Should I separate???????

[jprice2ndlt]

I have 4 hens and a rooster. 2 of my hens stay in the coop because the other hens chase and peck them. They have been mixed for going on 3 weeks now. I just dont know if i should seperate them for awhile and let them see each other through the wire or should i just leave them together? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[patyrdz]

If you do separate them, make sure you leave the nice ones and move the mean ones out. Then put the mean one back in the pen after a few days. This way the pecking order has changed, and the mean ones will be going into the nice ones turf! Hope this helps.

 

[jprice2ndlt]

i was thinking of moving the two new ones out should i not do that?

 

[moosenbudda]

I personally would let them work it out and get the pecking order down unless one of them is really getting hurt then take it out.

 

[jprice2ndlt]

What should i do if my rooster is the main one. i saw him pull out a wad of feathers out of my buffs rearend.

 

[damselfish]

Couple of different possibilities here:
1) 4 hens is generally considered too few to have a rooster, they will get mated too much. Consider adding more girls over time or subtracting the rooster.
2) I second the opinion above of taking out the mean hens (each alone), not the nice hens. I did this with good success this year and it knocked a mean pullet right down to the bottom of the pecking order.
3) pecking can also be a boredom, nutrition, or space issue, there's lots of info on here about this, search pecking.

Good luck, it's so frustrating when chickens don't "play nice" together.