One hen bullying another very specific hen

[Wesley416]

Hi guys thanks in advance for any help

My flock is a follows
3 Isa browns
-Wing ding aka Dinger
-Lupe
-Ruby

3 White leghorns
-Cotton bird
-Chick Norris
-April (RIP 2/13/17) Hawk got her )

My chickens have been displaying some odd behavior really only two of them One of my white leghorns started molting in january and one of my isa browns started picking on her but only her and dinger is the only bird that picks on her.

So cotton has become terrified of Dinger any time dinger walks by her cotton runs shes very skidish toward us now where cotton bird was one of the more affectionate people birds before the molt. Cotton has since come out of the molt and is looking good comb has restored and her feathers are all back nice and thick but Dinger is still picking on her she will jump on her and bite her neck now another note is Dinger hasnt pulled any feathers or drawn blood on cotton bird yet but i dont know what to do to stop it. Thank you for your input and please help.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Sex links are not nice birds in my experiences. They tend to be more aggressive than other breeds or mixes.

Birds have been molting strangely since last fall so some hens are still at it.

Occasionally a hen is so uncomfortable during her molt that she starts acting odd and skiddish which can cause some birds to go after them. It starts a vicious cycle where the picked on bird becomes chronically frightened and the more dominant members keep picking on it.

If your set up is big enough with plenty of hiding spots the picked on one can hide out and get away. Smaller set up can cause things to get worse. You didn't say anything about how large your coop and run is, so adding that could help determine if it's contributing to the problem.

You will need to either choose to stay out of it and hope it stops or you could separate birds to see if it helps. I would remove the bullies for a few weeks if you wanted to do so.

Sex link hens can become deficient in protein due to their high production. If you are feeding a layer ration it often isn't enough. It can cause aggression problems. I recommend a feed closer to 20% protein, especially if you feed anything else.