Pecking Order - so mean!!

[cktap62]

We have 7 chickens about 6 months old. There’s definitely 2 top hens and 1 poor sweet girl named Monica. Monica is a Cream Legbar and she is always last to the party whenever treats are given, she’s usually off on her own digging in the yard. She is so nervous and skittish whenever confined to the run and I see the 2 bullies—BJ and Chrissy giving her a little peck when she gets too close to the feeder. No blood yet. Monica has always been the smallest and is still not laying. Should I intervene and shut the other 2 up for a time? I feel bad for my little girl . This was when she was a baby.

 

[Ridgerunner]

How big are your coop and run? With only three chickens they might be pretty small, which could be contributing to the problem.

How hard would it be to provide a separated feeding station so she can eat in peace? That is a common solution when this type of bullying is going on. My concern is that you may not have enough room to separate feeding stations enough. Some people resort to one in the coop and one in the run.

It sounds like the two are laying and this one is not. Their social position often changes when they start laying. I'd try to hold out until them to see what happens.

 

[cktap62]

Thank you for your response. The coop is 6 x 6 with an L shaped roosting area that all 7 chickens fit on with plenty of space. The run is 12 x 6. We have 2 feeders. The 2 bullies don’t seem to bother the other 4 as much as Monica. 6 are laying, only Monica is not. I will hold out until she starts laying or if the situation gets worse for her.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Block the feeders some way so when Monica is feeding she can't be seen by the bully. Put some things in the run she can hide behind or under and get on top of. It's called "clutter." In nature there would be trees or bushes she could hide behind. Help her out a little. Make sure there is nothing to trap her in a corner.