How do you handle the bully of the flock? Or should you?

[Castaway]

"Belinda", the white leghorn, is clearly at the top of the pecking order. I recently noticed her bullying "Barbara" (bottom of the pecking order) whenever there's food to be had. Belinda also bullies the other girls during feeding. Her behavior amounts to pecking the others away from the food. Should I intervene or just let nature take its course? I'm thinking eventually there will be a coup d' etat when the others feel nutritionally deprived.

Suggestions?

 

[Motherof4]

I'm new at the game but I keep a water bottle in hand when I go into the run and that keeps my one rooster away. I read that you need to catch him and hold him untill he is calm and they let him go, keep doing this until he understands you are in charge. Each person that going in to feed and take care of the flock needs to do this

 

[gritsar]

It's always a good idea to have a second feeder, even a small homemade one, for just this reason. That way more submissive chickens can get their fill.
If she's not drawing blood and you have a second feeder, let them sort it out. Somebody has to be at the top of the pecking order and somebody has to be at the bottom. That's just the way of chickens.

 

[Kev]

Or if the hens are cooped/confined most of the time, simply have food always available and the low ranking hen will get her turn.

If this is not an option, having two feeders is a good idea.

BTW this is very natural, this is basically the reason for pecking order in nature.. the stronger, bossier hens are the first to get to the food and most of it. Low ranking or weaker hens are the first to go if the natural food supply runs low.. so this encourages survival of the strongest/meanest in the nature. Lots of social and semi social species engage in this type of behavior.