Hen not wanting to be with other three hens in the coop at night

[Amethyst288]

How is she getting into the basement?
Put her out in the coop.

She walks in when we're going in and out of the basement.

 

[Amethyst288]

Has Goldie ever slept in the coop at night?

Chickens usually try to sleep in the same place they are used to sleeping. So if Goldie never got in the habit of sleeping in the coop, of course she wants to sleep in the familiar basement.

You can change a chicken's sleeping habits: put the chicken in the right place every evening, and over the next week or so they get used to sleeping there.

If Goldie was in the habit of sleeping in the coop, and then moved back to the basement, there might be a bullying problem. But if she never did sleep in the coop, she probably just needs to learn where "home" is supposed to be.

Yes, Goldie slept in the coop at night for a while. The thing is, Goldie would always try to get under the hens on the roosting bars, and two of the three hens (Mother hen and follower) would be pecking her - no blood. I tried snapping at them when they did this, and they stopped. But the two hens started it all again the following evening. Heck, the dominant hen called "Moma" pecks the other hen but it's only once or twice, then they soon settle down for the night.

Then one of the other hens decided to join Goldie in the basement one night, but she would be repeatedly pecking Goldie as if she wanted her out of the way.

I'm wondering whether to separate one of the hens at a time for a little while to see what happens in the pecking order?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Hi, Thanks for your reply! That's a great idea. I really appreciate your input on this matter because it's become quite a problem. Regarding your first question, I mean to have Goldie with the other two hens in a cage in the same coop.

Worth a try, I guess.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Has anyone linked this useful article for you?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chicken-bully-chicken-victim-a-two-sided-issue.73923/

Thank you for sharing this very interesting article!

 

[Tonyroo]

Your using your basement as a coop for your chickens?

 

[Amethyst288]

Your using your basement as a coop for your chickens?

No, the hens are outside in the coop now. The basement was used while they were just chicks and we were having a proper coop being made for them.

 

[Amethyst288]

Well from your story she needs integration with the rest of the flock. There are post of various ways to approach it. And they're still young so it shouldn't be difficult. Better to do it sooner than later.

 

[Amethyst288]

What confuses me is that she's okay when she's outside with them free-ranging in the day, but not at night.

 

[Amethyst288]

You're very welcome! The dog crate she was in was on the floor of the coop, which is an 8x10 walk-in building. I definitely wanted her in sight of the other birds. Does your coop have room for something like this?

You're very welcome! The dog crate she was in was on the floor of the coop, which is an 8x10 walk-in building. I definitely wanted her in sight of the other birds. Does your coop have room for something like this?

Thanks. Yes, we have a dog crate that we could in with the hens in the roosting area, but there wouldn't be much room. It's 5 x 5 x 4 feet high in there. There's the long run underneath but that is separate and she wouldn't see the other birds.