Separating the bully...

[Rosypetals]

Just to start you off easy, this is a two part thread. I have 8 birds as seen in my signature. My silver laced Wyandotte is the lead of the p pecking order, and she picks on everyone except my Rhode Island Red, and she especially picks on my Ameraucana. I am going to separate her from the flock with a dog cage I picked up, so she can see and hear the others, and I have a feeder and waterer. I’m just wondering when I put her inside for the night, do I let her free roam in the coop once inside, or do I keep her inside the dog cage? Also will she lay when she is in the cage? She is a brand new layer as in she just laid her first egg 4 days ago. My Rhode Island Red is also a layer, but she just started yesterday and her eggs are tiny. I just want to know if I’ll still get my full sized eggs.

Part 2: my ameraucana is the one being picked on. I have no roosters, and she isn’t laying, but bumble is my Wyandotte and she is plucking her feathers and giving her cuts and sores. I have a lavender essential oil and coconut oil remedy I use. Will this habit stop eventually or will she always be picked on? She is 3 to last in the pecking order.

Anything and everything helps! Thanks

 

[True Patriot]

1) keep her solely in the cage the entire time. Like a kid in time out. She shouldn't mix with the others for a couple of days. It resets her position in the pecking order. If she returns before that it won't help.
2) try something like blukote on the sores. Chickens will peck any open sores/wounds. The blukote disguises the injury and makes it less appealing. It's also an antiseptic so it will help prevent infection.

 

[Folly's place]

Try separating your aggressive pullet, away from the flock, for maybe two weeks or so, and see if she moves down the pecking order. Sometimes that will help. She may need to be rehomed if she's beating up a flockmate.
Your injured pullet should be in sight of the flock, and only separated if other birds are also picking on her. Otherwise, keep her with her flockmates.
More information; what are you feeding? How much space do they have, in the coop and run, and outside? Do you have more than one feeder and waterer, in different locations? Are there hiding spaces, not dead-end, but out of sight of the other birds?
I'd keep essential oils off the bird, and use either nothing, or a safer wound ointment.
Mary

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

So I have 7 hens, and 3 of them got into a bad habit of plucking the feathers off the rear ends and saddle areas of the others. I tried separating bullies and bullied, I tried blu kote, nothing worked . Someone turned me on to pinless peepers and they've worked miracles. The aggressive hens that were doing the plucking immediately stopped that behavior. After a couple months I was able to remove the peepers and everything is calm and quiet now. They were cheap, and after the hens freaked out for a couple minutes after installation, they were fine with them. I can't recommend them enough.

 

[Folly's place]

I've never used them, but they do work! My plan has always been to keep polite birds who aren't into mutilating flockmates, and managing the flock for best behavior.
Mary

 

[LittleMissCountry]

I had an issue with bullying, and separating the bully did not work for me. It actually seemed to make her more aggressive when she returned, like she was trying to establish her authority again. I ended up using Azygous's method, and separated the victim in my portable run, but put another flock member in with her so she wasn't alone. They also were in sight of the other chickens. I would put them back in the coop at night, then separate again in the morning. It seemed to give the victim more confidence and when I let them all together again, it was during free range time, so they could spread out and stay away from each other if needed. The victim started standing up for herself, and puffing up her neck feathers instead of running away. Now she doesn't get bullied, just regular pecking order stuff...no injuries.

 

[aart]

Anything and everything helps! Thanks

How much space do you have, in feet by feet (with pics), in coop and run?
If a subordinate bird cannot get a good 6-10 feet away the pecking order can turn into 'bullying' and injuries.

Are all these birds the same age and did they grow up together?
When birds start to lay the pecking order goes thru changes,
and it's not uncommon for the aggression to be more prevalent.
If integration is part of the scenario, then that's a different story.

What all and how exactly are you feeding?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

So I have 7 hens, and 3 of them got into a bad habit of plucking the feathers off the rear ends and saddle areas of the others. I tried separating bullies and bullied, I tried blu kote, nothing worked . Someone turned me on to pinless peepers and they've worked miracles. The aggressive hens that were doing the plucking immediately stopped that behavior. After a couple months I was able to remove the peepers and everything is calm and quiet now. They were cheap, and after the hens freaked out for a couple minutes after installation, they were fine with them. I can't recommend them enough.

I don't think that your hens have developed any bad habits but the feather picking sounds like you have a serious case of malnutrition or insufficient protein in your flock's ration.

Sure nothing is working because these chickens are starving for protein (and animal protein at that) in their diet. Try substituting 20 to 25% of a good kibble dog food, catfish food, or pig chow for a like amount of pellets or mash.

 

[MrsWayne]

Hmm. I wonder if I just buggered up my issue?

My Pekins were being throttled by my roosters, one Barred (?) and one RI (he was a surprise rooster). I noticed red marks on the upper bill and would see the RI whack the snot out of one Peking.

I moved all the chickens to a pre-fab coop/run I got from a box store and left the Pekins in the original pen. Maybe I should have just moved the roosters?

If I let them all back in the run together do you think the roosters will hurt the Pekins again?