Rooster is attacking one hen... she is stressed and laying soft eggs now

[kattitude45]

OK, so I posted a few weeks ago about this one hen... https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/862611/need-help-asap-egg-bound#post_13128447

I now think I know the problem. My roo is attacking her, he runs her off and attacks her when she tries to eat or rejoin the flock. She runs out of the coop and I feed her on the other side of the barn, alone so no one can hurt her. The other hens are not mean to her but she runs when she sees them coming. She was the boss before all of this... and a great layer. Now she looks thin and is laying soft or thin eggs everyday. I have 10 hens, she's the only one getting picked on. Here is a pick of her with my roo just a few months ago...she's the darker hen in the middle ...
now she's been exiled! help?

 

[chooks4life]

It's possible he's running her off because she has something contagious. Normally I'd not tolerate a rooster making any hen's life miserable but she may need checking out more thoroughly, I would bet something is fairly wrong with her.

Best wishes, hope a solution is found.

EDIT: checked your other thread. You said this:
Quote: Can you elaborate on what you mean by 'not right in the head'?

 

[JackE]

I had the same problem with a rooster a couple of years ago. I had one older hen from my original flock, when I got 18 new chicks. One day the roo that came with the new birds, decided that he did not want the older hen around any more. He drove her away from the others and food. He would attack her seemingly on sight. Even when she submitted, he would continue the attack, bloodying her comb, tearing out feathers. He would have killed her for sure, if I didn't do something. I tried separating the roo from the rest of the flock, for a week. When reintroduced, he again went on the attack. Other than attacking this hen, he was a seemingly good roo, no aggression toward humans, good with the rest of the hens, but he hated this older hen. He had to go. The hen provides eggs, the rooster was useless. He ended up in freezer camp. Roosters get something in their heads, it's in there, and they won't change. My suggestion, either get rid of the rooster, or set him up in some kind of rooster bachelor pad.

 

[kattitude45]

It's possible he's running her off because she has something contagious. Normally I'd not tolerate a rooster making any hen's life miserable but she may need checking out more thoroughly, I would bet something is fairly wrong with her.

Best wishes, hope a solution is found.

EDIT: checked your other thread. You said this:
Can you elaborate on what you mean by 'not right in the head'?

she's been skittish, laid inconsistently, not the top hen anymore, a loner... It could have to do with the roo being mean to her, but I did not notice that until last week.

 

[kattitude45]

I'm not opposed to getting a different roo... He has been great and is nice to my kids, that is a must around here as well...But I don't want him attacking my hen!