Formerly broody hen being picked on

[Melinda48]

One of our Golden Comets went broody for a couple of months but is no longer broody (thankfully). However, the other girls are picking on her and don't let her eat with them. Are they going to kill her? Is there anything I can do about this?

 

[sourland]

She has lost her place in the pecking order and needs to reestablish herself. Make sure that she is being allowed to eat and drink, and as long as no blood is being drawn let them work things out. This is very common when broodies reenter the flock. Chicken society is frequently cruel.

 

[Pekin bantams]

The same thing is happening with my maran hen. she is being bullied a cuckoo maran and a black rock hen.

 

[Happy Chooks]

She has lost her place in the pecking order and needs to reestablish herself. Make sure that she is being allowed to eat and drink, and as long as no blood is being drawn let them work things out. This is very common when broodies reenter the flock. Chicken society is frequently cruel.

x2. You can put extra feed/water out her.

 

[Melinda48]

Thanks. Our feeder is inside the coop so she can come and go to eat in there without being harassed and we have two waterers so she is ok there. When I take them treats I make sure to take her aside and give her some too. I also try to distract the rest of the girls and toss some her way (around the back corner of the coop) so she can have treats too. No blood - guess we'll just have to bide our time. I would hate to see her "go" but I do understand that they are, after all, animals (raptors even!).

 

[ChickenLegs13]

One of my hens is the most vile dispicble evil feathered Kujo and beats up the whole world when she has bittys. After she weans them she totally changes and loses her self esteeme & confidence and becomes a timid sneaking coward at the feeder & roost. She'll hide behind me when I go in the pen as if to say "save me" but having endured her daily personal attacks against me for the last 2 months I have little sympathy for her.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Thanks. Our feeder is inside the coop so she can come and go to eat in there without being harassed and we have two waterers so she is ok there. When I take them treats I make sure to take her aside and give her some too. I also try to distract the rest of the girls and toss some her way (around the back corner of the coop) so she can have treats too. No blood - guess we'll just have to bide our time. I would hate to see her "go" but I do understand that they are, after all, animals (raptors even!).

Sounds like you are doing everything you can to help her reintegrate.

I had a miserable time helping a broody reintegrate - she was actually hiding on the roost starving herself. I had to force her to come out and I'd keep her on my lap while throwing scratch out for the others. In time, we graduated to me putting her at my feet while the others were eating scratch. If she felt uncomfortable, she'd run to me and I'd pick her up. Eventually she fully reintegrated and was my lap chicken after that until later that year when the bobcat got her.

Now I have a separate area inside my coop for my broodies to raise their babies, and it works quite well. I don't have to reintegrate them.