Should I butcher bullied hen

[cosmicredneck]

I have 8 isa browns and one hen is getting bullied my other girls are keeping her on the roofs of the coops and not really letting her down into the Run if I butcher her for meat now since I think she stopped laying will The Bullying stop or will the next bird on the pecking order just start getting bullied as well any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated thank you

 

[junebuggena]

Need a bit more info. Is this one that is getting picked on new to the flock? How big is the coop? How big is the run? What do you feed?

 

[cosmicredneck]

Need a bit more info. Is this one that is getting picked on new to the flock? How big is the coop? How big is the run? What do you feed?

 

[cosmicredneck]

No she's not new to the flock at all same bunch of chicks that I brought in in the springtime coop is 10 x 10 dog kennel I can't free-range here because of too many predators I feed a regular layer Feed plus table scraps plus whatever feeds I get from my one buddy's who works on a farm these chickens are very well fed

 

[Better Than Rubies]

Oh, no; that shouldn't be necessary. You should try to find her a nice new home instead if you can't solve the bullying problem. But, one question: Are all of the hens bullying her? If we can find out a possible cause why they're doing it, we should be able to find a solution other than culling her.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

If you butcher the alpha hen you very well may have to butcher all 6 of your remaining Isa Brown hens, because the top position in the pecking order may very well continue to move down hill to the 2nt. 3rd, 4th. 5th. and 6th hen. And the hen on the bottom will not improve her position in the slightest. Why not cut to the heart of the issue and rehome the hen who is being abused. Hens only care about what hens care about. I realize that many new chicken owners look at their feathered charges like they are winged humans but chickens are better described as feathered hellions who share none of a human's ethics.

 

[cosmicredneck]

It seems like only 2 of my other girls r bullying her right now from what I can c don't have enough room to relocate her and plus Im pretty sure she ain't laying because of it also she's plump and I could use a chicken dinner here my line of thinking is if I kill her off for meat there won't be any more bullying

 

[cosmicredneck]

Chickengeorgeto I don't wanna butcher the top hen I wanna butcher the bottom hen ya know put her out of her misery plus get a nice chicken dinner out of her

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I don't know about "any more bullying" but there will likely be a lot less bullying if you cook the hen who is currently being bullied. Situations like your's are often the result of the hen being bullied having health issues. That doesn't mean that the other 7 hens are trying to isolate a sick hen but rather she is an easy target of opportunity.

 

[Better Than Rubies]

Oh. Well, I meant rehome her to a different person; not moving her to a different spot in your yard, lol. =)