Mean Hen in Chicken Jail

[juliejohnson805]

Background - I have a mixed flock of 15 hens (no roo) all around 2 years old and I added 6 5 week olds into the coop/run a couple weeks ago. They have been raised outside in a seperate cage under carport in plain site of flock but not adjacent to them. They could come up to the cage. The chicks now have a seperate area within the run where they are were an isolated part of the flock. Starting letting them all mingle with supervision for a bit and now full time. They are sleeping in coop and free ranging a little but they are not going very far away from coop/run.

One of my Red Star hens is being quite the bully. This was starting before the chicks went into run but has gotten worse. Big Mama (Leader of flock) has actually gotten her off of some of the other hens a few times that we have witnessed. Now with the chicks she is getting after them pretty good. They have areas to hide and there has been no noticeable injuries to hens or chicks. But I have had enough! (Am I being unreasonable? Thought process is she was acting this way with hens before chicks so it will only get worse????)

I put her in a cage and removed her from the run/coop this morning when she started in first thing.
Questions:
- How long does she need to stay in jail? She is not in the coop/run but is in full site of others. Is that okay?
- I have 2 roos in the chicks that I plan on keeping - FCM and GLW - is this going to cause major issues? I have had roos in the past but not integrated them into existing flock before. Thoughts?

TIA!!

 

[ChickenLady2014]

Hi juliejohnson805,
Great questions, personally I would & have done the same thing as your doing. I would say leave her in Hen Jail for a couple of days. Then try introducing her back into the flock. If she still acts aggressively then put her back in Hen Jail for a couple more days. I suspect that a couple days will be adequate time to change her behavior. If not you could always consider rehoming her. I have done that with past troublemakers & it's unbelievable the difference it made with my flock. In fact one summer I rehomed 6 production layers that were really bossy & picking at the flock. I was astonished to see that my egg production went up by 8-10 eggs a day. The production layers were bullying the hens & keeping them from the nest boxes.
It sound like you have enough hens to support 2 roo's, but you will just have to watch them. It is easier when they have grown up together, but ultimately it is dependent on the personalities of the roosters if they can coexist. Best of luck with your bossy hen

 

[chickengeorgeto]

It is unreasonable beyond words to expect a chicken to ignore 1,000,000s of years of evolution and refrain from enforcing its' prerogatives in the matter of the pecking order.

Yes, you can degrade the health, strength, resolve, and well being of the top or "bully" hen enough by locking her away , that she will drop in rank but her place will usually be taken by another (Lower Ranking) hen. The only thing that is guaranteed to bring peace is time and your new birds aging to the point that they can stick up for themselves and find their own level in the flock.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

With time they will all intergrate.But hens are often harder on young males than female,from what I have seen.Seperating her may cause her to get lower,or she could remain in her exact spot,or the hens may continue to be scared of her,and she could also get higher in order.

 

[ChickenLady2014]

It is unreasonable beyond words to expect a chicken to ignore 1,000,000s of years of evolution and refrain from enforcing its' prerogatives in the matter of the pecking order.

Yes, you can degrade the health, strength, resolve, and well being of the top or "bully" hen enough by locking her away , that she will drop in rank but her place will usually be taken by another (Lower Ranking) hen. The only thing that is guaranteed to bring peace is time and your new birds aging to the point that they can stick up for themselves and find their own level in the flock.

Really?? I was not even talking about the chicks. There is always going to be scuffles with introducing new chicks into a flock, I know that. My point is & was I personally refuse, regardless if it is a million years of evolution, to allow a mean hen or hens to pick at other flock members to the point of doing injury or completely disrupting the whole flock dynamics. I believe you took my words out of context & if you believe that putting a bird in time out is degrading to their health, their resolve & well being, then I sure hope you don't put a broody hen in a wire bottom cage to break her broodiness or per your words, you are just as guilty of the crime you are accusing me of. My birds are all treated with great respect & are given great care regardless if they are in "Jail" or in the general population. I am truly offended that you would attack my person for trying to help this person.

 

[SueT]

After my bully hen bloodied another for the second time, I put blinders on her. These are called pinless peepers, and create a blind spot so the bullying stops. They snap into the nostrils. My hen doesn't act uncomfortable, she can eat, drink, and roost, but she stopped pecking other chickens. I got them on Ebay.

 

[aart]

I would separate your bully hen for at least a week.
Then toss her back in and see what happens.
Or if you're not incredibly fond of her....soup.

Multiple males can work....or not.
Be ready to separate if need be,
sounds like the bully jail situation should be resolved before the cockerel start trouble,
so you'll have an open space.
What is a FCM...and why do you need 2 males?
Maybe FBCM French Black Copper Marans?

 

[juliejohnson805]

Multiple males can work....or not.
Be ready to separate if need be,
sounds like the bully jail situation should be resolved before the cockerel start trouble,
so you'll have an open space.
What is a FCM...and why do you need 2 males?
Maybe FBCM French Black Copper Marans?

That is my plan. She will go to freezer camp if she cant behave. It's very confusing she is not the lead hen...just being a bully.

Yes, its a FBCM...left out a letter by mistake. I'm adding 1 FCBM roo and 2 hens and 1 BLW roo with 2 hens to the mix. I have the 2 because I would like to start breeding some. If they can't cooperate with each other I'll go ahead and break off into 2 flocks next spring.

 

[aart]

I have the 2 because I would like to start breeding some. If they can't cooperate with each other I'll go ahead and break off into 2 flocks next spring.

Should probably plan to separate anyway,
at least a month before collecting hatching eggs,
if you want pure breeds and not crosses.

 

[Broody Bist]

One of my hens was EXACTLY like that. Susie, the oldest hen in our flock, would always try to pull her off. When Barney was introduced to the flock, he was a MAJOR help. Dandelion (the mean hen) still tries to pick on the newer additions to the flock, but not as bad. Having a rooster in there should definitely help. Speaking of which, that GLW is going to be BEAUTIFUL