Hen being chased...what to do?

[N. Virginia]

Hi All:
I'm new to chicken raising (at least as an adult; as a child didn't worry much about our chickens - we have several 100!). I have 8 chickens, 1 rooster, and 3 guineys, all around 5 months old. The guineys are the bosses (except for the lead chicken Buff Orpington Buttercup). They are not crowded, not stressed, seem happy, except for Mrs. Fry, who is a brown leghorn. She is constantly chased by the others if she ventures out, so now she has taken to hiding behind a flap of plastic. She won't come out for treats with the others. She isn't missing any feathers, her weight seems OK, and she and sleeps with the others.

In the morning I've started giving the others treats outside, then I shut the door and give Mrs. Fry her treats and let her eat in peace inside. This routine isn't going to work when I don't have time to supervise and open the door up after Ms. Fry eats. So, should I just let her fend for herself? Any other suggestions? If only one or two other chickens were being mean I might eat them, but they all seem to chase Mrs. Fry.

Thanks,
Virginia

 

[gritsar]

It's tough. Chickens can be so dang cruel.
If she's eating well and keeping the weight on and no one is physically hurting her, you may not be able to do anything for her at all. Identify the ringleader if you can and isolate that one, but beyond that I'm afraid it's just up to them to work it out.

Good luck!

 

[midget_farms]

its best to just let her work it out.

This is the pecking order at its worst. Someone has to be at the bottom. She seems to have figured out how to protect herself. & honestly she isn't upset about being picked on. The entire society has much less stress in it if everyone knows their place.

Just make sure she has room to run away & the others don't prevent her from getting to the food & water & she will be fine.

 

[N. Virginia]

Hi:
Thanks for the words of advice. I'll just keep an eye on them. Sometimes Ms. Fry goes up on the dog heater & tonight I fed her treats up there and the others didn't see, so that worked out.

I think maybe the guineys are being a little mean. Mostly the rest of the chickens and guineys get along, but tonight I gave them some parsley and one guiney chased my lead chicken Buttercup, caught her by the wing and seemed to hang on for a bit, and elicited a very loud sqawk. Then they went back to just pecking around as though nothing had happened.

What do you think? Will we have more peace without guineys? I know they are funny and brave, but I don't want any more fighting than need be.

Thanks much,
N. VA

 

[gritsar]

N. Virginia :

Hi:
Thanks for the words of advice. I'll just keep an eye on them. Sometimes Ms. Fry goes up on the dog heater & tonight I fed her treats up there and the others didn't see, so that worked out.

I think maybe the guineys are being a little mean. Mostly the rest of the chickens and guineys get along, but tonight I gave them some parsley and one guiney chased my lead chicken Buttercup, caught her by the wing and seemed to hang on for a bit, and elicited a very loud sqawk. Then they went back to just pecking around as though nothing had happened.

What do you think? Will we have more peace without guineys? I know they are funny and brave, but I don't want any more fighting than need be.

Thanks much,
N. VA

Never had guineas. I've heard they can be quite aggressive with chickens.​

 

[peacockfarmer1]

is she younger than the other or is she laying yet

 

[N. Virginia]

The 3 guineys were the problem. I ate them, and now my 5 remaining hens and 2 roosters are much happier. Mrs. Fry is fairly well integrated into the chicken flock now and while she is still shy, she doesn't cower in the corners any more. The two roos don't fight at all, though Small Fry sometime puffs up and jumps in the air. The guineys were randomly chasing the chickens and Mrs. Frye was terrorized. Problem solved!
Cheers,
N. Virginia

 

[teach1rusl]

YAY for peace and harmony within your flock!!

 

[N. Virginia]

That's right!

It's amazing how much happier they are...maybe having bad guineys was good for the roosters, since they are very well behaved.
Cheers,
Deor