I put my EE bully in jail for relentlessly going after an ex-broody. Did I do the right thing?

[aart]

Great post with all the pertinent details.....and good decision with the bully.
Pecking order can change as pullets come into lay.

Curious how you fit the breaker/jail into the coop...maybe in the run instead?
It's good to have an isolation crate in with the flock, it can reduce re-integration issues.
Tho not entirely considering the attack on the little broody when released.
How long was she in there?
Was she let out daily during the breaking process?

Your space is a little tight for 6 birds, and that could be part of the problem.
Is your run a barren open space or are there lots of diversions?
Putting roosts another other things get up on and/or under, break up lines of sight, etc can really help.

 

[nminusyplusm]

Great post with all the pertinent details.....and good decision with the bully.
Pecking order can change as pullets come into lay.

Curious how you fit the breaker/jail into the coop...maybe in the run instead?
It's good to have an isolation crate in with the flock, it can reduce re-integration issues.
Tho not entirely considering the attack on the little broody when released.
How long was she in there?
Was she let out daily during the breaking process?

Your space is a little tight for 6 birds, and that could be part of the problem.
Is your run a barren open space or are there lots of diversions?
Putting roosts another other things get up on and/or under, break up lines of sight, etc can really help.

The broody breaker sits on one end of two 6' roosts which are about 18" from the top of the deep litter in the coop (at 6 birds with 12' of roost, they had plenty of room to give some up for the cage, they always like to cram together on one end of one roost) so no floor space is taken up by the broody breaker. There is 4 sq ft of coop and 13.3 sq ft of run per bird and they are never locked in the coop, all area is available at all times. The run has perches and a swing (which they all love). I'm going to try a straw bale pyramid next time I get straw to provide a bit more hiding space. As it is, anyone wanting privacy had been going up to scratch in the coop. It was working great until this broody episode.

Ex-broody was in for 3 days. Each day I tried letting her out to see if she'd broken and get some exercise. On day 3 I knew she was back to normal before even letting her out by her behavior, stance and tail position. Each time she was let out the bully started in on her so I knew there might be some trouble. I'd hoped it would settle after a day but no dice.

I forgot to add that the bullying started when she went broody before I put her in the breaker and she was still with the rest of the flock. Prior to that, it was the other OE that bore the brunt of the bully's attention but in that case it was nowhere near as severe.

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

Why don't you try using some chicken eye blinder/glasses? You can buy them online. At least that way she can go back with the flock. BTW, I too have a bully EE. Her bad tudes seem to be related to hormonal surges. At 2.5 yrs of age, she only lays an egg every couple of months. She is top mama in the pen, I usually will scold her by name and she'll stop.

 

[nminusyplusm]

Why don't you try using some chicken eye blinder/glasses? You can buy them online. At least that way she can go back with the flock. BTW, I too have a bully EE. Her bad tudes seem to be related to hormonal surges. At 2.5 yrs of age, she only lays an egg every couple of months. She is top mama in the pen, I usually will scold her by name and she'll stop.

View attachment 1162129

I'd read here about chickens who learned how to see well enough with peepers on to continue bullying, same with the beak caps, that determined bullies were unthwarted.

 

[aart]

Hopefully once bully starts laying her demeanor will improve...
...or she may need a new place to be.

 

[nminusyplusm]

Hopefully once bully starts laying her demeanor will improve...
...or she may need a new place to be.

That's what I'm hoping will happen, I'd hate to have to find her a new home because she's a lovely girl, towards me at least. I just took her out for a break (not in the run!) and she was sitting on my lap going to sleep while I was petting her.

 

[aart]

That's what I'm hoping will happen, I'd hate to have to find her a new home because she's a lovely girl, towards me at least. I just took her out for a break (not in the run!) and she was sitting on my lap going to sleep while I was petting her.

I know, it's bummer.
I've got a problem hen right now, neurotically/obsessively messes up all the nests constantly, disrupting their use by other birds, especially the pullets coming into lay. She's spent quite a bit of time in 'jail'...seems to work for a while then she's back at it. SMH. Fickle Chickens.

 

[nminusyplusm]

I know, it's bummer.
I've got a problem hen right now, neurotically/obsessively messes up all the nests constantly, disrupting their use by other birds, especially the pullets coming into lay. She's spent quite a bit of time in 'jail'...seems to work for a while then she's back at it. SMH. Fickle Chickens.

Too bad there isn't chicken prozac or Jungian analysis.

 

[sourland]

Too bad there isn't chicken prozac or Jungian analysis.

It used to be called the crock pot.

 

[nminusyplusm]

It used to be called the crock pot.

LOL! I've been a vegetarian for 37 years but if I had a bunch of problem birds that might change.