Chicken behavior

[jbob]

I have one chicken that is three years old and she is now beating up the other two chickens in her coop , the other two are only 2yrs old and have lived with the other since they were baby's. This is the first time I have seen this type of behavior. They were so close and always roamed around the yard together. She beats the other one up to where she hides and won't eat. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. I have owned chickens for over 15 years, this is the first I have seen this.

 

[Peeps61]

Hmmm. If it were me, I'd remove the bully for a week or so, then put her back and see how it goes. Sometimes, that moves them out of the pecking order, and she may need to re-establish her place in the order of things. Not sure why she turned mean all of a sudden. Perhaps some flock masters with more experience with older birds can give you some better advice. Mine are all three years or younger.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

It's hard to guess why a hen would suddenly become aggressive and moody. She could be unwell, bored, have a protein deficiency, all sorts of stuff could cause it. Does she still lay? They will molt soon. Do they get out to range? What are you feeding? Just some stuff to consider.

 

[jbob]

She doesn't lay when it gets hot out , she eats layer crumbles and fruits and veggies , and they get to range around the yard every day for about 4 hrs. She still bullys the others even when their out ranging , if the other two find bugs or something good, she flies over and start pecking the other two out.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You could try switching to a higher protein feed like a non medicated grower or an all flock to see if it's a deficiency, many hens can get deficient on layer, especially if extras are fed. Make sure to offer a separate bowl of oyster shells for the calcium and see if she calms down. Things like cottage cheese, meal worms and canned fish can give them a boost. That's where I would start.

 

[azygous]

I have several bullies in my flock. These hens have assertive personalities, and they just seem to enjoy throwing their weight around, similar to some human bullies. When we see this in chickens we think it's due to diet, but why don't we think that about human bullies? Just a thought.

I have found pinless peepers on a bully will at least give their victims a bit of an edge. Don't wait too long to do something about this or the victims will be forever scared of the bully.

 

[jbob]

Thank you I will try changing her diet . she has always been a picky eater.

 

[aart]

I'd go with higher protein feed too...all flock or something like that...providing oyster shells separately for the ones laying.
And hand out some animal protein too...meal worms, meat scraps, etc.