Hen needs a helmet!

[andreanar]

I could not, for the life of me, figure out why one of my little cochins was missing her head feathers. I finally saw what has been happening. She is lowest on the pecking order. When she has to lay her egg, she runs and I mean beats feet!! right into the same nest that another hen is in. Then a fight happens. The other hen tries to get her out but the cochin will not go. She tucks in and refuses to get out. The other hens are grabbing and pulling her head feathers trying to get her to vamoose. Do they make chicken helmets? LOL. I don't even know what to do about this situation.

 

[Little Chicken Girl]

I used to have a hen that did the same thing! However, my other hens where more polite about it... Instead of pecking her, they just sat on her and layed their eggs on her back. They would roll off and then the hen on the bottom would tuck it under her tummy for safe-keeping.

After making more nesting areas/boxes, the issue solved itself.

 

[andreanar]

I used to have a hen that did the same thing! However, my other hens where more polite about it... Instead of pecking her, they just sat on her and layed their eggs on her back. They would roll off and then the hen on the bottom would tuck it under her tummy for safe-keeping.

After making more nesting areas/boxes, the issue solved itself.

My old flock was more polite too. They would often be 2 in one nest. These girls just don't seem to tolerate the lowest peck order girl bullying her way into their nest. She will not go into any other nest once she sees another girl in a certain nest.

 

[andreanar]

Ethel the bald headed, helmet needing Cochin!

 

[Granny Hatchet]

 

[N F C]

 

[Kiki]

View attachment 1268686

LOL!
I just googled and was about to post this exact same picture!

 

[N F C]

LOL!
I just googled and was about to post this exact same picture!

 

[Tlmcq]

You could try putting in another nest box in and placing an egg in each one to encourage them to use different boxes. I have some that will only lay in one nest box and some that will use anything that has an egg in it already.

 

[coach723]

I 'seed' my nest boxes with a couple of golf balls in each. They are much more willing to use a box that appears to have been 'used' and there is much less argument about the 'favored' nest box. They will as happily sit on golf balls as on eggs.