One chicken getting bullied...

[Katie593]

Hi there! I have six hens (3 Rhode Island Reds and 3 Cuckoo Marans). They are a year old and all laying eggs, so we know for sure we don't have any roosters. Recently, one of our Rhode Islands, Mary, has been really mean to our other Rhode Island, Tweety. Mary has been jumping on Tweety and pinning her to the ground. Tweety is starting to lose feathers on her back and has lost many on her neck already. There aren't any blood spots. Mary is the only chicken attacking Tweety and she isn't attacking any other chickens. They have their main coop with two runs that are at least double the spacing requirements. In addition, each day we put them in a chicken tractor in our pasture. We put additional fencing around it so now they have double the space there as well. But the spacing doesn't seem to be the issue. How do I help Tweety? She looks pretty rough. Any advice or suggestions would be wonderful! Thank you!

 

[Paula321]

Maybe put Mary in timeout in her own crate within the coop. Nearby but not in the flock. After a while she may lose interest in being a bully? I would try this for three days.

 

[rosemarythyme]

What's in the run? Is it just a big empty space or is there stuff for them to interact with and climb on and hide behind? Clutter can be very helpful in lessening tensions by breaking line of sight. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

 

[Katie593]

Maybe put Mary in timeout in her own crate within the coop. Nearby but not in the flock. After a while she may lose interest in being a bully? I would try this for three days.

Thank you!! I will give this a try.

 

[Katie593]

What's in the run? Is it just a big empty space or is there stuff for them to interact with and climb on and hide behind? Clutter can be very helpful in lessening tensions by breaking line of sight. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

After looking at that link, they definitely need more items to interact with. They really only have a roost, a swing, and I often hang a suet basket with treats. Thank you for the ideas!!