Mean Hen

[unbaked pegga]

I have 2 pet chickens. Buff orpington hens one year old. One has been "boss" since I got them . But all in all they got along pretty good, until very recently. The dominant hen has become so much more aggressive. Plucking her sister HARD. She will not let her hardly move about in the yard. They are not crowded, I have a large coop and they free range. The more docile hen has gotten so she will just stay in the nest box, even at night when she would normally roost. Of course the other hen bullied her when she was roosting as well so I don't blame her. She has not been laying very well either. I have tried scolding the bully chick and today bought a water gun to see if it might help control her aggression. Having said that, I don't have time to be out in the backyard all day and play chicken police. I have gotten so attached to them, and I don't know what to do. Any suggestions?

 

[JanetMarie]

Do you have just the two hens? Maybe you could put the bully in a cage for a certain amount of time. Then the other one can enjoy life. I don't know if putting the bully in a cage will help though, or make it worse, but I think you have to do something to help your poor picked on hen.

ETA: I see you do just have the two.

 

[HighStreetCoop]

Two is a hard number to keep for this very reason. Three at least means the dominant hen has more than one bird to pick on, but introducing just one new bird is VERY hard to do successfully. If you have the option to get two more birds, that would ideal. If not, maybe you can get an adult hen and put her together with the picked upon hen and separate out the dominant hen for a week or so before reintroducing her?

 

[JanetMarie]

Two is a hard number to keep for this very reason. Three at least means the dominant hen has more than one bird to pick on, but introducing just one new bird is VERY hard to do successfully. If you have the option to get two more birds, that would ideal. If not, maybe you can get an adult hen and put her together with the picked upon hen and separate out the dominant hen for a week or so before reintroducing her?

I like that idea.