Hen pecking

[GabrielleC]

I recently removed a broody hen to broody jail for a week and now since I have put her back my 2 blue Plymouth rocks are picking on her. It has been a week now and they are still being aggressive. Should I put them in jail for a few days? I keep scolding them and we have had the hen pecking conversation to no avail. Any ideas? There is no room in the coop to reasonably separate them.

 

[Ridgerunner]

When and where does the pecking take place? Any specific time of day or location? What does it look like? Is it a vicious trying to kill her attack or a causal peck then they stop? How many total chickens do you have and how big is your coop and your run. Pecking is often a symptom of crowding. I'm trying to figure out what you are working with. If you have a photo of the coop and run it might give us some ideas.

Next time, try putting your broody buster where they can see each other during that process. And try releasing the broody after 72 hours in there. It doesn't always work by 72 hours is usually enough for mine.

It may be serious, it may just be a reordering of the pecking order, similar to isolating them from the flock for a while.

 

[thecatumbrella]

Hi Gabrielle. I had a similar thing happen. Put a chicken in broody jail for 3 days, directly with the flock. The day I went to reintegrate her, another chicken just decided that broody wasn't allowed back in. I was never able to fix it.

In hindsight, I would have completely isolated the aggressor. They shouldn't be allowed to see the flock at all. I'd start with 2-3 days, then attempt to reintroduce them. Add more isolation time, as needed. They need to completely forget about their "grudge" and start over. This doesn't happen if they're staring at each other through a barrier.

Best of luck. I know how frustrating it is.

 

[GabrielleC]

When and where does the pecking take place? Any specific time of day or location? What does it look like? Is it a vicious trying to kill her attack or a causal peck then they stop? How many total chickens do you have and how big is your coop and your run. Pecking is often a symptom of crowding. I'm trying to figure out what you are working with. If you have a photo of the coop and run it might give us some ideas.

Next time, try putting your broody buster where they can see each other during that process. And try releasing the broody after 72 hours in there. It doesn't always work by 72 hours is usually enough for mine.

It may be serious, it may just be a reordering of the pecking order, similar to isolating them from the flock for a while.

Our coop is 6’x7’ for 5 hens. Plus a run that is 12x12’ that they have access to daily. One Plymouth in particular will chase her. She has cornered her in the past and pecked at her. So far no blood.
On the roost our girl isolates herself at the far end and outside in the run she will sit up on the roosting tree if the aggressive hen is out there.
We have decided to build a cage under the roosting tray that is 2x5’ with access to their water system for future issues plus this spring when we add 2-3 more to our flock.

 

[GabrielleC]

Here are some photos

 

[Ridgerunner]

Thanks for the info. That should be sufficient space for six hens. I see six chickens in your photo. I see you are feeding in two different spots, in the coop and outside so she should be able to get food without being bullied away. That one hen going to the roost to get away is normal. Mine do the same when I integrate.

No blood has been drawn but it has been going in for a week. I would have expected them to work it out by now, especially since they are all mature. I think you have two main options. Let them try to work it out as no blood has been drawn. Or isolate that worst bully for a few days and see what happens with the others with her gone and what happens when you put her back with the flock.

I wish you luck, this kind of stuff can be really frustrating. Good luck!

 

[FunClucks]

I love your coop and run!!!

Couple things you can try -

1) isolate the bullies by themselves for a few days. Out of sight/sound. Then add them back to the flock and see what happens.

2)Pinless peepers - it's a product that reduces/eliminates pecking by the chicken wearing it. Only for use for a few months at a time, not long term, and some hens can get them off easily, but worth a shot if the alternative is rehoming someone and everything else hasn't worked.

3)Where is the victim getting pecked? Would putting a chicken saddle on her help?

4)Add run clutter, things to break up line of sight, without any dead ends where a chicken can be caught. This can help reduce stress in the coop. Eye level for them is knee high or less for us. Stumps of wood, upside down lawn chairs, pieces of plywood up against the side of the run to make a "tunnel" (with a few bricks on the outside of it to make it not slide down flat - no chicken squishing). All can create "hides" and reduce stress and bullying. Out of sight, out of mind is a real thing for chickens.

5) Separate your food and water, so it's at opposite ends - one set of food and water is hidden or unseen from the other food/water station, and hens can eat while remaining "hidden" from others in the coop. This can also help reduce stress, and give the bullies less targets. Putting a piece of plywood between the waterers if they have to remain where they are could be a good solution too, to cut the visual.

One thing to consider - by rule of thumb commonly quoted here I should be able to fit 20 chickens in my combo of covered run/coop. However, only 15 fit comfortably, otherwise I have stress/pecking issues, even after rehoming the bullies so there's no bad examples going into winter. You might try rehoming the bullies, which will decrease stress both by removing the bullies and adding space in your coop and run.

 

[FunClucks]

I recently removed a broody hen to broody jail for a week and now since I have put her back my 2 blue Plymouth rocks are picking on her. It has been a week now and they are still being aggressive. Should I put them in jail for a few days? I keep scolding them and we have had the hen pecking conversation to no avail. Any ideas? There is no room in the coop to reasonably separate them.

Consider using XXL wire dog crates to separate them within the coop or in the run (good size for perch, feed, and water for several hens). Medium to large size can work for one or two hens. You can zip tie feed bags to the crates also to cut off line of sight, and put the plastic tray above the crate to create a ceiling, that way they can scratch the ground thru the crate if desired. Mine has less wire on the bottom under the tray.