the wall. Roosts are best at least a foot from wall.

I don't see any real aggression, just the usual 'pecking'....
....while they discuss, "what is up with this new roost?" haha!

Are these two your only birds?
How long have they been in this new coop?
Is this the only/first time you've observed this behavior.....
....or the first time you've observed them 'going to bed' at all.

Lots of bickering and pecking goes on at roost time,
I call it the RoostTimeRumble.

 

[lazy gardener]

What other posters have said. I also would suggest that you add an other pullet to the coop, if it's at least 12 s.f. Your alpha hen has only one other girl to exert her dominance over. If you had three, and introduced the two younger ones first, it just might work out that the younger ones would be BFF, and the Alpha would not be spending all her time picking on the PBR.

 

[DaMoot]

Wow! I certainly didn't expect so many responses! Thank you guys (and gals) so very much. And my birbs thank you as well. (they just don't know it )

I'll definitely get a wider roosting bar up there for them. I had no idea chickens didn't hold on with their feet and just balanced there.

I was worried that the pecking at the face might lead to a lost eye.

To answer some questions: Yes these are now our only two birds. The black one is at least 5 years old, probably much older but we don't know how old exactly. Old enough to have mostly stopped laying. About once-twice a quarter type layer.

She did have an old companion that recently passed away during winter (old age we're sure, she was warm and safe when it happened). I think they were flockmates for a very long time. Joined at the hip in everything, including grooming. The little Barred Rock is only about 4 or five months old at this point.

They've been in this coop for going on 2 weeks now and sadly the older flockmate passed the morning of opening up the new coop for them, so it's always just been these two in the new coop.

This is the first time I've directly observed this behavior, but we usually aren't up in the office looking at the cameras at this exact time of the day, or out there with them as they're settling in.

I've seen them go to bed before, though, and I sure thought it was a fairly cordial event aside from some shuffling to get the best spot on the roost.

Little Bird (barred rock) is a little stinker, though. A thief and explorer extraordinaire. She's never content with her own food or treats and will steal stuff right out from under Red, and out of her beak if she's got a worm or something. She definitely earns some of her own pecks!