Rogue Chickens

[cmom]

So sorry about your bird. I hope he makes it but I don't think he can function without his eye sight and maybe culling him and the bullys might be the thing to do. Everyone is different.

Long story short. I had two hens that were really aggressive so I put them in chicken jail for a week where they could see the other birds and the other birds could see them. When I let them out one was ok but one was still a bully. I put the bully hen back in the chicken jail which is a rabbit hutch that I had used as a brooder, for another week. When I let her out she was still a royal bully. I understand they have to establish their pecking order, but one hen was after blood so then I would squirt her with a hose when I saw her pouncing on one of the younger birds. Every time I saw her jump on and wail away on one of the pullets I squirted her with a hose. She eventually got the message or was getting tired of being squirted and decided it just wasn't worth it.

 

[Deborah K]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. An update:

Joe is still alive and actually has one good eye. I thought both were pecked out because he was so bloodied up. But as it turns out, he's been cleaning himself, and his good eye was covered up with bloody flesh and feathers. I still have him in a separate cage, very similar to the one you pictured.

My challange is figuring out which two of the white legghorns are the rogues. I have 6 of them. I have a big stick that I use to keep the hens in line and I have used it to keep them off of the babies. They behave themselves whenever I go into the pen with the stick. I can't use water because my silly birds don't seem to mind being sprayed.

As of the last couple of days, the older hens are now letting the babies eat and drink, although the rogues are still bullyish. My husband suggested I sit in the coop with a thick black magic marker and study the hens, and the ones that relentlessly go after the babies, I can mark across their backs. If I do this a few days in a row and notice that it's the marked hens that are the bullies, then we'll make soup out of them.

If anyone has any better suggestions, I'm open to them. This is new territory for me. Thanks again.

 

[greenmulberry]

I have had the best luck in these types of situations by removing the aggressors. Sometimes you can keep them out in another pen for a week, and when you put them back in, they are lower on the pecking order and not so aggressive.