Dominant Pecking... Some advice please??

[lw063083]

Hi Everyone!

We have a backyard flock of 7 hens, that have been integrated together for awhile now. We are noticing that one of our hens is being a big fat JERK (the only way to say it) to our 3 silkies. It breaks my heart to see my little guys get pecked on all day.. The other hens, which are standard sized, are not harassed. The Jerk was sold to us as a Black Star, though she lays very pretty light green eggs. All of our hens are in a 150 sq ft coop and let out to free range for half the day. I'm hoping I could get some advice and suggestions from this community as to what we can do to prevent all the abuse? I understand there's a pecking order, but it really has gotten out of hand now.

I read this link, which is a possibility https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/673137/device-to-stop-pecking

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks-

 

[Kevin565]

Pinless Peepers might be an option as well.

 

[lw063083]

Thanks Kevin. I'm willing to try these contraptions, but they don't seem like good permanent options. right now she's in chook jail, a wire dog crate within our coop. Does anyone have experience with these devices?

 

[mrsc1951]

I don't personally have experience with the pinless peepers but know some who have had good luck with them. They affect the vision of the chicken so that it is extremely difficult if not impossible for her to see directly in front. After a while the guilty hen will quit trying to peck at the smaller ones and a while after that you can remove the peepers and hopefully she has been rehabilitated. Sometimes some of the larger birds just will pick on the smaller ones. It's a fact of what I call "chicken dynamics". Check the threads on here for success with pinless peepers to find out more. Good luck. And