Mean girl

[SamIamNam786]

I have a Plymouth rock who is larger than the others in size, but same age as the other Plymouth. They are 5 months old and my EE are little over 3 months.
Do you think she's mean bc she's ready to lay? I have her seperated at night with mixing throughout the day with the others. She runs after the others and doesn't let them eat, even though I have two feeding stations and also throw feed in the run. I'm thinking maybe she needs to lay an egg and she'll be fine after that. But will she lay while in a small enclosure? I'll probably need to add a milk crate or something so she's comfortable laying in it.

 

[nuthatched]

How big is the coop and run? Are you sure it's not a cockerel?

 

[SamIamNam786]

How big is the coop and run? Are you sure it's not a cockerel?

It's a 10x20 run. I haven't even put it in the coop yet.

 

[SamIamNam786]

How big is the coop and run? Are you sure it's not a cockerel?

The one in the back, doesn't look like a cockerel. Born in May...wouldn't a rooster be more evident by now?

 

[nuthatched]

It's a 10x20 run. I haven't even put it in the coop yet.

So it's just a next box with a roost bar?
Your birds look like pullets. Pinless peepers might help as well as baffles so she can't see the others eat.

 

[Bartonsfinest]

I have a Plymouth rock who is larger than the others in size, but same age as the other Plymouth. They are 5 months old and my EE are little over 3 months.
Do you think she's mean bc she's ready to lay? I have her seperated at night with mixing throughout the day with the others. She runs after the others and doesn't let them eat, even though I have two feeding stations and also throw feed in the run. I'm thinking maybe she needs to lay an egg and she'll be fine after that. But will she lay while in a small enclosure? I'll probably need to add a milk crate or something so she's comfortable laying in it.

I'm having almost the same problem with my girls. My 1 year old black sex links hen (Mcnuggets) is a holly terror to my 4 younger hens. I even really slow when I integrated them together and it still didn't work. She goes out of her way to hide behind things to scare and peck them we have 5 huge tubs for dust baths and if nuggets sees any of the 4 younger ones In the dust baths she runs over and scares them away or starts to peck one of them till they get out in the other one's run away. My husband spent the last 3 months building a huge new coop for all of them so there is PLENTY of room inside for them all to roost at night and have plenty of room to get the hell away from one another if they need to but still nuggets finds a way to either intimidate all of them to where they don't want to sleep in there or will peck them off of every roost bar. She'll just go from roost bar to roost bar. So currently nuggets and her sister McChicken sleep in the old coop and my little hens sleep in the new one. But there's no run on the new coop because we need to tear the old one down so that we can put the new run in. Granted my chickens are free-range in the daytime and they go into Coop at dusk . So I can't even put a new run on the new coop because nuggets can't behave herself and sleep with the other girls. I I just made a TikTok video about this because I've been racking my brain for the last couple months reading all types of articles asking questions on here. Watching YouTube videos of that chickenlandia lady searching for any tips or any kind of solutions I still haven't found any. I'm sorry if I sound like a Debbie downer or turn the story into my own story. I apologize I just this the first time I've seen anybody right on here asking for any kind of advice that sounds similar to my situation . So everyone chicken sister to the other if somebody gives you any information or or a viable solution and you'd like to share. I really appreciate it. Sorry if I sound so dramatic and really invested in my chickens like they're my children but Also good luck and I hope it gets better cuz it's sucks and it frustrates me sometimes and it breaks your heart that you can't do anything

 

[SamIamNam786]

So it's just a next box with a roost bar?
Your birds look like pullets. Pinless peepers might help as well as baffles so she can't see the others eat.

No, the coop holds the other 3 birds, well tonight a4th went in, but the mean girl has its own small 4x5' run inside the larger run, there's no nesting box, but there is a roost. I cover it with a huge tarp so it mimics a coop.

 

[SamIamNam786]

I'm having almost the same problem with my girls. My 1 year old black sex links hen (Mcnuggets) is a holly terror to my 4 younger hens. I even really slow when I integrated them together and it still didn't work. She goes out of her way to hide behind things to scare and peck them we have 5 huge tubs for dust baths and if nuggets sees any of the 4 younger ones In the dust baths she runs over and scares them away or starts to peck one of them till they get out in the other one's run away. My husband spent the last 3 months building a huge new coop for all of them so there is PLENTY of room inside for them all to roost at night and have plenty of room to get the hell away from one another if they need to but still nuggets finds a way to either intimidate all of them to where they don't want to sleep in there or will peck them off of every roost bar. She'll just go from roost bar to roost bar. So currently nuggets and her sister McChicken sleep in the old coop and my little hens sleep in the new one. But there's no run on the new coop because we need to tear the old one down so that we can put the new run in. Granted my chickens are free-range in the daytime and they go into Coop at dusk . So I can't even put a new run on the new coop because nuggets can't behave herself and sleep with the other girls. I I just made a TikTok video about this because I've been racking my brain for the last couple months reading all types of articles asking questions on here. Watching YouTube videos of that chickenlandia lady searching for any tips or any kind of solutions I still haven't found any. I'm sorry if I sound like a Debbie downer or turn the story into my own story. I apologize I just this the first time I've seen anybody right on here asking for any kind of advice that sounds similar to my situation . So everyone chicken sister to the other if somebody gives you any information or or a viable solution and you'd like to share. I really appreciate it. Sorry if I sound so dramatic and really invested in my chickens like they're my children but Also good luck and I hope it gets better cuz it's sucks and it frustrates me sometimes and it breaks your heart that you can't do anything

yes this is me exactly! Tonight my 3 EE went into the coop, then one of the Plymouth went in...then the second mean one followed, then I saw one of my EE run out of the coop. I opened the large door to peek inside and I see meanie peck and step on one of the EE. I felt so bad, she was just taking it. The EE who ran out the coop came around me like a puppy asking me to protect her. Eventually I couldn't take it anymore so I grabbed meanie from inside the coop and returned her to her own pen. I kept the sister inside the coop bc she's not as mean. She did peck slightly, but nothing like terrorizing. So currently 4 are asleep in the coop and meanie, Sushi, is in the pen all alone. We have been trying but nothing is working.

 

[SamIamNam786]

So it's just a next box with a roost bar?
Your birds look like pullets. Pinless peepers might help as well as baffles so she can't see the others eat.

You can see the small pen covered with a tarp in this picture. The actual coop is towards the other end.

 

[Bartonsfinest]

yes this is me exactly! Tonight my 3 EE went into the coop, then one of the Plymouth went in...then the second mean one followed, then I saw one of my EE run out of the coop. I opened the large door to peek inside and I see meanie peck and step on one of the EE. I felt so bad, she was just taking it. The EE who ran out the coop came around me like a puppy asking me to protect her. Eventually I couldn't take it anymore so I grabbed meanie from inside the coop and returned her to her own pen. I kept the sister inside the coop bc she's not as mean. She did peck slightly, but nothing like terrorizing. So currently 4 are asleep in the coop and meanie, Sushi, is in the pen all alone. We have been trying but nothing is working.