One hen chasing others off the roost.

[MVchickens]

A minute ago after watching all 25 10 week olds squabble for there favorite spot on the roost. well i was watching a bantam that I have in with them(little smaller) chase every single hen off the top roost. Whats going on? How can I correct it?

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Bossy bantam! You could try taking her off the roost and letting the others perch or taking her out of the coop for a day to take her down a peg. But it can be hard to dissuade a hen who wants to be boss, eventually the other chickens will likely make a point of finding a spot on the roost. You could also put in another roosting spot if there is room.

 

[April's Chicken Ranch]

I'd be interested in knowing if there's anything to be done about that too, I some time's have to break up the fight when Sandra D decides she owns it all.

 

[AbbyDog]

I had a similar problem with my big bossy Delaware hen pushing and pecking everyone else off the roost. The other side of the roost always looked better to her, especially if 5 hens were between her and that end. Every evening there would be so much noise from the hen house that I would have to run outside and break it all up. It wasn't only Dolly making all the commotion- the others definitely had issues with whom they could or couldn't sit next to. So, after a lot of frazzled nerves, I decided to stick a piece of plywood halfway along the perch dividing it into half- so then there were two sections with four walls to sit against. This helped a lot. But, there was still a lot of jumping up and jumping down and pecking and pushing and shoving. Finally, in desperation, I stuck in another short perch and now the bossy girl can be by herself in her favorite corner and the other hens huddle together onto the new perch.

Most of my chickens seem to like to be on the inside edge against a wall- must feel safer- so see if you can add to, rearrange or divide your perches to give more wall space.

 

[April's Chicken Ranch]

That's awesome advice!I'll put my hubby to work on it asap!