How big a jail and for how long for aggressive alpha hen?

[cavemanrich]

I'm considering it as a last resort.

Peepers may do the trick,, I have never done, so no personal opinion.
Seriously consider the beak trimming option before the peepers.
I have done it, and results were good. There was no pecking after clipping.
Nothing to purchase, and nothing to install.

 

[SkyAJK]

What happen now?

 

[EmmaDonovan]

What happen now?

Sneaux has been behaving herself with me but she is still too aggressive with the other hens.

We separate the flock into three groups during the day. Three docile hens are in the No Peck Inn, and the one EE is by herself in her own pen (she did not like the No Peck Inn) and Sneaux and the rest are in the largest pen. They're adjacent to each other where everyone can see and hear everyone else.

They all sleep together at night in the coop because the pens are not secure against nighttime predators. I wait until Sneaux and the others have been asleep for a few hours, then I move the four docile hens back into the coop and they all just go back to sleep.

Once in a while Sneaux or an RIR or one of the other EEs will go still after one of the docile hens. It doesn't happen often but I wait by the coop just in case. If they start attacking I separate them and wait again until they go to sleep. We have a camera in the coop so I can keep an eye on them during the night but the nights are uneventful. About an hour before dawn while everyone is still sleepy I move the four docile hens into their own pens and they spend the day there.

I think that one EE would be happiest living by herself. I don't think she feels alone since the rest of the flock is right next to her. She just has her own "one bedroom apartment" as we call it where no one can bother her. She has her own nest box and her own dust bath bin. She gets all the food and treats to herself. She's much calmer and while she's never been excessively friendly, she comes up to see what treats we've brought her, eats out of our hands, and no longer objects to being petted and carried (she used to duck away from our hands and struggle to be put down when we picked her up). She loves salmon and pumpkin and really loves bananas. She lays a pretty blue egg nearly every day.

We're building a larger temporary pen. They all grew up together and I'd like them to be able to live as one flock. I hope giving them more space and more hiding places and breaks of line of sight will resolve their issues. I'm dealing with some health problems so it's a little slow going right now but we'll get there.

Thank you for asking!

 

[SkyAJK]

Thank you for your update.
Glad to hear that Sneaux is behaving with you. At least 1 less thing to work on. Look like EE will stay permanently in her own kingdom.
I read your post a few times now, and I am going to read it again later.
That is a lots of work you are doing moving your flock every day in different area day and night.
I am sort of in similar situation like you are, and I admit that I am exhausted.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Thank you for your update.
Glad to hear that Sneaux is behaving with you. At least 1 less thing to work on. Look like EE will stay permanently in her own kingdom.
I read your post a few times now, and I am going to read it again later.
That is a lots of work you are doing moving your flock every day in different area day and night.
I am sort of in similar situation like you are, and I admit that I am exhausted.

It is exhausting. Do you want to describe your situation and see if others can maybe help?

 

[SkyAJK]

I had in my other post. I do have a few situations like your. I am just slowly take 1 step at a time as I am super tired at the moment. I can not take too much in for now.

 

[SkyAJK]

I sat down and wrote about each of my hens characters and found that I do have a big misfit flock. 1 big bully and 1 second bully not as nasty as the big bully. I will punish the 2 bullies by whenever I see them bully other, I will put them in a dog traveling box for a few hours. Let start with that for now.

 

[cavemanrich]

I sat down and wrote about each of my hens characters and found that I do have a big misfit flock. 1 big bully and 1 second bully not as nasty as the big bully. I will punish the 2 bullies by whenever I see them bully other, I will put them in a dog traveling box for a few hours. Let start with that for now.

Consider getting a Super Soaker water gun. It won't hurt your chicken, and can reach a far distance. When you see rude action,,, give it a squirt. Chicken doesn't know where that came from. Assumes that picking on that chicken, results in chicken fighting back.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Consider getting a Super Soaker water gun. It won't hurt your chicken, and can reach a far distance. When you see rude action,,, give it a squirt. Chicken doesn't know where that came from. Assumes that picking on that chicken, results in chicken fighting back.

That is brilliant!

 

[Altairsky]

If the problem is just one hen, consider rehoming or culling. It is the best to always work for peace in the flock. A single bully is not worth making the whole flock sick.
When considering which breeds to keep, try to not mix shy breeds with aggressive breeds in the future.