Mama getting henpecked

[20 chickens]

I'm hoping someone has some advice on this. My first time posting, but I've gotten great guidance reading BackYard Chickens! We have 9 chickens about a year old. One got broody and we put fertile eggs under her. Most of them hatched and we moved her and chicks into a small pen within the chicken yard. All the chickens saw them every day through the chicken wire of the small pen. Well now the chicks are about 6 weeks and the mom is laying again. We're letting her and the chicks out in the yard with the other girls. The chicks are getting pecked by the older chickens, which doesn't surprise me, but the mom is getting pecked a lot too. I'm putting her in the coop at night, but having to put her in small pen during day unless I'm there to push off the others from pecking her.

Is it just a matter of time before she is accepted again? We had no problems with any hen pecking before she had chicks. Any advice about getting her accepted again? When I lightly swat away the others from pecking her, they certainly don't seem to learn anything. They are just back there in a minute pecking again. She even stays close to me because she seems to know I'm protecting her.

 

[Judy]

This is why I only separate a broody with eggs until the chicks hatch. Really you just have to let them work it out, at least as long as no blood is drawn. Enlarging the pen or turning them loose would be the simplest way. Distractions may help some -- things like a flock block or hanging cabbage, or additional articles to hop on, roost on outdoors, hide behind, etc. If you can identify a ringleader, a lead bully, you can try separating her for a week, out of sight and hearing of the others, then return her.

 

[Soap Junkie]

So how is this working for you? I am having the same problem with mine right now too. The chicks are 3 weeks and the other chickens seem to have booted the mama chicken from the flock. Every time she gets around them 3 to 5 birds will jump her. Did you figure anything out?

 

[Winisk]

I had a similar problem recently. My broody hen fought a few battles the day she was reunited with the flock. I let them sort it out until she was ganged up on and then I intervened for a time out. It took a couple of days before she established herself as a dominant hen again. By the second night she was the aggressive one, going after the others during the roosting process. No problems afterward.

I do my introductions while they are all out free ranging so there is room to escape. Sometimes having a rooster will help. Mine didn't break up all the fights, but once he realized she was available again he periodically followed her around like a bodyguard, standing over her while she did her thing. No one bothered her then.

 

[Soap Junkie]

I had a similar problem recently. My broody hen fought a few battles the day she was reunited with the flock. I let them sort it out until she was ganged up on and then I intervened for a time out. It took a couple of days before she established herself as a dominant hen again. By the second night she was the aggressive one, going after the others during the roosting process. No problems afterward.

I do my introductions while they are all out free ranging so there is room to escape. Sometimes having a rooster will help. Mine didn't break up all the fights, but once he realized she was available again he periodically followed her around like a bodyguard, standing over her while she did her thing. No one bothered her then.

Thanks Winisk, I do not have a rooster and even while free ranging, (which is very limited in my yard) they still ganged up on her. She is now petrified to be with the other chickens. I am going to wait until after she is done with the chicks and then I think I will put her back with the chickens and find out who the main bully is, then remove the bully to a pen in the garage for a week and see how that flies. Such a disapointment though raising chickens has been easy up to now.