One hen is attacking another hen!

[apple4]

I have 10 hens that are 19 weeks old. They have all gotten along beautifully until yesterday. One Red Star started attacking another Red Star. It was brutal. I separated the attacker and last night put them all in our new, large run that we just built. Again, the same hen attacked the same red star. I separated the attacker for the night and this morning put them all out to free range and the same hen attacked again. What do I do? We are leaving on vacation within the week also. Do I get rid of the aggressive hen?Thanks so much for any advice. Amy

 

[CMV]

Put the bully in a couple day "time out" in a separate space. I have a small cage I use for breaking broodies and busting bullies (usually the same hen in my case). When you return her to the flock she will be the low man in the pecking order. It will take her a while to work her way back to top position. The "time out" will give the victim a break from the assaults.

It's usually a good idea to stay uninvolved in chicken politics as much as possible. They need to work out their own pecking order and interfering with the pecking order frequently just prolongs the ordeal. I will only step in if one hen is being abusive to the point of injuring others or denying others access to food and water. If you need to add extra feeders and watering stations to prevent hoarding resources, then that is a better alternative than separating out chicken bullies. There's always going to be a boss and there's always going to be a peon. It's not always easy to watch in so clear-cut a fashion as is displayed in the poultry world, but that's the way it is. It isn't pretty to see in action.

Good luck. Enjoy your vacation.

 

[apple4]

I have kept the hen in different sleeping quarters for 3 nights and during the day either she is out of the run and the rest are in or vise versa. I put them all out to free range and the same Red Star instantly attacks the same bird. What do I do now? Thanks, Amy