Help! Whole flock fighting!

[SwedishDude99]

Ok so I had five hens when I started raising chickens about a year ago. My moms dog ate my favorite chicken, a barred rock. Then we had a chicken who had a pecking problem and she picked our other chickens until they were bleeding so much that I was worried they would die. Luckily they were okay, but I had to get rid of the offender. Now I am down to three, and they are all fighting each other. I have the one being severely bullied separated, but I am just lost as to what I'm going to do. I feel like giving up chicken keeping, and I'm so mad because when researching chickens, I heard so many people with great experiences with theirs. If anyone can give me any advice on what to do to hopefully help them get along, I would be so happy! Thankyou all in advance!

 

[Makomd]

Hang in there. The mean hen that pecked everyone was probably in charge, the others see it as a time to find out who takes over. They will settle it and things should become normal.

 

[SwedishDude99]

It has been going on for a couple weeks already. I was hoping they would just settle it, but it has t been getting any better. I guess all I can do is wait then. I really do t want to get rid of any more of my hens!

 

[centrarchid]

Show pictures of your setup, the birds and indicate your feeding regimen (what, how much, how fed).

 

[SwedishDude99]

Ok I will do that in a little bit. Here is a pic of the coop from the outside. Can't see space being an issue with only three birds in here.

 

[centrarchid]

Another question is how would you describe the aggression? Sometimes the aggression is not as it seems.

 

[cafarmgirl]

I'm curious too. Are they attacking and drawing blood? It could be that this group just has a bad pecking habit that you aren't going to break no matter what. Sometimes once they get started doing that, even if you resolve the cause, they just don't stop.

 

[SwedishDude99]

Okay so it started when the BSL started ripping out feathers near my welsummers lower back. When I noticed it, I put some ointment on it ( I think it was called rooster booster) that was supposed to keep them from pecking her. It didn't work. She pecked her until there was an entire bare area there. I separated the injured chicken, and she was close to fully healed, so I put her back with the flock. Then, the BSL started at it again. So I ended up getting rid of the BSL because I could not get her to stop. I gave her to a friend, and she picked one of her chickens down to bone on her back. So she now lives on a farm with a flock of 70 hens and roosters. Anyway, everything was fine. None of the other chickens attacked her until she started getting feathers back again about a week ago. They brutally started pecking her again, this time drawing a ton of blood. The hen being attacked is terrified of everyone now because she is afraid. She attacks me now when I go to pick her up, and she never used to be like this. So I made her her own small coop for now until I get my two story duck coop built his weekend, where she will get one of the stories to herself. I don't want to keep her separate forever. Is there anything I can do? I have been debating just giving two oft he three chickens away to friends where they will not pick on the welsummer anymore, but I really love all of the chickens and would hate to give any more away. I just don't see any other way to fix the problem, and I can't deal with this problem forever. help!!!c

 

[SwedishDude99]

So here are some pics you guys wanted to see.

 

[SwedishDude99]

hershey, the bullied chicken.

Sunny and Omelet, the bullies.

here is the inside of the coop. Rinsed the walls so the ground is all wet right now.

this is her injury, the best pic I could get without her attacking me. It looks better since she has been seperated from the others for a week.

the little box in the back is Hershey's temporary coop. I'm adding a door to it today.