Hen Pecking! =(

[flo12345]

My giant cochin hen is very broody ALL THE TIME and doesn't want any other chickens in the nesting boxes.

The other chickens are only a lilted frayed here and there because they fight back, but my barred rock hen is very wimpy and won't fight back. She has one big wound from where the hen ripped all those feathers out and it's healing nicely because I have a saddle on her. The problem is, now the hen is ripping (and eating the feathers because I don't see them anywhere) out her fluffy feathers on the side of her legs and I just noticed today that she has another wound on the top of her left wing.....

HELP?! I'm out of ideas. I have a pecking block in the coop and curtains on the nesting boxes and saddle on a few of the chickens! What else can I do???

 

[4 the Birds]

My giant cochin hen is very broody ALL THE TIME and doesn't want any other chickens in the nesting boxes.

The other chickens are only a lilted frayed here and there because they fight back, but my barred rock hen is very wimpy and won't fight back. She has one big wound from where the hen ripped all those feathers out and it's healing nicely because I have a saddle on her. The problem is, now the hen is ripping (and eating the feathers because I don't see them anywhere) out her fluffy feathers on the side of her legs and I just noticed today that she has another wound on the top of her left wing.....

HELP?! I'm out of ideas. I have a pecking block in the coop and curtains on the nesting boxes and saddle on a few of the chickens! What else can I do???

How many chickens do you have? How big is their coop/run? Do you feed in multiple locations? Do they free range or have run access all day or locked up in coop mostly?

 

[flo12345]

I have 6 chickens at the moment and I'm getting 6 more in April. (so excited to get more little fluffies!)
They have a very big pen. =) It's ROUGHLY 20 by 50 feet so it's quite large! It all just electric fencing so it's a great pen. =)
My coop is about 3 feet by 6 feet.
I only feed them in the coop because I live in New England and there are random snow storms around here.

They have the option to go in the coop or run around and explore in their run from about 7:30 8:00 AM to 7:00 7:30 PM.
I did them have them locked up for a while about a week or 2 ago due to hawk issues, but now we have wires set up and CDs hanging up and stuff which is working really well.

At last! Something that works!

 

[flo12345]

Please help!!!!!
It's getting worse and I don't know what to do!!
I don't want to get rid of her but I think I might have to.... ANy ideas will be gladly taken!! Help!!!!

 

[Den in Penn]

You will need a bigger coop when the new chicks your getting need to put in the coop. In fact the coop maybe too small now. You have a couple of options. Remove the cochin for a week or so to reset the pecking order. Add nesting boxes in a different place. Upping the protein may help. If she has progressed to feather picking, then permanent removal may be necessary.

 

[jackhorn01]

I would replace her if its that bad.

 

[australorp41]

Try putting her in a crate inside the cage so that the other chickens can't get her. Maybe they'll calm down. (Make sure there is food water and a perch)

 

[flo12345]

thanks for all the answers but she had to go......
one of my chickens wouldn't go in the coop and was shaking when i went to pick her up so she had to go............
getting a rooster and my chickens are always outside except for the winter when they are snowed in and we usually snowblow them a spot =)