Top hen being pecked?! Any advice?!

[Heffrington]

Hello all,

I'm new to henwiffery and will have had my first hens for 2 weeks tomorrow. They are 3 ex-commercial rescues, all pretty tatty and sorry looking on arrival but really finding their feet now!
As there is only the three of them it's been pretty easy to determine who ranks where in the pecking order. But, since yesterday, the "Top hen", Susan, has had all the lovely new feathers she was just starting to regrow, all pulled out by the middle ranked hen, Agatha. Susan is still clearly top hen as the other two still defer to her at the feeder, cower if she gives them 'that look' etc. Yet still, her rump has been plucked and left looking very sore with a tiny bit of blood too (which I wiped clean with damp cloth so as not to attract further attention). Such a shame as her feather regrowth was doing really well up until now! She still puts Agatha in her place, usually with a couple of sharp pecks to the head but it doesn't stop Agatha sneaking a quick feather yoink whenever Susan is distracted.
The lowest ranker, a dear gentle little soul called Maud, feels the brunt of both the other two's frustrations but isn't being bullied and is pretty good at keeping herself out of trouble. She is the most friendly with us too.
Anyway, any advice on what to do about Agatha (middle hen)'s behaviour would be greatly appreciated! Many thanks!
Hx

 

[aart]

How big is the coop and run, in feet by feet?
Dimensions and pics would help immensely here.

What all and how exactly are you feeding them?

 

[LaFleche]

Welcome to the NYC community! @Heffrington.

Spent rescue hens will often come with bad habits they acquired earlier because of the cramped and poor housing and feeding conditions they suffered.

You can feed them some animal protein like scrambled eggs, curd cheese with millet and fine oats, adding brewers yeast for vitaminB boost and see if it helps and the feather plucking was just caused by a nutrient deficiency.

But be aware that it also could be a bad habit that is very hard to break even when they are fed a well balanced diet and have plenty of room to roam and explore outside their coop and run.

 

[Heffrington]

Hi,
They have a fixed run which is approx 15 square metres, so thats about 5sqM per hen. Inside they have a raised coop which is marketed as being for 4 hens but we kept to just 3. Also various logs, ladders, stuff to clamber about on. A couple of shrubs, a dust bath and a hidey hole. The run is an irregular shape so they can be out of sight of one another if they wish. We're also in the process of making the rest of the garden safe for them to free range whille we're around.
Food - we were advised to start them on layers crumble as that's what they would have had at the farm, and gradually mix in layers pellets. They've got grit and oyster shell available. They get a little mixed corn in afternoon but none are that into it! They love fresh greenery, raw spinach, dandelion etc.
I've tried to watch to see if Agatha is eating the feathers she plucks and i don't think she is. Poor Susan was made bloody earlier today so i bought some anti feather peck spray and put it on her bare patch. Should we think about isolating Agatha?
Thanks for your reply. X

 

[Heffrington]

Thanks for your reply.

Welcome to the NYC community! @Heffrington.

Spent rescue hens will often come with bad habits they acquired earlier because of the cramped and poor housing and feeding conditions they suffered.

You can feed them some animal protein like scrambled eggs, curd cheese with millet and fine oats, adding brewers yeast for vitaminB boost and see if it helps and the feather plucking was just caused by a nutrient deficiency.

But be aware that it also could be a bad habit that is very hard to break even when they are fed a well balanced diet and have plenty of room to roam and explore outside their coop and run.

Yeah, i think they're all psychologically damaged, poor little souls. Would isolating the offender help do you think? I've just sprayed Susan with a little anti peck spray... no idea if that sort thing works but it's supposed to be antiseptic too, so cant hurt.
X

 

[Heffrington]

How big is the coop and run, in feet by feet?
Dimensions and pics would help immensely here.

What all and how exactly are you feeding them?

Sorry, my reply is down below (new to forums!) Thanks! X

 

[DobieLover]

coop which is marketed as being for 4 hens

Without knowing any more, it's too small. Make sure you have them out of it when they come off the roost in the morning. It is still best if you provide pictures of it.

little mixed corn in afternoon but none are that into it!

Excellent! Stop giving them any of it. They are already protein deprived being on layer feed that only contains a minimum of protein.

Should we think about isolating Agatha?

Yes. And start looking for pinless peepers to purchase to put on her. You can release her after you've applied them and see if that helps.

I would work to get them onto a higher protein diet (something with 18-20%) suitable for all genders of chickens then keep the oyster shell on the side for when they are actively laying. I offer extra meat protein during the molt in the form of a tin of sardines or a can of tuna three times a week.

It sounds like it could be a combination of learned bad habits and protein deficiency. If you get and try the pinless peepers and they work, keep them on her for at least a month before removing them to see how she does without them.

 

[LaFleche]

Hi,
They have a fixed run which is approx 15 square metres, so thats about 5sqM per hen. Inside they have a raised coop which is marketed as being for 4 hens but we kept to just 3. Also various logs, ladders, stuff to clamber about on. A couple of shrubs, a dust bath and a hidey hole. The run is an irregular shape so they can be out of sight of one another if they wish. We're also in the process of making the rest of the garden safe for them to free range whille we're around.
Food - we were advised to start them on layers crumble as that's what they would have had at the farm, and gradually mix in layers pellets. They've got grit and oyster shell available. They get a little mixed corn in afternoon but none are that into it! They love fresh greenery, raw spinach, dandelion etc.
I've tried to watch to see if Agatha is eating the feathers she plucks and i don't think she is. Poor Susan was made bloody earlier today so i bought some anti feather peck spray and put it on her bare patch. Should we think about isolating Agatha?
Thanks for your reply. X

I would stop the corn, spinach and stuff as it just lowers the already minimum protein content of layer feed even further.

To regrow plucked feathers and during moult they need as much as 20+ percent of protein as in All Flock, Chick Starter or Grower feed, plus added animal protein.

You can put out a dish with crushed oyster shells and granite grit free choice so they will be able to use it as needed.

And maybe let them have a slim slice of squash or a few carrots to peck at and keep them entertained. Put it in a hanging basket slightlybove head level to make them work for it and hopefully they will forget about plucking their mates.

 

[Heffrington]

Without knowing any more, it's too small. Make sure you have them out of it when they come off the roost in the morning. It is still best if you provide pictures of it.

Excellent! Stop giving them any of it. They are already protein deprived being on layer feed that only contains a minimum of protein.

Yes. And start looking for pinless peepers to purchase to put on her. You can release her after you've applied them and see if that helps.

I would work to get them onto a higher protein diet (something with 18-20%) suitable for all genders of chickens then keep the oyster shell on the side for when they are actively laying. I offer extra meat protein during the molt in the form of a tin of sardines or a can of tuna three times a week.

It sounds like it could be a combination of learned bad habits and protein deficiency. If you get and try the pinless peepers and they work, keep them on her for at least a month before removing them to see how she does without them.

Thanks for your reply!
I'm gutted you think the coop is too small, it's meant to house 4 large hens or 6 bantams but we only have 3 girls, there's no squabbling for nests or roosts or anything. Ill try and get a pic but I'm not certain if that's the problem as the feather pecking happens during the daytime when they're out in the run. Don't know if you clocked that i gave my measurements in metres, not feet like you had asked (habit sorry! im in the uk so am more used to metric!) So the run is 15sqM which is about 161sqFeet... i think! So that's about 54sqFeet per hen.
Interesting about the corn! I will try scrambled eggs, as you and the other kind replier have suggested. Does feeding them fish affect the taste of the eggs? I heard cod liver oil does.
It's hard to tell about moulting atm as they are all a bit bald anyway from their previous life! Perhaps they won't moult til spring now...?
I'll have to look into pinless peepers... not heard of those til today! I read at least 3 different books on hen keeping from cover to cover and watched countless youtube videos in prep for getting our girls and still there's so much I've never even heard of! I guess that's why these forums are so great! Thanks for your help!

 

[Heffrington]

I would stop the corn, spinach and stuff as it just lowers the already minimum protein content of layer feed even further.

To regrow plucked feathers and during moult they need as much as 20+ percent of protein as in All Flock, Chick Starter or Grower feed, plus added animal protein.

You can put out a dish with crushed oyster shells and granite grit free choice so they will be able to use it as needed.

And maybe let them have a slim slice of squash or a few carrots to peck at and keep them entertained. Put it in a hanging basket slightlybove head level to make them work for it and hopefully they will forget about plucking their mates.

Thanks! From what you're all saying it seems i need to change their food. They are all laying well and the eggs are all nice and healthy but yes, I'd rather have happy healthy hens over lots of eggs any day!
We did try a hanging an opened up squash (lots of people tell me it's a real favourite for them) and they showed no interest at all! Maybe they just haven't had a chance to learn to be normal hens yet... one (the lowest ranker of the three) didn't know how to scratch at first, she spent 2 days watching the others before she started doing it. Now she flings stuff everywhere and is quickest of the mark if a worm is uncovered!
Thanks for your advice! X