Hen being severely bullied!

[ToriMarsh0390]

I just got five new hens from someone today and he warned me that one (Jessica) is the lowest in the pecking order.
Jessica has been bullied and pecked at all day, I even brought her inside for a bit to give her a break.
She hasn’t eaten or drank and just lays down and takes whatever pecking the other hens dish out.
I understand there is probably some stress from being rehomed, but what is the best way to approach this situation?
They live in a 300sqft run with a large coop.

 

[BDutch]

Don’t take Jessica inside the house alone. It’s not good for her health if there is a large temp change. And she needs to integrate. You don't manage that with separation.

The least you can do is:
- Give feed and water in several spots, so it’s easier for Jessica to eat and drink.
- Create several hiding places in the run and the coop to get away from the bullies.
- Make a second place to roost behind a screen or curtain so Jessica can get away unseen from the bullies if she wants to.

Try this and see if it works for your Jessica to get to the food and become more relaxed.

If you want to manage the flock behaviour and pecking order you need a second coop or divide the coop. This is what I have been reading:
Let Jessica and a second hen in one coop/part and divide them from the others for a few weeks. They will become mates. But I don’t remember the whole advice. It was rather complicated and I have never done this myself.

 

[ksbkeys]

I just got five new hens from someone today and he warned me that one (Jessica) is the lowest in the pecking order.
Jessica has been bullied and pecked at all day, I even brought her inside for a bit to give her a break.
She hasn’t eaten or drank and just lays down and takes whatever pecking the other hens dish out.
I understand there is probably some stress from being rehomed, but what is the best way to approach this situation?
They live in a 300sqft run with a large coop.

I have always watched and found that there is usually one bully that starts this behavior and then others follow. Rather than removing the hen who is picked on, try removing the aggressive upstart for a few days and observe if things improve. Hopefully this will break the cycle. When you put back the trouble maker, she will hopefully be lower in the pecking order.

 

[Yardmom]

If possible keep her with the flock, but with a fence or cage around her to protect her. Hopefully once they learn there is plenty of food, space, and water they will ease off in their attacks. Keep an eye to make sure she is not ill or that there is not another reason for their behavior.
@Mrs. K any advice here.

 

[aart]

I just got five new hens from someone today and he warned me that one (Jessica) is the lowest in the pecking order.
Jessica has been bullied and pecked at all day, I even brought her inside for a bit to give her a break.
She hasn’t eaten or drank and just lays down and takes whatever pecking the other hens dish out.
I understand there is probably some stress from being rehomed, but what is the best way to approach this situation?
They live in a 300sqft run with a large coop.

Are these 5 the only ones you have?

 

[ToriMarsh0390]

Are these 5 the only ones you have?

I added 5 to 2 I already had but the 4 new to me chickens are the ones bullying Jessica. My two established the order with Jessica but have otherwise left her alone

 

[Mrs. K]

I would try the pin less peepers. Maybe on everybody - or as needed.

The thing is, often times the victim seems to bring the bullying on to her, and once it starts, the others join in. In small flocks this can become heartless. You do need to address the issue. Another thought is to let Jessica go to someone else. The thing is, that this heartless attacking causes a lot of stress in the whole flock, even the ones not being attacked.

Hideouts, roosts, multiple feed stations OUT OF SIGHT of other feed bowls so that while eating at one, a bird can't see who is eating at another.

Mrs K

 

[McChooky]

The new chickens will teach your chickens to become bullies if this bad behavior is left uncorrected .Cramped open spaces with no hiding places can cause it (or make it worse) Adding feeders and waterers will help .I have zero tolerance for aggression in my flock but because these chickens were displaying this behavior already it may be hard to break

 

[Mrs. K]

There is a couple of things you can do:

Remove the victim and regime her. Really her life in your coop is not that grand. Sometimes you get a bird that just does not fit in that flock, and will do fine in someone else's flock.

This is perfect time to put every one into pin less peepers for a few weeks. The problem with a victim hen, is she often times seems to bring it on. Once her confidence is gone, she takes the abuse. Thing is, this attack mode causes huge tension in your flock. Even in the birds not being attacked. Always solve for peace in the flock.

Space is crucial, you have basically tripled your flock. You may not have enough room. Some birds can tolerate over crowding a bit, some cannot. A rule of thumb, is 7 head x 4, is 28 square feet coop, and a 70 square foot run. If you are not a strong math person, you need a coop that is close to 6 feet by 5 feet, or 4 ft x 8 feet or something close. The run needs to be about 7 feet by 10 feet. The bickering might be telling you that you do not have enough space. If you do not have enough room, reduce the flock NOW, and build bigger if you want more chickens, do not think you can wait to build in the spring.

A lot of clutter in the run will help. Ladders, saw horses, boxes on their sides, chairs, platforms, pallets, this will looked crowded and cluttered, but it actually gives birds a place to escape out of sight. It actually increases space, as birds can get under or on top of the clutter. And it allows you to have feed spots that are out of sight of other birds.

Always solve for peace in the flock. Just wishing they would all be nice won't work.

Mrs K

 

[Galaxy_rules]

Personally, I would get rid of the bully hen or, as @BDutch said split the coop in half and put one of the bully’s follower hens in with Jessica for a few weeks, then another one and another. As @BDutch said again, give her some special care, spend time with her and make “ hiding “ places for her and put out multiple food/water sources. Wishing you and Jessica all the good luck!