The dominant hen is pecking the other chicken - need help and advice

[Dana.Banana]

I have two easter egger chickens. Well about a week ago, Brownie started to peck at Whitey to the point that she was drawing blood. Whitey now has scabs present at the corners of her cheeks/beak and behind her ears. The hens have been separated. Whitey's scabs have healed and popped off. Well, yesterday, I reintroduced the hens to one another. Unfortunately within minutes, Brownie started pecking at Whitey's face, again! I separated the hens because Brownies was pecking hard enough to draw blood in the same areas on Whitey's face. Seriously . . . Brownie is a total bully!

The girls have been clutch mates for some time. So why is the fighting behavior present???

Um, now what should I do??? I could use some advice because I have no idea what to do now!!! One piece of advice that I've received is to get another chicken to throw of the dominance/pecking order amongst the hens.

 

[chicmom]

Hello there!

This is a tough situation. I personally would get rid of a hen who bullies like that. But, if you are attached to her, why don't you try some of those pinless peepers. They are little "blinders" that attach through the nostril holes on a chicken's beak, and they somehow deter pecking. A friend of mine has used them on a really mean rooster, and she claims they worked well.

Some hens are just so darned mean though......it might not be worth the effort. I would probably vote for replacing her with another, more docile hen or two, or three......

Sharon

 

[Judy]

That's the only thing I know to try, assuming of course they are not crowded and are being fed adequately. Well, there is also boredom -- do they have grass and weeds and such to peck, at least part of the day?

The one time I had a bully of a hen, she became dinner.

 

[Dana.Banana]

Thank you for the suggestion.

I was talking to my husband and if the behavior continued, we agreed that Brownie would be "dinner". The girls have the entire backyard to run around. Fresh food and water are always present.

Now, I've got Brownie in the backyard and Whitey roams the front yard. Whitey is considered the new lawn art . . . and I'm not sure if the neighbors like that.

 

[Year of the Rooster]

If it is just those two, then I would suggest adding more birds to the flock. Two hens is not adequate...