Mean hen or pecking order?

Sure there can be a little scuffle, little pecking, but a constant pecking and bullying should not be accepted in my opinion, BUT!! I Know Some feel its just normal chicken behavior, as long as no one is getting hurt---its ok. That is fine for your chickens----I always say Raise yours the way you want---they are yours.

Me, having raised chickens for MANY years feel different and advise different and Do Different because constant bullying is Not acceptable with my chickens, BECAUSE I found out its better to deal with the "problem" before a chicken gets hurt, before a Chick dies from being pecked to death. I found out it only takes me a few seconds to remove the Bully compared to A lot of Time doctoring a badly hurt chicken after the fact. I am not going to wait till one gets hurt. Have you seen what happens to a chicken that gets Pecked one time and starts Bleeding---while you are away(not there to break it up)?? It can be Death because then the rest of the flock want some blood too and they all attack the injured. I am Not going to sit back and wait for that to happen---I am not going to put chicks with the older to be bullied most of the time and keep finding a dead/hurt chick. I Love seeing my chicks I am growing--grow to adult, not loose 1/2 of them or more for reasons that were under my control. I am not going to allow a rooster to chase/spur me----my feeling on this is "you are Not going to Hurt the one that feeds you"!

We regulars on here see it all the time, things like--- My older chickens killed my chicks, my chickens pecked a hen to death, eat her whole scalp off, etc, etc, etc. In my opinion, put a stop to it as soon as you see it start/happening. We will have enough problems come up beyond our control other than just ignoring a "problem" that We see is starting.

AGAIN, this is My Chicken Rules around my farm and for sure may be a lot different than the rules around yours and I am Not trying to Change your Rules, I am Just Stating How I do and That I have very few problems!!
 
we are experiencing this for the first time. We have on ehen that is getting the feathers on her head pecked off. We have been treating with antibiotic and liquid bandage but so far this has not deterred. We have been unable to determine who the bully is so yesterday I seperated the injured hen by putting her in a seperate run with the new pullets. They seemed to do ok but she seemed a little aggitated that she was not with her flock. Any advise is greatly appreciated; we really want to her to be both safe and happy.
thank you so much!
 
Thanks! I figured the answer was removing the BR for a time.... i'm just not quite sure how to go about it. I have a lg wire dog crate that looks like a jail, haha! But are you saying i should just fence off a part of the run for her alone or use the crate? What do i do at night? I will attach a picture so you can see our small setup. The crate wont fit in the coop.
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I am glad to hear both sides to this issue, I sometimes have to check myself to make sure i am not putting human emotions on them like @azygous suggests and at the same time, want to nip it in the bud before someone loses an eye like @PD-Riverman suggests.

Cluck and I went a couple rounds about the same time i made this post after she bit my hand while i was cleaning. She puffed up and scratched the ground like a little bull! Took a couple days for her to get that i am the boss. There is some great advice i read here about biting hens and really appreciate all the experience and suggestions. She is quite respectful with me now and she seems to be to the others as well. Well, the EE just stays away.

So i am sure she will go right back to being bossy and mean so i will wait but i think separating her is the answer and would appreciate any thoughts on how its done with my small area. Thanks so much for all the help!
 
we are experiencing this for the first time. We have on ehen that is getting the feathers on her head pecked off. We have been treating with antibiotic and liquid bandage but so far this has not deterred. We have been unable to determine who the bully is so yesterday I seperated the injured hen by putting her in a seperate run with the new pullets. They seemed to do ok but she seemed a little aggitated that she was not with her flock. Any advise is greatly appreciated; we really want to her to be both safe and happy.
thank you so much!

Im so sorry this is happening to you and fear its possible in my small flock. I hope you get some ideas. Good luck.
 
Thanks! I figured the answer was removing the BR for a time.... i'm just not quite sure how to go about it. I have a lg wire dog crate that looks like a jail, haha!

Here is what I do a lot. I buy these dog kennels when ever I find them "cheap". I probably got a dozen from medium size(like this linkhttps://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/petmate-training-retreat-wire-kennel-30-in-for-dogs-30-to-50-lb?cm_vc=-10005) to Big ones. I have kept a single chicken---rooster or hen in them for weeks. If it has the plastic bottom/tray I put that on the top and put a little weight to hold it on---if it does not have that tray I use a piece of tin or something water proof as a roof. Put a roost/perch in it towards the rear. It works Great. Can be moved every few days if wanted.
 
I personally would remove her and allow the others to bond, then in a couple weeks I would put her back and see how she does. That usually helps with mine, But if she started it again--I would remove her for a month---then when I put her back if she starts again----I would either sell her or Boil the meanness out of her.
This is what my wife and I talked about with ours. We got 4 silkies, and we added them to our flock. She asked, what if "Dot" is mean to the new babies. I told her, that if that happens, we will eat "Dot" and let the silkies raise her replacement. Dot's main job is to make eggs, not be a jerk.
 

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