Hen being outcasted? Pecked on?

seminolewind

Flock Mistress
Premium Feather Member
15 Years
Sep 6, 2007
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Corydon, Indiana
I have a Faverolle hen that's 6 years old. (white, of course) Never had problems. Now this bantam I have pecks her and mounts her then the rooster mounts her then the bantam pecks her some more. It's become so frequently that she hides all day, which means poor access to food and water. I have moved her to another pen. I hope this works. What else is there to do???
 
You could spend more time with the one pecking her and maybe calm it down a bit.
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I'm having a similar problem. I am viewed (by my chickens) as head honcho. So Ive been showing favoritism with treats and attention etc. to the one being picked on. I wasnt sure if it would cause jealousy or respect, but they are seeing her as my second in command (Iguess) cause they dont pick on her so much. She is SO SWEET, and not a bully. I love her to pieces!
 
These things can happen for reasons you might never understand. She may have some deficiency or health issue that the other chickens see but is not noticed by you. You need to keep them separated or it will escalate. I'm guessing you keep them in a coop and run? If you can you should free range them during the day - this usually takes care of those issues. Give them more space and they have better things to do than pick on each other. By nighttime they are too tired to mess with each other too much.
 
The chickens have always free ranged. I would put the bantam somewhere else but those little bantams can get in and out of everything.
I have one group that free ranges. 3 small groups of Polish and silkies that do better in a large pen. And 2 other groups who "free range" in separate areas . I have one that had a broken leg and after healing, hobbles and is in a large pen, so I added "Snowflake" in there and have been giving them lots of treats. So far it's working out well.

It would be great if I could spend more time with one and solve the problem, LOL.
 
That is strange that they are free ranging + still picking on a chicken to that degree. Hmmmm. I have to agree about the bantams - it's hard to keep them in and out of things! It sounds like a good plan to keep her with another chicken that cannot pick on her.
 

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