- Dec 10, 2014
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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.
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.