Miriahbrown
Chirping
- Oct 12, 2023
- 35
- 29
- 61
I need advice. We have 9 chickens and have had them for 2.5 years. They all grew up together and have had no issues that entire time, very peaceful flock. We went out of town this past Sunday-Wednesday. They were let out for a few hours Sunday morning and were let out Wednesday at 3pm when we returned, so they weren't in the coop/run for too long.
In the past we have been out of town for a week several times where they were locked up in the coop/run with no incidents. A neighbor checks them daily when we are gone.
Their coop is elevated and their run is 8x12 for 9 hens. They have several roosts of varying heights, large sticks at angles as roosts, horizontal boards installed on vertical boards for other roosts, and also a ramp to their 8x4 coop.
When we returned Wednesday one of our Plymouth Rocks had plucked the head of an Australorp and taken off several feathers and made her comb bleed. When they were let out in the run on Wednesday I saw the Plymouth charge the Australorp and jump on her twice. I got her off and saw the feathers and issues and put the Plymouth in a round wire dog run thing (about 4 feet in diameter, circle shaped, with net on top to keep from flying out). She has food and water and is in their large open space so she is with the birds but separate. When they're let out, they have a huge area fenced off to free range. They're normally out most days for most of the day.
Even when in that thing, our Australorp wouldn't go near it. When I carried her near she started clucking and being very nervous and the Plymouth rushed at her, though couldn't get to her. It's now been 3 days of the Plymouth in this separate thing all day and sleeping separated in the garage at night..I thought it would break her bullying, but it doesn't seem to have. At first, the Australorp wouldn't go near any chickens, but after 1 day she was fine around all other 7 birds and they don't mess with her or anything. But if she goes near the Plymouth's little kennel area, the Plymouth freaks out and wants to attack. The Plymouth doesn't behave this way with any other hens? They can go near her kennel and reach in to Peck from her food and water and she doesn't care.
Why is she hating this one bird? And what do I do if 3 days hasn't helped? Does she need to be entirely separate all day and night from them?
In the past we have been out of town for a week several times where they were locked up in the coop/run with no incidents. A neighbor checks them daily when we are gone.
Their coop is elevated and their run is 8x12 for 9 hens. They have several roosts of varying heights, large sticks at angles as roosts, horizontal boards installed on vertical boards for other roosts, and also a ramp to their 8x4 coop.
When we returned Wednesday one of our Plymouth Rocks had plucked the head of an Australorp and taken off several feathers and made her comb bleed. When they were let out in the run on Wednesday I saw the Plymouth charge the Australorp and jump on her twice. I got her off and saw the feathers and issues and put the Plymouth in a round wire dog run thing (about 4 feet in diameter, circle shaped, with net on top to keep from flying out). She has food and water and is in their large open space so she is with the birds but separate. When they're let out, they have a huge area fenced off to free range. They're normally out most days for most of the day.
Even when in that thing, our Australorp wouldn't go near it. When I carried her near she started clucking and being very nervous and the Plymouth rushed at her, though couldn't get to her. It's now been 3 days of the Plymouth in this separate thing all day and sleeping separated in the garage at night..I thought it would break her bullying, but it doesn't seem to have. At first, the Australorp wouldn't go near any chickens, but after 1 day she was fine around all other 7 birds and they don't mess with her or anything. But if she goes near the Plymouth's little kennel area, the Plymouth freaks out and wants to attack. The Plymouth doesn't behave this way with any other hens? They can go near her kennel and reach in to Peck from her food and water and she doesn't care.
Why is she hating this one bird? And what do I do if 3 days hasn't helped? Does she need to be entirely separate all day and night from them?
