Chicken being bullied :-(

[kattfink]

This is the first time we have owned chickens. We have 2 reds of some kind and 2 bantoms. We got them from the same guy 1 day apart. One bantam "Lucy" gets constantly attacked by one of the reds. She is always by herself and has lost all feathers around her head, and i noticed a scratch below her eye today. The other 3 are always together and huddle up. The second she approaches, the red attacks her. My poor Lucy is the only one who lets us hold her. I'm scared she will be seriously injured. What should I do? If I isolate her will she be stressed?
Please help!

 

[ChickNanny13]

I would put the "bully" in a wire cage with food/water, put the cage in the coop for a few days. She remains part of the flock in "time out", see how the interaction with the others are at that point. Hopefully Lucy will then work herself in with the rest. If there's any exposed skin on Lucy's head, spray it with Blu Note to color it. Chickens love pecking at "red" or bright colored things.

 

[ValerieJ]

I would separate the aggressor for a couple weeks, and have personally chosen to cull aggressors who cannot be tamed. That's a tough decision, but I like a peaceful flock. Well, as peaceful as a flock of chickens is able to be.

 

[Chickassan]

Red chickens and bantams are a disaster waiting to happen.
Red chickens tend to enjoy the company of other red chickens, really they are a tad racist and more than a bit bold and firey.
My advise would be to either only have the reds or the bantams in the coop but not both.
There is always going to be a low bird, in your setup likely it will be a bantam. Isolate one red and the other red takes top spot, bantams then fight for second position low bird will still be a bantam and things will still be ugly.

 

[kattfink]

Red chickens and bantams are a disaster waiting to happen.
Red chickens tend to enjoy the company of other red chickens, really they are a tad racist and more than a bit bold and firey.
My advise would be to either only have the reds or the bantams in the coop but not both.
There is always going to be a low bird, in your setup likely it will be a bantam. Isolate one red and the other red takes top spot, bantams then fight for second position low bird will still be a bantam and things will still be ugly.

Thanks! I think I will set up another coop and separate the bantams from the reds. Are they ok just as pairs?

 

[Chickassan]

Yes, they'll be fine. You will still have a low and high bird in pairs but not the brutality you're seeing now.

Thanks! I think I will set up another coop and separate the bantams from the reds. Are they ok just as pairs?

 

[kattfink]

How long have you had these birds?
How big is their coop and run, in feet by feet?
Dimensions and pics would help immensely here.

A wire crate would be a big help, to isolate the injured and the bully in rotation.
Time for some Chicken Juggling.
Put the bully in the crate and see how the other 3 get along.
If that doesn't go well, might have to isolate the injured to protect and heal and reassess for the next step.


Oh, and...Welcome to BYC! @kattfink
Where in this world are you located?
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Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
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View attachment 1835371

Thanks for your advice We have a cubby house approx 6ftx6ft with an enclosed run attached which would be 10x26ft.
We have only had them 6 weeks.
Im in Australia VIC and it's winter. Very cold at moment.

 

[Sacri]

This is the first time we have owned chickens. We have 2 reds of some kind and 2 bantoms. We got them from the same guy 1 day apart. One bantam "Lucy" gets constantly attacked by one of the reds. She is always by herself and has lost all feathers around her head, and i noticed a scratch below her eye today. The other 3 are always together and huddle up. The second she approaches, the red attacks her. My poor Lucy is the only one who lets us hold her. I'm scared she will be seriously injured. What should I do? If I isolate her will she be stressed?
Please help!

We got 14 this past winter. One was smaller and all white - different from the rest. She was bullied too but by the crowd (i.e. pushed away when she tried to get food or water, stepped on, pecked), though not as bad as yours. She spent a lot of time with us in the house or in the yard and we made sure to give her food and water where she could eat undisturbed. Once she went through a growth spurt she learned how to stand up for herself a bit and now she is one of the pack like everyone else. See if isolating the trouble maker or the bullied one fixes it. If she is only being bullied by one I'd say remove the bully. Good luck! And welcome!

 

[kattfink]

OMG! How bizarre! How do you keep a damn aggressive hen still enough to put these on? She just walks up to me and pecks me hard. No fear! But me on the other hand....

 

[wvchickenchick311]

Where did you find those glasses? Do they actually work?

Try the look but don’t touch method it works like a “time out”