OK, I thought I had a broody now I'm not so sure. I have one hen that stays in the nest box quite a bit. When she does come out to eat the others chase her around like they are gonna kick her butt. Any thoughts on what is happening or what if anything needs to be done? This has been Going on for about a month. Thanks.
Unfortunately, you are seeing the pecking order in action. It isn't pretty. Is there enough space? Crowding can cause some strife. If there's enough space then I would make sure there are multiple feed and water stations available to use, so she can have access to resources. I would also watch for a while to see if there is one particular bully beating on her. If the majority of the beatings are coming from one culprit then I would remove said culprit for a few days to a separate cage. Removing the bully can mix up the pecking order just enough to give the underdog a fighting chance. Once the bully is put back in it will take a while for that bird to get back to its dominant position thereby giving the weaker bird a break from the harassment. Good luck.
Thanks. They have Plenty of space. Today I locked them all out of the coop for a couple Hrs so they could work it out. The fighting isn't too bad. Maybe instead of avoiding it by sitting in the laying box all day she just needs a nudge to deal with it. I will lock them out for a time again tomorrow. With food and water of course.
If you are going to separate them to shake up the pecking order, you will need keep them apart for longer than a day or so. I would shoot to keep the bully separate for a week to ten days then reintroduce them. When you separate them that means out of site of the other birds sometimes when they in an ajoining run within site they are able to maintain their place in the order so it would be a waste of time. Another thing that I have in my run is objects that break up the line of site of the birds so if one is being picked on they can run a few feet and most of the time the other bird forgets about them, at least for awhile. It gives the bird that is being harrassed a break and they are at least able to feed and drink. Feeders and waterers on both sides of the "blinds" allow them to be able to do so in peace. My run is larger than most so I do understand that doing this may not be possible in some cases but just a thought. Good luck to you and your girl! James
