Hen Trying to Kill Flock Mate - Help

[Legend17]

I have read through many threads of chicken bullying, etc an unable to find a situation close to mine. I have an Ameraucana hen who is turning 5 this year and has grown up with my Brahma hen who is only 4 months younger and will also be turning 5 this fall. They have lived happily together for the first four years and last spring, my Ameraucana was viciously attacking my Brahma and trying to kill her relentlessly ripping at her face and body. I put her in our second coop isolated for 3 days and when I let her out she immediatley sought out my Brahma. I put her back in jail for a full week. When I let her back out, all was peaceful. At this time, my Brahma was molting. There have been zero problems with my flock until this week (6 months later) and my Ameraucana is back trying to kill my Brahma. This time my Blue Partridge Rock hen was ganging up with her. I ran them off and they came right back. Then the bullying stopped and they all spent the day free ranging together etc. This morning everything was fine. I went to town and when I came home, my Ameraucana was beating my Brahma to the point her back of her head is completely bald and bloody, her eyes are bloody and bruised. Had I not came home, she would have killed her. I have them both separated from the flock, cleaned my Brahma up and applied blukote to her wounds. She is eating and drinking and is going to be okay. She is molting again but her behavior has not changed. I am not sure why she is acting this way. They have one acre to free range on, two large coops that are 10 x 14 each with two openings and another large outdoor building they like to hang out in. Plenty of trees, bushes, food and water stations, dust bathing spots, misting areas, etc. They could literally go all day without seeing each other. Any ideas on why this is happening or what to do? They have never had problems before.

 

[Egg king]

Keep your brahma on her own totally separated until she recovers completely from her molt and until her face is in good condition then jail her in a small cage where your ameruacana can see her 24/7 then let your brahma free with her after a week

 

[David61]

How much junk, toys, bulk objects do you have in the run? You have to give them areas not to be seen by others "hide". Don't be eyeballing me boy! don't start nothing, wont be nothing. multiple feeds, waterers nothing to be dominated or seen as challenge to the pecking order.

 

[MotherofOrpies]

You really got me worried, I had 2 broody hens in my flock, they have been living peacefully with each other since they hatched ( the younger smaller one hatched 2017, the bigger one and currently boss hen 2013) I had to keep them cooped up cos a fox came and killed 2 of my hens. Anyways, they both got into a very bad fight, the smaller ones had a lot of holes in der head and no feathers left, the bigger one was bashed about in the face. I separated them, after disinfecting the wound’s and let them together while watching after 3 days. Ok, then I went away to clean the coop, there was a lot of noise in the hen house, when I got there, the smaller one had really beat up the larger one in a nesting box it was so bad ( of course I didn’t know right away) the older one had to be treated by an avian specialist more than once, and she couldn’t eat or drink for 4 weeks, of course when I started feeding her and giving her water 5-6 times a day ( did I mention it was/is hot, around 87F ) I thought she’ll be good after 2 or 3 days, after 2 weeks and a few visits to the specialist, I would’ve stopped, but having invested so much time and money, I went on, after 4 weeks, I was ready to give up when she finally started eating a little bit of food, Hooray !!! After another week, she finally managed to drink by herself then, when she was totally fit again, I introduced the other hen, oh no. Off they went again to make a long story short, after 6 weeks, they finally got along again, then, 2 weeks ago, guess who simultaneously got broody again but, up til now, they have got along ( me watching meticulously that only one at the time leaves the nest) but…. The way you are writing, I fear another fight may be in the future

 

[Tonyroo]

Sometimes chickens can't stand the sight of another which triggers there aggression and has nothing to do with food and resources.

From my own experience, the bully gets culled or live separate from each other.

 

[Perris]

This sounds very upsetting for you. Sometimes the dominant hen or roo or multiple birds will start picking on a member of the flock that they have come to perceive as a threat, usually health related, and they are trying to drive it away. Have you seen any indication that the brahma has picked up some sort of infection, either disease or pest? The brahma's molting is an obvious clue, but that could be triggered by the stress as well as by some sort of illness or infection.

She is molting again but her behavior has not changed. I am not sure why she is acting this way.

please expand to clarify; I don't understand what you mean by 'she is acting this way'. What way?

 

[Legend17]

This sounds very upsetting for you. Sometimes the dominant hen or roo or multiple birds will start picking on a member of the flock that they have come to perceive as a threat, usually health related, and they are trying to drive it away. Have you seen any indication that the brahma has picked up some sort of infection, either disease or pest? The brahma's molting is an obvious clue, but that could be triggered by the stress as well as by some sort of illness or infection.

please expand to clarify; I don't understand what you mean by 'she is acting this way'. What way?

I was wondering if my Brahma was sick too but she doesn’t appear to be. Her droppings are normal and her behavior is normal. Eating and drinking well. The last two times she has gone through her molting phase seems to set my Ameraucana off. My two head hens do not have a problem with her.

What I meant by I don’t understand why my Ameraucana is acting this way is because when my Brahma is not molting, they are friends. They will hang out together, preen each other, there is zero problems. My Ameraucana has never attacked another chicken before. She has never attacked my Brahma in her previous molting phases either, just this last Spring and this week.

Also when my other chickens have been ill or injured the flock does not become aggressive toward them. My RIR had an egg hatch inside her and we got her through what I assume was egg periodontis, nobody messed with her. She made it two years after and passed away last Summer.

One of my barred rocks had sour crop from some type of blockage that became lodged in her crop and was preventing her from eating/ digesting. I thought we were going to lose her but I managed to get her to throw up and dislodged the ball of whatever it was. I could not identify it. She acted sick for about a week and nobody messed with her.

We’ve had injuries from hawk attacks where blood has been visible, no attacking or bullying.

My flock is pretty peaceful minus the few pecks at night time on the roosts and during treat time or to the broods who come out of their nest boxes acting crazy.

 

[Legend17]

How much junk, toys, bulk objects do you have in the run? You have to give them areas not to be seen by others "hide". Don't be eyeballing me boy! don't start nothing, wont be nothing. multiple feeds, waterers nothing to be dominated or seen as challenge to the pecking order.

They have tons of perches, bushes, bulk objects, areas to hide in both our coops and outside. Two different nesting areas. Lots of trees, garden area etc. multiple feeders and waterers with fresh running water in our water feature for them. They free range about an acre. The coops are linked but can be separated and when we have snow and they refuse to go outside, they will stay in our coops and we will have zero fighting.

 

[David61]

or chicken dinner

 

[MotherofOrpies]

I can report, I have had a couple of roosters, they all started picking on one hen ( never the same one) and after the mobbing getting worse, sometimes even the other hens would join in, they had to GO!! After that, the picked on hens rejoined the flock and lived happily ever after, so no cause for the being picked on.