Pecking Order: Too Aggressive?

[BrindleFinch]

Please bear with the newbie question; this is my first time having integrated babies into my main flock and I'm not sure who's being the "normal," one here!

I have some couple months old babies, who have integrated well with my five-ish month old ladies.

They're not aggressive at all - a quick peck when the babied get too close, and they let them on their way when they move off. No one chases.

Except my Silver Laced Wyandotte. All my girls are exceptionally good - the California whites and Orpington will let the babies eat right next to them already. The SLW pulls feathers and chases. She has not injured anyone - but I'm wondering which party is acting normal here. Is chasing/feather pulling normal? Or are the CW/BO normal? Or are the bsl and australorp normal, pecking them and not being tolerant?

I will say among the older girls it seems like the bsl are the highest in the pecking order. Is all of this normal?

Is the Wyandotte perhaps low in the pecking order, and taking it out on the only ones lower than her? Or is she just an ill-willed hen?

Thank you for any answers!

 

[tacothechicken]

Honestly could be either but most like your in charge hens are just giving your little the run around like my girls like to. Eventually the chicks should toughen up to the treatment and the girls will lose interest. I actually did have a scenario were a bottom hen fought a young cock constantly simply to keep him in his place but if the chicks ain't fighting back or complaining you're hens probably just a bully. You can try taking the bullies away for a few hours and see if it tones down the attitude

 

[gator75]

You nailed it. She's trying to rise above the bottom of the order. This is her best shot.

 

[snow5164]

My Wyandotte is just plain mean , we had two and they were like a gang , one died and one is a little nicer, this is her when I take her egg

 

[Susan Dye]

My Wyandotte is just plain mean , we had two and they were like a gang , one died and one is a little nicer, this is her when I take her egg

 

[rosemarythyme]

It's normal. Some older birds will tolerate the younger ones more, and my chicks quickly learned which hens they can push their luck with, and which to run from. As long as no blood is drawn it's not an issue - a few pulled feathers is fairly harmless.

And I've also heard that bottom bird in the pecking order will bully the younger ones because she doesn't want to be the low bird on the totem pole!