AverageJess
Chirping
- Mar 25, 2021
- 21
- 48
- 64
Just want to start off saying that there's a lot going on here and I don't feel particularly articulate today, so hopefully it all makes sense. Let me know if any clarification is needed.
We have 3 hens total (2 Orps and 1 Cinnamon Queen) and unfortunately the Buff and the Queen bully the Lavender (named Violet). A few months ago we had a situation where the two bullies ended up pulling out a bunch of Violet's feathers and actually bit her skin to the point of a big open wound forming. We ended up taking her to the vet, separated her, and everything eventually healed up just fine with meds and her feathers grew back. Well, a few weeks ago they plucked a bunch of feathers/ate a bunch of feathers in the same spot again (just below her vent), although luckily this time no wound. I've been separating Violet again so they don't have any opportunity to bite her raw like the first time. Keep in mind that the separate pen is INSIDE the run, so they can still all see each other. I also started giving them some wet cat food for extra protein since I heard that could help with the feather plucking. We let Violet out of the small pen occasionally to run around and stretch her legs with the other girls.
The whole separating thing seemed to be working just fine until it became apparent that it was making the bullying worse, where when I would let her out to run around, the other two would relentlessly peck and chase her. Also, it really seemed like Violet was upset about being shut in the pen all day/being bullied, because she actually started bullying me (posturing, chasing, biting me), which was distressing because she normally is super sweet and loves cuddles from me.
Due to the worsened bullying and Violet's unhappiness, I decided to start alternating who gets quarantined. So Violet will be in there for a few hours, then I'll let her out and put one of the other two in there for a couple hours and so forth. They all seem a lot happier and the bullying is kinda back to normal, so I think alternating helps. However, obviously this isn't ideal because it means that the other hen can still peck at Violet's bald spot when it's her turn to be in the run, and I actually know they are because sometimes I'll see a bit of blood on the tips of her feather sprouts or see some completely shorn off. Due to this, it's taking forever for her feathers to grow back compared to last time. At this point it just seems like a never ending vicious cycle and I'm feeling very stressed and hopeless. :'[ Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks so much in advance!
TL;DR On one hand I want Violet's feathers to completely grow back so I don't have to worry about the bullies pecking her bare skin, so quarantining her seems like a good idea. On the other hand, I really don't want to keep her separated at all times, because it makes her upset and makes the bullying much worse.
P.S. I've read that making my flock a bit larger could potentially help "spread out" the bullying to other hens. I was considering getting a couple more hens at some point anyway, but I know it can be kind of tricky to add new flock members without issues. Thoughts?
We have 3 hens total (2 Orps and 1 Cinnamon Queen) and unfortunately the Buff and the Queen bully the Lavender (named Violet). A few months ago we had a situation where the two bullies ended up pulling out a bunch of Violet's feathers and actually bit her skin to the point of a big open wound forming. We ended up taking her to the vet, separated her, and everything eventually healed up just fine with meds and her feathers grew back. Well, a few weeks ago they plucked a bunch of feathers/ate a bunch of feathers in the same spot again (just below her vent), although luckily this time no wound. I've been separating Violet again so they don't have any opportunity to bite her raw like the first time. Keep in mind that the separate pen is INSIDE the run, so they can still all see each other. I also started giving them some wet cat food for extra protein since I heard that could help with the feather plucking. We let Violet out of the small pen occasionally to run around and stretch her legs with the other girls.
The whole separating thing seemed to be working just fine until it became apparent that it was making the bullying worse, where when I would let her out to run around, the other two would relentlessly peck and chase her. Also, it really seemed like Violet was upset about being shut in the pen all day/being bullied, because she actually started bullying me (posturing, chasing, biting me), which was distressing because she normally is super sweet and loves cuddles from me.
Due to the worsened bullying and Violet's unhappiness, I decided to start alternating who gets quarantined. So Violet will be in there for a few hours, then I'll let her out and put one of the other two in there for a couple hours and so forth. They all seem a lot happier and the bullying is kinda back to normal, so I think alternating helps. However, obviously this isn't ideal because it means that the other hen can still peck at Violet's bald spot when it's her turn to be in the run, and I actually know they are because sometimes I'll see a bit of blood on the tips of her feather sprouts or see some completely shorn off. Due to this, it's taking forever for her feathers to grow back compared to last time. At this point it just seems like a never ending vicious cycle and I'm feeling very stressed and hopeless. :'[ Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks so much in advance!
TL;DR On one hand I want Violet's feathers to completely grow back so I don't have to worry about the bullies pecking her bare skin, so quarantining her seems like a good idea. On the other hand, I really don't want to keep her separated at all times, because it makes her upset and makes the bullying much worse.
P.S. I've read that making my flock a bit larger could potentially help "spread out" the bullying to other hens. I was considering getting a couple more hens at some point anyway, but I know it can be kind of tricky to add new flock members without issues. Thoughts?
