Should I separate aggressive chicken? Please help!

[goldcountrygirl]

I've got three 6-month BRs who have just started laying. This week one of the hens somehow cut her comb and the other chickens pecked at the blood before we could clean it up and put on peck-no-more lotion. Ever since, the alpha female has been pecking at her more and more aggressively - not just on the wound (which is almost healed), but all over her body.

We hoped they would work it out on their own, but it got so bad in the coop this evening (the poor victim was squawking nonstop and trying to get away to no avail) that we pulled out the aggressor and are putting her in a medium-sized dog carrier (we have no other way to separate them).

Does anyone have any advice? Should we keep her separate for a few days, or longer? Would that alter the pecking order? Thanks for your help!

 

[Chick CJ]

I'm not an expert at all on this subject but I have read of people seperating their aggressive birds for a few days to make them lower on the pecking order when they return. Some others have said it usually only works for a few days and then the aggressive one will be back at the top. Is this hen aggressive towards any other birds or just the sick one? I think it is natural that if there is a weak chicken in the crowd the others will do their best to get rid of it, maybe a survival thing? Anyway, I would keep the weak one from harm until it is completely healed and maybe separate out the mean one when you put the weak one back with the others just to give it a few days to get back in with the crowd. Only time will tell if you can change the behaviour of the aggressive hen and it will probably come down to what you are willing to go through to make it happen. That is my experience with all things related to keeping chickens!

Like I said, I'm not and expert but I figured this would get you bumped up also!
CJ