Quote: That sounds like definite bullying avoidance behavior. Generally it will ease off as dominance is sorted. It would be unusual for a hen that was raised with them to suddenly become such an outcast but it can happen... If you really want to keep her just keep trying and see if it eases off; feeding her on the perch shouldn't be an issue, it's your choice and while she's not able to eat in peace it may be a good idea for the short term; after all she's not being neurotic, she's being wisely cautious regarding much larger hens with suddenly nasty attitudes toward her.
Sometimes it helps to remove the most dominant hen (or whoever is picking on her --- it may be a lower level hen) for a few days, to rearrange the social order so when that bully is reintroduced her biggest worry is reclaiming and defending her position in the hierarchy, not bullying a smaller hen. A similar effect can be achieved by adding another hen. Distraction often helps new flock-mates assimilate under the radar, so to speak, without excess stress or prolonged issues. You can also try setting up low down perches or structures that allow her to easily run under them if bullied, but doesn't allow the bigger hens to chase without slowing down significantly. Sometimes bullying behavior is obsessive and becomes a strong habit if allowed to be pursued to conclusion; just disrupting them before the behavior is completed can be enough to break them of the pattern. A perch in the right place can do this, it can be really simple to solve.
If you're not sold on the little hen then rehoming her is an option. There is always the chance that despite being raised together the bantams were roosted at night in a separate cage. Maybe they only free ranged together.
Sometimes it helps to remove the most dominant hen (or whoever is picking on her --- it may be a lower level hen) for a few days, to rearrange the social order so when that bully is reintroduced her biggest worry is reclaiming and defending her position in the hierarchy, not bullying a smaller hen. A similar effect can be achieved by adding another hen. Distraction often helps new flock-mates assimilate under the radar, so to speak, without excess stress or prolonged issues. You can also try setting up low down perches or structures that allow her to easily run under them if bullied, but doesn't allow the bigger hens to chase without slowing down significantly. Sometimes bullying behavior is obsessive and becomes a strong habit if allowed to be pursued to conclusion; just disrupting them before the behavior is completed can be enough to break them of the pattern. A perch in the right place can do this, it can be really simple to solve.
If you're not sold on the little hen then rehoming her is an option. There is always the chance that despite being raised together the bantams were roosted at night in a separate cage. Maybe they only free ranged together.
