chicken drama and bullies

[chickenbythesea]

ok, so we're downsizing our chickens due to increasingly busy personal schedules (think multiple teenagers). My kids want to keep 3. These would be my teenage sons pets. The problem is that the SS hamburg was recently beaten up pretty bad by one of my other hens. That hen is not longer in the flock and the hamburg is slowly starting to heal and regrow her feathers. So, in anticipation of the other hens being picked up tonight, I moved the hens that would stay out into the separate run with the hamburg.... and what does the delaware do? Goes right after the hamburg and draws blood. She's never gone after the hamburg and they used to be best buddies. Is this hamburg doomed to always be picked on or should I just get rid of them all? I can't keep just the hamburg. The delaware and the hamburg are the kids fav's. The third hen will be an EE just coming up to laying. Any thoughts on what to do? I'm torn.

 

[Pyxis]

If she was out of the flock for a while, they may have 'forgotten' her and are trying to reestablish the pecking order. And chickens cannot resist going after wounds and the color red, so if she had any blood or wouds visible they would have gone after them. I think what you're going to want to do is keep her separate for a while in a place where she and the other birds can see each other but not get to each other, at least until she is fully healed. This will also give them a chance to size each other up without physical violence.

 

[chickenbythesea]

that's what I've done... they've been able to see her all the time. Anyways, i'll just have to keep her separate or give her away.