Chicken violence

[Marykate22]

Question for people that have experienced this.
I’ve had chickens for around 5 years now. About a 2 weeks ago one of my hens started being picked on. Her comb was really injured. Even my rooster Karl was going after her. I separated her to let her comb heal on sunday but let her out today while I was cleaning the run. To my surprise when the other girls came in and the injured hen went after another hen. They fought like roosters until the rooster came over and attacked the injured instigator. I separated them again.
Does anyone know why a peaceful flock would all of a sudden have a violence outbreak? Is this fixable? Will I need to rehome the troubled hen?

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

The pecking order was reset by her being separated for a few days. Separate her for a few more days (I recommended a week) so it resets again and reintroduce her by sneaking her in after dark. Then allow up to two weeks for them to fully settle it all.

On a side note, on the hen getting pecked on... Is she showing any symptoms of illness? (I'm asking this concerning when she first started getting pecked on.)

 

[Marykate22]

The pecking order was reset by her being separated for a few days. Separate her for a few more days (I recommended a week) so it resets again and reintroduce her by sneaking her in after dark. Then allow up to two weeks for them to fully settle it all.

On a side note, on the hen getting pecked on... Is she showing any symptoms of illness? (I'm asking this concerning when she first started getting pecked on.)

Not that I can see. But her comb was pretty injured

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Not that I can see. But her comb was pretty injured

How is her comb now? Do you have a picture of it injured? Chickens will go after blood, and if the injury was bad, that might have been why they were going after her originally.
Her comb may have been injured by the others, or depending where it was injured, it could have been injured by the rooster during mating. It also could have been injured by her accidentally getting it caught or cut on something, all depending on what the injury was.

 

[Mrs. K]

Thing is, being raised together, really has no influence on future behavior. I don't know if you will get her back into the flock.

It might work better, to let her heal up, then add a single bird to her. There will be a dust up, but one on one, it should quickly settle. Wait a couple of days, add one more bird to the pair. Wait a few more days and then add the trio back to the flock.

 

[Marykate22]

Question for people that have experienced this.
I’ve had chickens for around 5 years now. About a 2 weeks ago one of my hens started being picked on. Her comb was really injured. Even my rooster Karl was going after her. I separated her to let her comb heal on sunday but let her out today while I was cleaning the run. To my surprise when the other girls came in and the injured hen went after another hen. They fought like roosters until the rooster came over and attacked the injured instigator. I separated them again.
Does anyone know why a peaceful flock would all of a sudden have a violence outbreak? Is this fixable? Will I need to rehome the troubled hen?

 

[Debbie292d]

Hi,

Sorry this is going on. Is there a chance they are overcrowded? That's usually the #1 cause of fighting and feather picking. Chickens need 4 sq feet per bird in a coop, and 15 sq feet in the run.

Usually, if there's an aggressive hen, it's better to remove the aggressor for a few days. This usually resets the hens' pecking order.

That is a beautiful coop and run, by the way!

 

[Marykate22]

Hi,

Sorry this is going on. Is there a chance they are overcrowded? That's usually the #1 cause of fighting and feather picking. Chickens need 4 sq feet per bird in a coop, and 15 sq feet in the run.

Usually, if there's an aggressive hen, it's better to remove the aggressor for a few days. This usually resets the hens' pecking order.

That is a beautiful coop and run, by the way!

 

[Marykate22]

View attachment 4066628

This is their coop and run. 20x30 run but they typically free range 6-12 hours a day.

 

[Marykate22]

View attachment 4066628

8 hens 1 rooster