Mean hen, can I reform her?

I am having similar issues ... With our buff orp also. She is mature and we have 3 new (4 mos old). She had 2 mature buddies but one was eaten by a raccoon, she witnessed it and then the other one was just dead one morning...not sure how/why, she was a healthy bird and laid an egg the day she died. Was weird? This evening I separated pearl, our buff orp, from the younger hens. She was being such a bully, I put her in her own coop for the night. Not sure if anything will change but I will let you know! And I will try and do some reading to hopefully find a solution...

 

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I think when some chickens get old, they get crabby. A long soaking in hot water works well. Add onions, salt and pepper. mk

 

Mrs. K :

I think when some chickens get old, they get crabby. A long soaking in hot water works well. Add onions, salt and pepper. mk

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Well, I'm assuming you want us to field some ideas for you to try. I've had this exact same problem in the past, and hens DO change behavior over time.

What I would do is try one tactic at a time, see how it changes things, or not, then move on to the next one.

I'd try removing the bully, or segregating her so she can't get to the youngsters, for a few days to a week. The pecking order is a very dynamic thing, and changes quickly. You'll know if it's changed if, when you return the bully to the flock, she gets challenged by one of the others. If you don't want to remove the bully or segregate her for a long stretch, try just segregating her at her most active times of the day. That could be even more effective in redirecting her behavior. It can be as simple as placing her in a dog crate inside the run with the others.

If she resumes her lead role, try monitoring things closely. When she goes after a youngster, either interrupt her forward motion (you can use a tool like a fly swatter or dust pan tied onto a stick and hold it so as to block her) Do this for periods of time over a week. I've had luck with this technique when hens are combative with each other.

You can try an intensive tactic where you monitor the activity in the run and reprimand the bully with a flick to the head whenever she pecks a victim. This is how an alpha hen disciplines the flock.

You can try pinless peepers on the bully. They block forward vision and can help level the playing field. They fit on the beak and are held in place with small prongs which fit into the air holes. They are not a perfect solution. She'll still find a way to peck and bully.

Or you can just be patient and wait the few months until the youngsters mature in size and confidence, and the problem slowly goes away.

 

I have a horribly nasty 4 1/2 year old RIR hen who was lovely until she turned 4. She is my 5 year old daughter's chicken and my daughter is now afraid of her. She randomly attacks both she and I, usually when we're feeding everyone. I also have a 7 year old Ameracauna who is top chicken, a 6 month old Australorpe who is as sweet as the day is long, a 4 month old RIR roo (oops) who is also quite sweet, and 3 2 year old female ducks who are big bullies. Sofia the RIR hen bullies the little chickens, but is mainly aggressive towards me. Her "sister", a Barred Rock died over a year ago, but I don't know that that triggered her aggression, since there was a delay of about 6 months before she turned nasty. She is really upsetting the balance in the yard. Can she be nice-ified?

 

First this is one reason that I don't like mixed flocks. Too many small, weak, or target birds coupled with some real hard ankle hens.

Its been said that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Maybe you can or maybe you can't but even though I have used them and I will use them again I still find peepers or blinders unsavory. The one constant in every post in this thread is that a sweet(?) hen went bad after she amassed enough years in the trenches to earn herself a promotion.

The only way (imho) that a 7 year old hen can be reformed is to reform her into a pot of chicken and dumplings. I would find it very hard to try and modify the behavior of a 4 to 7 year old hen seeing how she spent all that time to get to the place in life that she how enjoys. My advise is to let her enjoy the time that she has left, she has earned her spot at the top of the pecking order.
“Veni, vidi, vici'