Couple issues all at once

[dreamwallaby]

I have 4 hens. One use to attack me, she hasn't done it in at least a month, but now she is attacking one of the other hens instead. Every morning Buckbeak will peck Carly on the head. Carly will run away to the other side of the run to eat and Buckbeak will walk over after a minute or two and peck at her again. No matter where Carly goes, Buckbeak will walk over and peck at her, often fiercly.

My second issue is that one of the hens, possibly mean Buckbeak, is laying thin shelled eggs. The eggs are very large, often double yolkers. Now someone is eating the big egg everyday

Sometimes they eat the whole thing, sometimes they just peck a hole and then leave it. The girls get Dumor layer pellets, oyster shells, scratch and various kitchen scraps. The other 3 eggs are always nice hard shells (actually the hardest shells I've ever seen). I can't understand why she is the only one laying thin shelled eggs. How do I stop the egg eating??

 

[Judy]

The usual approach to a bully hen is to isolate her for several days somewhere. When she returns to the flock she will be at the bottom of the pecking order, so hopefully that will end the pecking. In this case it would also tell you whether she is the one laying the thin shelled eggs, and whether she is eating them.

About the only thing that stops egg eating is a rollaway nest, and then only if they consistently lay in the nest, of course. Many cull their egg eaters. A lone egg eater sometime teaches the whole flock to eat the eggs.

I don't know how you feel about culling a hen but if she is the culprit in all of this, it is what I would do.

Sorry you are having to deal with this.