Hi all... Well...i've been having a little trouble with my 3 girls getting along (Red Stars about 25 weeks old). Within last 2-3 weeks, Ruby and Topaz have been picking on my favorite hen, Garnet. I have felt so sorry for her (she was hiding out in the coop to get away from them) that i decided to try to give the meanest girl (Topaz) an attitude adjustment and put her in a separate, isolated pen. That left Garnet and Ruby together. Well it's only been 2 days, but Ruby is still picking on Garnet. Garnet is not as frantic as she was before with both of them picking on her, but now i'm wondering if i should have put Ruby in Solitary Confinement.???? I thought Topaz was the dominent one, and Ruby was just following her lead, but now i'm wondering. I really want all of them to be together again...until 23 weeks they seemed so cohesive, then all of a sudden...disharmony. Is it normal for them to pick one hen, then eventually, it works out? or am i looking at keeping them separated indefinetly. I need a class in chicken sociology...
There's going to be a pecking order, & it seems, not much you can do about it. I probably would have tried isolating the meanest hen as well, but once re-introduced, the pecking order may or may not be re-established just as it was. Do they have plenty of room? Boredom can lead to more infighting with hens. Try hanging a suet feeder with fresh veggies to peck or get a big chicken pasture block (pecker wrecker) to give them something to do besides pick.
