Chicken being bullied

[Countrylife19]

I have a isa brown Belle she was sick I successfully integrated her back into the flock. But she has some concerning behaviors so I think when I'm not home she is being bullied. She runs to the outside watering container as soon as I open the door in the morning. She sits in the tunnel and won't go in the coop at night until I have to move her then she goes at the food like she is starving. She knows I stay in there for a bit and won't let anyone mess with her when she is eating. I'm contemplating moving her back to solitary but am torn. I have a cage I call solitary in the coop where the other chickens can't reach her but they can still see each other. I'm just worried about her because she is still very thin hasn't gained much back since she got better. I also don't want her getting sick again because the others won't let her get food and water when she needs it. Any advice?

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

Maybe try seperating her for awhile again. Is there one or two hens that she gets along with?
My black laced gold wyandotte is bullied a lot so i always spend extra time making sure she is eating and drinking.
Ive tried seperating. 5 hens to one pullet isnt the best

 

[Countrylife19]

It's hard because I have 16 chickens altogether and the ones Belle gets along with are the other ones that get picked on.. but I do feel like I will probably have to separate her for a while. I just feel bad because it will make it more difficult to get her outside separate from the others but I'm just going to have to adjust..

 

[LaFleche]

It's hard because I have 16 chickens altogether and the ones Belle gets along with are the other ones that get picked on.. but I do feel like I will probably have to separate her for a while. I just feel bad because it will make it more difficult to get her outside separate from the others but I'm just going to have to adjust..

I would deworm the whole flock to eliminate internal parasites.

Spend some time with your chickens watching the flock dynamics so you will be able to see who would be the instigator starting aggressive behaviour and giving the signal to attack Belle and her friends.

Once you are certain about the aggressor and her sidekick, separate them both out of sight for two weeks at least in order to allow for the flock to build a new and more peaceful hierarchy.

Another method to stop the aggressiveness is the use of pinless peepers.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Provide different food and water stations. Separate them so the bullies cannot stop her from eating or drinking. That means a lot more than a couple of feet. Widely separate them. One inside the cop and one or more outside the coop is about right.