Mean girls!

[Chick66]

Hello chicken lovers
We got our first bunch of chickens just 2 weeks ago and are loving having them here on the farm. 5 Brown shavers and 4 eggs every morning.
We bought them at 18 weeks of age. One of them hasn't started laying yet which is fine but the 4 that are laying have completely ostrasised her.
Example I give them all warm mash for breakfast but the four layers are chasing her away from eating it.
Is this because she isn't a layer yet and part of the pecking order?
Love to know why she hasn't been included as part of the flock.
Cheers

 

[lutherpug]

Hello chicken lovers
We got our first bunch of chickens just 2 weeks ago and are loving having them here on the farm. 5 Brown shavers and 4 eggs every morning.
We bought them at 18 weeks of age. One of them hasn't started laying yet which is fine but the 4 that are laying have completely ostrasised her.
Example I give them all warm mash for breakfast but the four layers are chasing her away from eating it.
Is this because she isn't a layer yet and part of the pecking order?
Love to know why she hasn't been included as part of the flock.
Cheers

If they all came from the same place the pecking order was established a long time ago. She is probably just at the bottom of the pecking order. In my experience, it really helps to have at least 2 feeders and 2 waterers, even in a small flock. You might try that to make sure she is getting enough to eat and drink. I had a submissive hen bullied away from the food in a flock of 3. I've never not had at least 2 of everything since then.

 

[aart]

Welcome to BYC! @Chick66

Are you sure she's not laying?

Agrees with @lutherpug post about multiple feeders/waterers.
Might knock off the warm mash thing, and just let them have dry feed always available.

How much space do your birds have?
Dimensions, and pics, of coop and run might help us spot a problem/solution.
How far apart can you spread the 2 feed/water stations?

 

[Ridgerunner]

While the formal definition on pullet is any female chicken under a year old, that doesn't mean anything from a behavioral perspective. Behaviorally, pullets tend to start acting like hens around the time they start to lay. So yes it is quite possible she is being treated that way because she has not matured enough to force her way into the pecking order. It's also possible it could be something else but maturity (not age) differences is a likely explanation.

Even if these five were the only chickens in the old flock, they would likely reset the pecking order when they are relocated. If these were just part of the flock where they came from they will reset the pecking order when they are separated from the old flock. In spite of what you can read on here, this resetting of the pecking order is usually pretty peaceful, the more room you have the more likely it is to be peaceful. But sometimes it is not. From what you've described I think you are doing well if all they are doing is keeping her away form food. At least she is not being injured. Aart's question are good. With only five chickens people end to have pretty tight quarters which can lead to issues.

By warm mash I assume you mean a wet mash? There is nothing wrong with feeding them that as a treat as long as they clean it up. You don't want a wet mash left over, it can turn sour. To me that warm mash is unnecessary, you don't need to do it for the chickens' sake though they will enjoy a treat and it is a way to bond with them. They like the bringer of food. But you are not doing any harm as long as they clean it up, so if it makes you feel good it is probably worth it to you.

As long as that one is not being injured by the others I agree the best thing to do is set up separate feeding and watering stations far enough apart so she can eat and drink without being bullied. Observe so you can act if she does get injured but mainly just wait until she matures enough to join the rest. Don't be surprised if that process is really peaceful when it happens.

Good luck!

 

[Chick66]

While the formal definition on pullet is any female chicken under a year old, that doesn't mean anything from a behavioral perspective. Behaviorally, pullets tend to start acting like hens around the time they start to lay. So yes it is quite possible she is being treated that way because she has not matured enough to force her way into the pecking order. It's also possible it could be something else but maturity (not age) differences is a likely explanation.

Even if these five were the only chickens in the old flock, they would likely reset the pecking order when they are relocated. If these were just part of the flock where they came from they will reset the pecking order when they are separated from the old flock. In spite of what you can read on here, this resetting of the pecking order is usually pretty peaceful, the more room you have the more likely it is to be peaceful. But sometimes it is not. From what you've described I think you are doing well if all they are doing is keeping her away form food. At least she is not being injured. Aart's question are good. With only five chickens people end to have pretty tight quarters which can lead to issues.

By warm mash I assume you mean a wet mash? There is nothing wrong with feeding them that as a treat as long as they clean it up. You don't want a wet mash left over, it can turn sour. To me that warm mash is unnecessary, you don't need to do it for the chickens' sake though they will enjoy a treat and it is a way to bond with them. They like the bringer of food. But you are not doing any harm as long as they clean it up, so if it makes you feel good it is probably worth it to you.

As long as that one is not being injured by the others I agree the best thing to do is set up separate feeding and watering stations far enough apart so she can eat and drink without being bullied. Observe so you can act if she does get injured but mainly just wait until she matures enough to join the rest. Don't be surprised if that process is really peaceful when it happens.

Good luck!

Thanks for the great advice!
Unfortunately we haven't got feeders yet so it's been containers and throwing the feed until I can purchase a couple.
They have plenty of space..they're free range during the day.
They don't attack the younger one..just scare her off

 

[Acre4Me]

You need two containers of feed and water while this behavior persists, and is a good rule to follow anyway. Likely she isn't fully integrated is she really isn't laying. We have seen non-layers chased by layers but all is smoothed out when they are all laying.

We had 3 pullets that were struggling to integrate (all same age, purchased at 1 day old with the rest of the chickens). Even the cockerel hated them and would patrol the one feeder and would not let them eat. We had to put out two feeders and a long water bin that could be accessed from all sides. We ended up getting rid of those 3 pullets as they just couldn't seem to fit in (but got along with each other) and sold all three to another family. I'm not suggesting you get rid of the one, just add more opportunities for her to eat and drink.