hen attacking another

[Connies Coop]

I just went out to check on my hens because it is snowing. When I entered the coop I found two hens in a nest box, one attacking the other. I pulled the aggressive hen out and was tending to the injured one, and she came after her again! Her crown is bloody. I put the injured bird in a kennel in the coop. I don't know what to do. I have a rooster and he has most of the hens heads bald, now an aggressive hen. We got these chickens over the summer as babies.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

How big is the coop? Are they locked inside? Sometimes during winter birds can get a bit aggressive because of not being able to exercise properly.

 

[SueZ 24]

I had this problem once when my birds had tons of space and access to the outdoors and then I took three to a show so they were in a cage and didn't have much space and one started really beating another one up. I had to separate them to keep the one getting beat up healthy. The point is that space helps and if they go from lots of space to only a little it doesn't usually work out well.

hope that helps!

 

[Mrs. K]

Sometimes what happens is what was enough space when they were chicks and then juveniles, is no longer enough space when they are full sized. Some chickens can tolerate tight confinement better than others.

Measure your coop, and tell us that and the count of your birds, and the number of roosters.

Mrs K