Chicken Bully

[lindsayrussell]

hi! I have a flock of seven chickens that have been together since birth, yesterday one chicken kept on bullying the other and pecking at her until she became wounded. we have separated the injured one but all the chickens can still see each other (she is in a covered dog kennel beside the outside of the run). we plan to put her back with the flock after about five days...any thoughts on this? or suggestions? it’s sad watching her sleep alone at night too

 

[Perris]

hello @lindsayrussell - welcome to BYC

Sorry to hear about your bullied bird; it's very common, sadly. Chickens can be horrid to one another. Yes, when she's healed put her back - and I'd swop her with the bully, so the bully is separated in sight of the rest for a few days. That will demote her, and hopefully stop, or at least retard, a repeat of her bullying. Good luck!

 

[2ndTink]

I separated out my flock bully and put her in the Dunce Coop for 4 days, then put her back with the flock. That was about a month ago and she is still behaving well, she's back at the top but isn't near as aggressive or disruptive as she had been. She used to literally run back and forth at the fence when she saw me coming, trampling and pecking anyone near her and causing a ruckus. Even free ranging she'd go after the Golden Comets who weren't raised with her, she was the head of her gang of Australorps so all three would end up badgering the GC's. It's pretty peaceful now!

I made her isolation cage out of a tote with a door and air holes and a little dog fence we had. The roof was my husband's suggestion to "make it authentic redneck"

 

[Flockincrazy]

when my golden sexlink tried that when I just integrated my 4mth old EE's and white leghorns into my main coop so I did the dominance method i just hold her down chest to the ground let the little ones run free and hold her for a minute or so while they are walking around then let her up it lets her know that I'm the queen and not her and she stops

 

[Mrs. K]

Being raised together has almost no influence on how chickens get along. Space is probably the most important issue. Often times what was more than enough space for chicks, is not enough space for full grown birds.

And how that space is used is also important. Are there roosts in the run? Platforms, hideouts? You want to add more clutter, which will let the birds use the third dimension, height. Things in the run that let birds get underneath or on top of actually gives them more usable space, and lets them get out of sight of each other.

Mrs K

 

[aart]

I have a flock of seven chickens that have been together since birth, yesterday one chicken kept on bullying the other and pecking at her until she became wounded.

Wondering why the attack happened.
How old are these birds?
How much space in coop and run, in feet by feet?
Dimensions and pics would help here.

 

[lindsayrussell]

hello @lindsayrussell - welcome to BYC

Sorry to hear about your bullied bird; it's very common, sadly. Chickens can be horrid to one another. Yes, when she's healed put her back - and I'd swop her with the bully, so the bully is separated in sight of the rest for a few days. That will demote her, and hopefully stop, or at least retard, a repeat of her bullying. Good luck!

okay ! i heard of doing that and will try ! thank you

 

[Flockincrazy]

thank you ! so you are saying that i can hold down my lead chicken for a minute or so while the other ones run around? Thank you

Yes it will teach her that you are in charge and she is not aloud to be a bully she will still control the flock but she won't be so nasty about it

 

[Flockincrazy]

put both back in on a morning you can sit and watch them to see who is being a brat once you find out hold that one down chest to the ground while the others walk around while you hold her down it will show her you are the boss and she will stop out of fear of being reprimanded

 

[lindsayrussell]

Wondering why the attack happened.
How old are these birds?
How much space in coop and run, in feet by feet?
Dimensions and pics would help here.

hi! our chickens are seven months old and were all raised together. we bought them at five months old from A coworker‘s daughter who raises chickens.
the chickens
buff orphington
cinnamon queen (“leader”)
welsummer
black australorp
barnevender
lavender americana (being bullied by the leader)
red jungle fowl

the coop is 6x6x7’high and the run is Run is 18’x6.
please ignore the crate and dog kennel that is for the injured chicken lol