Chicken bullying

[Birdcheeks]

Forgive me if this has been asked a million times. I'm new here and new to chicken raising.

I have four hens,and my dominant one (red sex link) is beating the crap out of my little silkie. Constantly. She has always put the other girls 'in check' but the past few days she has been so aggressive with the silkie it's actually been upsetting to see. This morning my husband ran out there to find her standing on top of her and pecking away. It's almost like the silkie gave up trying to get away.

What do i do?! Right now I'm letting the silkie roam out of the coup while the others are inside (is that bad)? I don't know what else to do except strap a diaper on her and let her inside! Any input would be greatly appreciated!

 

[heidisue]

Aww, I'm sorry I just added a "rescue" silkie to my flock of bantams b/c she was also getting beat up by her full size coop mate. I'm not sure what you can do, but bumping it up for you and hoping you get an answer!

 

[ChirpyChicks1]

I think chicken noodle soup might be yummy!

There is a difference in pecking order and full blown aggressive behavior. I'd get rid of her asap.

 

[cafarmgirl]

Because Silkies are so docile and because they look different then standard chickens they are often not a good match to be housed together, especially when there is only one Silkie. These two definitely need to be separated or your Silkie is going to be killed. Rehome the aggressive bird or make a separate coop for the Silkie and get her some friends that look like her! Good excuse to get a few more chickens lol!

 

[donrae]

How much space do your birds have? Are there places for the silkie to hide?

Pecking is usually an overcrowding issue, although as mentioned above sometimes silkies just don't do well with other birds. If you want to keep a silkie with other birds, you're going to need more space than average, and hiding places. You might want to consider how good a life the silkie is having---might she be happier somewhere else?

 

[Birdcheeks]

my silkie is like my baby and her and my son are very attached-so finding a new home for her is not an option. i like the idea of getting more silkies and having their own separate coup. if not-ill get rid of the aggressive one.

if i expand my silkie collection-is it okay to get raised /adolescent hens and introduce them to her-or will they fight?

thanks so much everyone!