My mature, tired, tattered chicken used to be at the bottom of the pecking order. She is small, has always pulled out her own feathers, and two weeks ago her last two coop mates were taken midday by a fox, traumatizing her further. This week, I added six, 6 mo old layers, to the coop.
She is evidently by default the lead, being on her own home turf. Still she is fighting for her position. The challengers are reasonable.. pushing a bit or just looking at her, but she has become a beast, pecking hard, not only at the interlopers, but at lettuce or anything at all. I'm worried she will die of exhaustion. There is a lot of space so the other chickens can move out of her way and two contenders seem to have stopped challenging her, but none are too afraid and all continue from time to time to approach her head on, grab a morsel, touch her beak, and so on. She is not suited to being the lead. Is there anyway to make her give it up so she can have an easier time?
She is evidently by default the lead, being on her own home turf. Still she is fighting for her position. The challengers are reasonable.. pushing a bit or just looking at her, but she has become a beast, pecking hard, not only at the interlopers, but at lettuce or anything at all. I'm worried she will die of exhaustion. There is a lot of space so the other chickens can move out of her way and two contenders seem to have stopped challenging her, but none are too afraid and all continue from time to time to approach her head on, grab a morsel, touch her beak, and so on. She is not suited to being the lead. Is there anyway to make her give it up so she can have an easier time?
