Help! Two aggressive hens

[Tinacop]

Hello,

New to this so please be patient! I introduced a speckled sussex to my flock. They are all about the same age (7 months). It has been over a month and everyone but two rhode island whites have accepted her. They keep her away from the coop and the food and water. I have gone so far as to holding her in one hand and approaching the whites, when they attack i use my other hand to knock them back. It works temporarily. Anyone have any other suggestions?

 

[crawfordmama]

You could administer a little time-out to help re-establish the pecking order. A large cat carrier or dog kennel will work. Place the offender in the carrier for the day with food and water, in a location where she can see the flock, such as in the run, and release at bed time. I've read that it usually only takes doing this once or twice to see results. By the time she gets out, she's likely to be lower in the pecking order and the bullying may subside. The hens being bullied will get the chance to eat and play, and they will likely move up in the pecking order. Good luck!

ETA:

 

[texasgal]

I'm having a similar problem .. two of my existing flock have REFUSED to accept a new pullet. They are EVIL!! lol. Wouldn't let her eat .. she had to hide all the time ..

Soooooooooooooooo .. I've separated her completely right now .. and she is next to 6 4-week old pullets. We are building a new coop. When the coop is finished, the EVIL-DOERS are going to stay in a cage and the pullets are going to get to establish themselves in the coop. HOPEFULLY when I turn the EVIL-DOERS loose, they won't feel like it's THEIR coop ....

I hope it works!!

Let me know how yours works (if you decide to cage your EVIL-DOERS ..

)

 

[Tinacop]

Good idea! I'm going to give that a try. Thanks!

 

[Tinacop]

One more question... Will the two that I keep in carriers lay eggs in there or will they pause for a couple of days?

 

[Uzuri]

They'll still lay if you separate them -- just be careful, because in a small space they'll often break the eggs if you're not checking all the time. It won't be out of malice, just lack of coordination.

 

[Tinacop]

What do you think about getting another newbi? Will they most likely pick on the new one and the old new one? What if I get a hen that is quite a bit older? will she maybe put them in their place?

 

[Uzuri]

They'll pick on anyone they don't consider part of their circle. Old, young, doesn't make much difference.

Out of curiosity, what sort of picking is actually going on? Are they just chasing them away from their favorite places? Picking all their feathers out? Violently attacking and drawing blood? There are different things that work better for different causes. For example, if they're just chasing, try two feeders and two water pans. If they're feather-picking, give the pickers pinless peepers. If it's a violent attack... well, you can try a time out, but it seems like as often as not the only solution to that is the soup pot.