mightybeckster
In the Brooder
First time chicken keeper.... I have a backyard flock of 4 Lohmann Browns (that's the max we're allowed). They moved in almost 2 months ago when they were 20 weeks old. (The city allows us to have birds 16 weeks or older.) Anyway, one of them has become just a total twerp. She's pecking the other three a LOT. I can hear them squawking from INSIDE my house and I'm afraid she's going to end up really hurting one of them. (I'd rather see the top dog go than the underdog.)
I've tried to give them as best of a setup as I can - I built them a coop with an enclosed run and given them all sorts of enrichment things (swing, mirrors, xylophone, branches to climb on, treat cage, treat net, etc) to try to give them options for entertaining themselves but this one particular hen (we call her Regina George because she was the meanest girl in "Mean Girls") is just getting worse and worse.
Yesterday I actually thought I might get rid of her and get a different hen. There will be one ready in September if I want it. Would that be a good idea or a terrible idea? The new one would be 20 weeks old at that point while the other 3 would be 41 weeks old.
I thought I'd get a couple of chicken aprons to put on the two most beat up chickens to give them a break from Regina's nasty little beak. I have some spray that is supposed to prevent pecking but it doesn't work. It chokes me but doesn't seem to slow Regina down at all.
Any suggestions, thoughts? (They also are still all sleeping in a pile in the nesting box - that can't be normal at their age, can it? I'd rather they sleep on their roosting bar which has been ready for them since day 1. Sigh....)
I've tried to give them as best of a setup as I can - I built them a coop with an enclosed run and given them all sorts of enrichment things (swing, mirrors, xylophone, branches to climb on, treat cage, treat net, etc) to try to give them options for entertaining themselves but this one particular hen (we call her Regina George because she was the meanest girl in "Mean Girls") is just getting worse and worse.
Yesterday I actually thought I might get rid of her and get a different hen. There will be one ready in September if I want it. Would that be a good idea or a terrible idea? The new one would be 20 weeks old at that point while the other 3 would be 41 weeks old.
I thought I'd get a couple of chicken aprons to put on the two most beat up chickens to give them a break from Regina's nasty little beak. I have some spray that is supposed to prevent pecking but it doesn't work. It chokes me but doesn't seem to slow Regina down at all.
Any suggestions, thoughts? (They also are still all sleeping in a pile in the nesting box - that can't be normal at their age, can it? I'd rather they sleep on their roosting bar which has been ready for them since day 1. Sigh....)