We've had back yard chickens for 20+ years but are new to this issue. We moved last year to the country and found good homes for the old girls. This past spring, we built a fortress/coop and got 4 hen and 1 rooster chicks, all Rhode Island Reds. They have been very healthy and nice; the hens are splendid layers. After the rooster went after my husband, and then me, we found a great home for him with a local Amish farmer about 5 months ago. He had been "active sexually" with the hens. They didn't seem to miss him one bit. One of the hens, Blondie, has much lighter feathers on her breast, and has always been picked on by the rest of the hens. Lately though, it's gotten nasty. The head hen has been jumping on her back and humping her[!], and the other two peck hard at her head while she's being humped. No blood yet but Blondie's comb hangs in places. They peck at her when she tries to eat and drink, and therefore she is a bit smaller than the other three. Most of the time, the 3 hang out around each other in the coop, and Blondie is off by herself. When it gets bad, she'll go into the roost to get away from them. Would welcome any suggestions, as we don't want her to get really hurt, and she probably needs to eat more, though she does lay her share of eggs. Thanks.
