Old hen just started attacking younger hen, time to go?

[FunnyFarm17]

Hello all,
I just discovered one of my approx 5 month old EE hens being attacked by the head hen "Blacky" who's about 5yo (I don't know what breed she is, we got her from a friend a few years ago, but she's all black with a green sheen to her when she's in the sun).

Poor little EE is in bad shape. The entire top of her head has been pecked off. I've got her separated from the flock and got the wound cleaned up as best I could, and she's resting with food and water.

All of my other chickens, and even my two turkeys, are scared of Blacky as well. They all run when she comes around (we have a very large coup.) She's always been a bully, but she's never attacked the others before. She's currently stalking the injured EE through the fence, like she's obsessed with finishing her off.

Do I need to eliminate her from the flock? All 16 (3 older, 13 younger including the 2 turkeys) have been together in the same coup for about a month and a half now. Before we merged the flocks, they were separated but visible to each other for the first 3-4 months, and this happened out of nowhere. I'm not even sure Blacky lays anymore, might just be a freeloader at this point?

I guess I'm just looking for confirmation that it may be time to put her in a pot

Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

 

[Eggcessive]

I would cage the younger chicken in view of the others, and apply plain neosporin or triple antibiotic ointment to her head for a week or two until it starts to heal. When she is ready to rejoin the group, use some BluKote or Betadine on her head to hide the red wound to help prevent pecking. It can take a month for feathers to grow back in after a scalping, and the new feathers are very attractive to others to peck out. I had good luck with BluKote, but some say it does not work for them. As for the bully, when the scslped girl is ready to rejoin the others gradually (and supervised at first,) then I would isolate the meanie away from the flock for at least a week. That may lower her in the pecking order, hopefully. But I would tolerate her hurting another chicken, so do what you feel is best.

 

[FunnyFarm17]

I would cage the younger chicken in view of the others, and apply plain neosporin or triple antibiotic ointment to her head for a week or two until it starts to heal. When she is ready to rejoin the group, use some BluKote or Betadine on her head to hide the red wound to help prevent pecking. It can take a month for feathers to grow back in after a scalping, and the new feathers are very attractive to others to peck out. I had good luck with BluKote, but some say it does not work for them. As for the bully, when the scslped girl is ready to rejoin the others gradually (and supervised at first,) then I would isolate the meanie away from the flock for at least a week. That may lower her in the pecking order, hopefully. But I would tolerate her hurting another chicken, so do what you feel is best.

Thank you very much! Appreciate the info!