Chicken Pecking Order that has gotten out of hand...

[Tutu of 5]

I would appreciate some advice.

I have 2 EE's and 1 Plymouth Rock hen who are being pecked badly by one of my RIR girls. I only have 6 hens, they are 7 months old, and the culprit, aptly named "Bossy", is literally out for blood.

I thought Bossy was pecking the other hens because they were confined to too small an area. I originally kept the girls in a 12X12 run with a 10X10 coop attached to that. I have many hawks around, hence their confinement. Now, I have started letting the girls roam the 1 acre property, thinking that maybe this would help. But, last night, I went to put their predator proof gate up after dusk I found that Bossy had pecked my PR baby "Braveheart's" foot to the point of heavy bleeding. Now both of Braveheart's feet have been attacked this week.

Also, this morning, I found an EE's undeveloped egg (with a very soft shell) at the bottom of the roost. I saw Bossy picking on my little EE "Baby" last night in the coop while I was doctoring on Braveheart's foot. And poor Baby was all hunched into herself and Bossy would even seek her out to peck her when I moved Baby to a different perch.

I've taken to watching the girls closely, to make sure that I have the right RIR, as both of them think they are top hen, and now I am sure Bossy is the one causing the damage. She also has pecked poor Baby to the point of picking most of her face feathers off. (I worry about her eyes getting pecked.)

My question's are, "Is this kind of pecking normal, while the girls are establishing their pecking order?" and "Is it a good idea to separate Bossy from the rest of the girls, especially at night?"

I bought a 2X2 hutch to use as a hospital area, if I ever need one. Does it sound reasonable to use this as a "time out" area for Bossy when she misbehaves?

I appreciate any advice you can give to me. This is my first experience as a mother to hens.

 

[eaglegreen]

I've readl this whole thread and found it very interesting, and helpful. One suggestion that I have not seen was given to me by an old friend in MN who raised many chickens over the years. He taught me how to use a kerosene lantern and an old #3 washtub with holes in the bottom (necessary for ventilation) to make a brooder for day old chicks. Most helpful in areas where sometimes spring power outages would happen. Anyway, he told me to get a cheap bottle of red fingernail polish, and put dots around the edge of the chicks area, about eye height. Half a dozen or so. The baby chicks got used to pecking on those spots and left other chicks alone. I've used this trick even when introducing newer chicks into an existing flock. A day or two before the newbies arrive, I dot several areas in the coop and their pen with the red nail polish. Gives the older gals a chance to find them and focus their attention there. When the new girls arrive they learn to peck the dots also, and everybody leaves every other body alone. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to give this a try with "Bossy".

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I think they get a bit too much in treats. As for the protein you give them meal worms daily.

Bottom line, butcher and eat the culprit bird. She's a headache to you and your flock. She'll be better served hot.

 

[cafarmgirl]

No, this is not normal pecking order behavior and I would absolutely pull out that aggressive hen. Keep her out for a week at least and see how things go with the rest of the flock. It is possible this started as a result of not having enough space in the run or it may be she's just an aggressive bird no matter what you do. I've had a few hatchery RIR's that have been quite aggressive. Try giving her a long time out and see if she has an attitude adjustment. You can also try pinless peepers and see if that slows her down some. If those things don't work I'd cull her or rehome her with full disclosure about her temperament. It's just not worth it to have a bird in the flock like that attacking and stressing all the others.

 

[keesmom]

Time for Bossy to serve some time in chicken jail. I would keep her there for several days. That is not normal behavior. If she does not change her attitude after a time out then you should consider culling or rehoming her (with full disclosure of her aggressive tendencies). The rest of your flock should not have to put up with that kind of harrassment.

 

[JensChickies]

You can try pinless peepers. They worked well for my mean hen. There is also "no peck" ointment you can get from the feed stores incase if she draws blood again in another hen.

If she is crowing,....she might be a he.

 

[Amina]

Maybe you can hang curtains or something to block their view of her?

 

[keesmom]

Glad to hear Baby stood up for herself this time! As for the feather picking, sometimes it can happen as a result of a diet too low in protein. The others are not doing this so I am not sure if it's a factor in your case. What are you feeding them? It can also result from boredom, but yours get to range so that's not the issue.

 

[TalkALittle]

I saw Bossy pluck a feather off of Baby and eat it....she ate one of my other EE's feathers earlier today too. Is this normal, or is this bordering cannibalism?

What is the protein level of their feed? If you are feeding them layer feed, it's probably 16%. If they get a lot of scratch or scraps or other treats their overall protein intake could be low. Protein deficiency can lead to feather picking and eating. Look for a feed with a bit higher protein. I feed Purina Flockraiser. It's a 20% protein feed. It doesn't have calcium added though, so make sure you are offering plenty of oyster shell on the side. If you don't want to switch feeds, add a protein source like mealworms to their diet and see if the picking subsides.

In the meantime, re-caging her at night is probably a good idea.

 

[Chris09]

Also the lack of Animal Proteins in there diet can lead to feather pecking and eating.