Hi all,
I had posted a question very similar to this last week but I find I am in need of more advise and want to see if anyone has experienced anything similar!
I have two EE hens, Pomona and Pasadena, who have been closely bonded together since the day they were hatched. They have never fought in the past, other than some minor squabbles over spots on the roosting bar or who gets the last mealworm. They have always been inseparable. Pasadena is the dominant alpha hen, but has never really picked on Pomona. They are about 2 years old this month, and right now are both going through their first truly heavy molt.
I know that hen's personalities can change during a heavy molt, and that they can become moody and irritable, or withdrawn. Pomona has been fine, other than hiding out a little more in the coop or under bushes. One afternoon, they were both out in the yard free-ranging, and a huge fight broke out. Pomona was submitting during the fight with her head down, but Pasadena was viciously attacking her back and neck. I know people advise not to interfere in fights, but I was worried about the damaging of sensitive pin feathers and I stepped in. Pasadena continued to stalk and try to attack Pomona, who just kept running away and clucking pathetically. She was just intent on going after her.
The problem I am having now with just letting them have it out, or wait until they normalize once the molt is done (if that is what's causing it) is that Pomona is so afraid of being attacked that she will not come out of the nesting box in the morning to eat or drink. She stayed in the roost all day until I physically picked her up and placed her away from the other hen to eat and drink. She is not broody and apart from the molt, she is in good health.
My problem with the situation is the bully hen keeping the other hen from functioning normally. They have simply never behaved like this in the two years I have owned them. I can wait it out and see if they go back to normal after they finish molting, but I don't know what to do in the meantime. They have to stay in their run together out of necessity while I am at work during the day, and with only one coop and run, I don't have the immediate means of separating them to make sure that my poor beat-up hen is able to get to her food and water. At the moment they are both in the yard, but Pomona is keeping her distance from the alpha hen so it seems she is still scared of an attack. She is sweet and it breaks my heart. Plus, since they were so inseparable before, I don't want them to become lonely if kept apart since hens are such social creatures.
I know hens fight and establish pecking orders, so fighting is not anything out of the ordinary, but these hens are my beloved pets so I am obsessing and worrying. Does anyone have experience with this much of a behavioral change during a molt? Thank you in advance for any words of wisdom!
I had posted a question very similar to this last week but I find I am in need of more advise and want to see if anyone has experienced anything similar!
I have two EE hens, Pomona and Pasadena, who have been closely bonded together since the day they were hatched. They have never fought in the past, other than some minor squabbles over spots on the roosting bar or who gets the last mealworm. They have always been inseparable. Pasadena is the dominant alpha hen, but has never really picked on Pomona. They are about 2 years old this month, and right now are both going through their first truly heavy molt.
I know that hen's personalities can change during a heavy molt, and that they can become moody and irritable, or withdrawn. Pomona has been fine, other than hiding out a little more in the coop or under bushes. One afternoon, they were both out in the yard free-ranging, and a huge fight broke out. Pomona was submitting during the fight with her head down, but Pasadena was viciously attacking her back and neck. I know people advise not to interfere in fights, but I was worried about the damaging of sensitive pin feathers and I stepped in. Pasadena continued to stalk and try to attack Pomona, who just kept running away and clucking pathetically. She was just intent on going after her.
The problem I am having now with just letting them have it out, or wait until they normalize once the molt is done (if that is what's causing it) is that Pomona is so afraid of being attacked that she will not come out of the nesting box in the morning to eat or drink. She stayed in the roost all day until I physically picked her up and placed her away from the other hen to eat and drink. She is not broody and apart from the molt, she is in good health.
My problem with the situation is the bully hen keeping the other hen from functioning normally. They have simply never behaved like this in the two years I have owned them. I can wait it out and see if they go back to normal after they finish molting, but I don't know what to do in the meantime. They have to stay in their run together out of necessity while I am at work during the day, and with only one coop and run, I don't have the immediate means of separating them to make sure that my poor beat-up hen is able to get to her food and water. At the moment they are both in the yard, but Pomona is keeping her distance from the alpha hen so it seems she is still scared of an attack. She is sweet and it breaks my heart. Plus, since they were so inseparable before, I don't want them to become lonely if kept apart since hens are such social creatures.
I know hens fight and establish pecking orders, so fighting is not anything out of the ordinary, but these hens are my beloved pets so I am obsessing and worrying. Does anyone have experience with this much of a behavioral change during a molt? Thank you in advance for any words of wisdom!
