Chicken behaving badly - I am so over it

[SkyAJK]

Hi,
I am creating this post to rant about my chickens behaving badly. Some days it is just simply too hard to bear and I would like to rant about it so that it is aired. I am sure many chicken keeps experience this some days... please feel free to share.

I would like to rant about my chicken this morning
I found that my hen B - short for basil was following Rose, and Rose was trying to get away from B. It turned out that B was pecking at Rose's bottom. Grrrrr

In this run I have 4 hens, 1 is a bully, Apple and she thinks she is a rooster so she mated her flock mates to the point these hens losing their back and wings feathers. I have permanently removed Apple during the day and she gets to sleep in the coop with her flock at night. This issue has resolved with the Xtra work for me, that is remove Apple in the morning, adding extra food and water for her..etc.

This morning, I saw B pecks at Rose bottom, so now I have to remove B to another area. I want to scream...why it is so much work? Why is this so hard???? Oh why, oh why????

Rose is having diarrhea, other than that her bottom is fine. I am so very over this chicken issues, one after another as if I have nothing to do in my life. Today, I will have to think about the solution for this new problem. Oh I so so over this
Thank you for letting me rant. I am feeling much better now.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

On this case, I almost recommend separating Rose to ensure she is healthy. Sometimes the flock will be rougher with a sick hen to eliminate it from the flock and protect themselves from predators. On that though, is she feather plucking or going after her vent? If vent, that's a bigger problem. If feather plucking, there's causes on that like boredom and not enough protein in the diet. (I don't know what your winters are like, but my birds always come into spring looking their worst after being cooped up all winter.)

On your Apple girl, I wouldn't put up with her. I had a hen like that and I eventually got rid of her. Sometimes problem chickens are not worth the trouble they'll be.

 

[SkyAJK]

On this case, I almost recommend separating Rose to ensure she is healthy. Sometimes the flock will be rougher with a sick hen to eliminate it from the flock and protect themselves from predators. On that though, is she feather plucking or going after her vent? If vent, that's a bigger problem. If feather plucking, there's causes on that like boredom and not enough protein in the diet. (I don't know what your winters are like, but my birds always come into spring looking their worst after being cooped up all winter.)

On your Apple girl, I wouldn't put up with her. I had a hen like that and I eventually got rid of her. Sometimes problem chickens are not worth the trouble they'll be.

Thank you for your advice.

Rose is separated as soon as I saw B is pecking at Rose's vent.
Rose is growing new feather at the moment, she was having a hard molt and now feather are growing back.
Rose's vent is all covered with new fluffy feather, so it it not visible.
A bit later, I will wash Rose's vent and see what B does after that.

Our winter here is not too bad, coldest is 5 degree = 41F at night. During the day is not that cold, it is about 20 - 24degree.

I am going to buy 18% protein pellet this morning, hopefully this might do something. Currently they are on 17.5% crumble feed. I am just doing something with hope that it might help.

April!!! She is the pain of my chicken keeping. I just don't have the stomach to rehome/soup her. We are her 3rd home and I do what I can until I can not do it anymore.
At the moment she is being left out in the general garden with the bantams, she does not come near them. She is fine by herself, I just have extra work of providing food for her, extra clean up. Other than that she is just by herself wander about in the garden.

Some days it is just too much!

 

[my21chickens]

eat them- just kidding.....kind of.

 

[SkyAJK]

eat them- just kidding.....kind of.

If I could, I would.

Laughter is the best medicine

 

[Mrs. K]

Try pin less peepers

 

[chooki]

Is it possible to free range them? I have found that a lot of problems can be solved by giving the birds a lot of more spaces.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Pinless peepers may be the answer. I think @Eggcessive recommends them and maybe also @Mrs. K .

 

[SkyAJK]

Try pin less peepers

I got that suggestion before. My mom was object to it big time so we did not end up doing that.

Is it possible to free range them? I have found that a lot of problems can be solved by giving the birds a lot of more spaces.

4hens in a big run, lots of room to move about.

I have the bully hen Apple out in the garden by herself. I am not sure their behaviour is because we used to have a rooster, he kept the flock in order, now without him...drama, and drame.

My bantam flock of 4 never has a rooster amongst them and they are very peaceful and loving with each other. I started with just 2, then 1 mothered a 2 days old chick, then I added in another bantam that got kicked out by her bantam Australorp mother. Then these 4 just mingle.

The Australorp bantam is living with the standard size flock, she is friend with the Silver laced Wyandottee.

If I get to the point of not able to do this anymore then action must be taken as it is then no option available.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I'm so sorry yo hear you are at this point. Chicken keeping is such a joy for me, and so rewarding, relaxing and fun. Can you just get rid of the one that is causing you the most distress?