My Brahma is getting picked on!

[Adi B]

Hi there. I used to have chickens years ago and have recently decided to have another flock.
I have 6 chickens that are 7 weeks old. Doing well. They have a lovely coop and great big run.
I have a mixed flock: Copper Maran, golden Laced wynadotte, Ameracauna, buff Brahma, Novogen, and an orpington.
My Golden Laced Wynadotte is a bit of a bully. She pecked the Novogen. And recently pecked my Brahma (who at this point is smaller than the other chickens). My Brahma is definitely bottom of the flock right now. She has no feathers in one spotted on her back. I've coated it a couple times a day with Blu kote to help it heal and discourage more pecking. It's working somewhat, but my copper Maran still gets her a few times a day.
What else can I do to protect my lil Brahma till she heals a bit and puts on some size? I don't want to separate her out if at all possible because I don't want to make it worse for her. Neither do I want to go out one morning and find her seriously injured or dead.
FYI:My coop is huge. My run is big. They aren't stressed or bored.
Any help is appreciated!
Thanks.

 

[azygous]

I wrote an article on how to deal with a chicken that is being bullied. Coincidentally, the subject of my article is a Buff Brahma named Joycie. It's very wise of you to recognize this as a problem that demands to be dealt with immediately. My article will spell out exactly why your intuition is dead-on in this matter.

The danger is that a bullying victim, especially a breed such as Brahmas which are docile by nature, will internalize this treatment and permanently come to adopt being a victim as their role in the flock. This sets up a self fulfilling interaction between bully and victim.

Read through the article and you'll see how to set things up to turn this situation around. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chicken-bully-chicken-victim-a-two-sided-issue.73923/

 

[Adi B]

I wrote an article on how to deal with a chicken that is being bullied. Coincidentally, the subject of my article is a Buff Brahma named Joycie. It's very wise of you to recognize this as a problem that demands to be dealt with immediately. My article will spell out exactly why your intuition is dead-on in this matter.

The danger is that a bullying victim, especially a breed such as Brahmas which are docile by nature, will internalize this treatment and permanently come to adopt being a victim as their role in the flock. This sets up a self fulfilling interaction between bully and victim.

Read through the article and you'll see how to set things up to turn this situation around. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chicken-bully-chicken-victim-a-two-sided-issue.73923/

Thank you so much for the information and the article link! I think a chicken jail is in my near future! I've noticed my bullied chicken (ironically named Chickzilla) likes to be by herself. With the variety of chickens I have she will also (eventually) be the biggest. If I can impart some confidence in her and give her some time to heal and grow. Well I have tomorrow's project planned out. Thanks again!

 

[azygous]

I'd love to hear about her progress here. Others will be following this also. I'm hoping for the best, though I haven't had a failure yet with this method.

 

[Adi B]

UPDATE: Chickzilla is now spending the night in the coop with the big girls! For about a week I ended up putting our large brooder pin (its a play pen), in the living room. Every morning I would take her out and let her spend the day with the other girls and then at night I would bring her in to spend the night. She was able to heal, get a bit of extra attention and treats and generally liked it. It gave her a bit of confidence. During the day I observed her chest bumping with another hen and she seems to have made a buddy she tends to hang out with. Also turned out she isn't being bullied by another hen. Debbie, my bully chicken... is a rooster. And as much of a character as Debbie the Roo is, I cant have her in the city limits and am desperately looking for a new home for her. Well for sexed chickens I guess 5 out of 6 isn't bad...
The problem with Chickzilla seems to have passed. She is the most docile of birds and still my smallest. Someday she will grow into her name. Until then she is just happy being with the big girls and doing her thing!

 

[TwoShepherds]

Thanks for posting the update. It's always nice to hear how things worked out, especially when there is a positive outcome. I'm glad that Chickzilla (that's a fun name, BTW) is doing better. I hope you find a good home for "Debbie."

 

[azygous]

Threads need endings since they are stories just like movies and books are. Thanks so much for updating. Cheers for Chickzilla!