Separating an aggressive hen

[JuliaSunshine]

One of my 9 free-ranged hens is getting more aggressive with other hens.
She used to be the bottom but now she keeps fighting other hens and goes up the pecking order.
One hen lost a part of her comb and another got a bunch of broken wing feathers and I suspect the culprit is the same chicken mentioned above.
She has viciously attacked mother hens as well as the timid one on the bottom of the pecking order.

After a big fight between her and one mother hen yesterday, I put her in a small box and the other hens seemed a lot more peaceful.
Maybe I'll keep separating her and make her the bottom of the flock again.

The box she's in has a small window and other chickens see her.
Is it okay or should she be totally out of sight from others to become the bottom of the flock?
Will she be subdued after she rejoins the flock or keep fighting to go up again?

 

[2ndTink]

I separated my aggressive hen a couple years ago, she could see the rest of the flock and her cage shared one fence with the main coops run. Three days worked magic for her, but be prepared that if it doesn't work you may need to consider keeping her in a run or rehoming her to keep the peace and safety of the rest of your flock.

 

[sourland]

Sounds as if she is tired of being lowest in the pecking order. I would expect her to continue fighting once you reintroduce her. As long as there is no serious injury, I would let the flock work things out.

 

[2ndTink]

Sourland is right, I didn't consider that my problem hen was the boss and yours is working her way up.

 

[David61]

Jail time in the broody cooler works most of the time. so does correcting the behavior when you see it happen. I'll go in and fuss at the bully and pin her to the ground if i can.
Every chicken i have knows i'm the boss, that i am the rooster, they love me and fear me. They call me ruk Buk, giver of grain, taker of eggs, keeper of the gate to the run. I vanquish possums, protector from hawks, slayer of coons, destroyer of fox. All hail ruk Buk

 

[fluffycrow]

I agree with sourland. She just want to move her way up the pecking order. She's already accomplished something, and removing her from the flock and starting that process again mean she'll have to fight her way up completely from the bottom, meaning fighting will continue for longer. Just let her find her place, as long as injuries aren't really severe

 

[JuliaSunshine]

I agree with sourland. She just want to move her way up the pecking order. She's already accomplished something, and removing her from the flock and starting that process again mean she'll have to fight her way up completely from the bottom, meaning fighting will continue for longer. Just let her find her place, as long as injuries aren't really severe

Good point. I think that's very possible.

I'm just not sure if losing a part of a comb is a severe injury or not. A quarter of a hen's comb has been plucked right out.
Thankfully there wasn't much bleeding but our favorite bottom hen became even more timid and awkward looking. So sad.
How about breaking/pulling wing feathers? I broke off the fight between a mother hen and her and I wonder if I hadn't what would've happened.
I got rid of our rooster yesterday as he was not a good fit and it looks like she started to act more aggressively. She looks a bit like a rooster with big, dangly wattles, too.
Today we got a 10-week-old cockerel and I don't want her to bully our new rooster either.

I'm going to sell her in the late summer with a few other hens anyways so I just want to keep the flock as peaceful as possible.
She's an awkward, passive aggressive and loud thing that used to attack even me. I don't really want to see her beating up the top hens that I like...
But I feel bad for locking her up. How long will it take for her to go up the ladder fighting her way up? I'd like to let her be but she's been a terror to the hens she challenged and won, relentlessly chasing them away.
It's difficult...

 

[Kim8erly]

Sounds as if she is tired of being lowest in the pecking order. I would expect her to continue fighting once you reintroduce her. As long as there is no serious injury, I would let the flock work things out.

What does pecking order mean ?

 

[Mrs. K]

Some birds can take a bit of overcrowding, some birds cannot. What are the dimensions and numbers of birds, and their ages. Often times as birds become full size, these issues pop up. As they come into lay, their pecking order should rise.

But sometimes you get a bird that just does not fit in your flock. I do not like that much discord, and solve for peace in the flock. I keep a flock, not forever birds. Birds come into and if needed move out of my flock.

Mrs K