Mean Chickens - Thin egg shells!

[dfriloux]

I have three wonderful chickens (EEs) that just turned a year old. Their names are Alice, Betty, and Princess Henrietta. They've been together all their lives and, until recently, were as happy as can be. Their eggs were wonderful and they all got along famously. Just today, however, I noticed that Alice and Henrietta (Alice, in particular) chasing poor Betty all over their yard and pecking her when they caught up with her. When I went to gather their eggs, one had a shell that was paper thin! I'm not sure, but I suspect it's poor Betty's egg. The other two eggs were perfect. I keep a bowl of oyster shells out for them and scatter it around a bit, as well. Their food is for layer hens and it's the same as it's been since they started laying and we'ver never had issues before. I let them free range on occasion, but, won't let them out by themselves because the hawks have already taken two of their sisters!

Should I get Betty a new companion so they'll be two and two? If so, how do I go about doing that? Do they need to be the same breed/same age? I've heard if I sneak somebody in their roost at night while everybody's asleep, they'll hardly notice it the next day. Please, please, please help, if you can! Betty's the sweetest girl in the whole bunch and I just hate to think she's being abused by her sisters!

 

[Den in Penn]

There is no predicting if the new one will pair off with Betty. If you had two before, you have the room for two more. Getting two more will reset the pecking order. If you do put hem in a cage where they can see each other for a week or so first, then allow them to mix. They don't have to be the same age just near the same size. I'd go with pullets at the POL (Point Of Lay).