What should I do about my bully hen?

[lafinestra66]

Hey, everyone! I have five pullets. They are about 19-20 weeks old. My oldest pullet is pretty large and looks to be some sort of Barred Rock / Leghorn mix. She is the only pullet who has started laying. I noticed last week that one of my Brahma pullets was missing feathers on her back. I examined her and noticed there was a little blood, but no deep wounds. I cleaned her up, put salve on her back and then covered her back up with an apron for some added coverage. I then watched all my pullets for about half an hour and saw that the only pullet pecking backs and butts was the large BR mix. I separated her in a dog crate next to the run for five days. I just reintroduced her to the rest of the flock today. The Brahma still seems to run away from th BR mix, but I haven't seen any feather pulling yet. Any other ideas for things I can try?

My plan for this weekend is to double the run size and add a second feeder.

 

[aart]

Sounds like you're on the right track.
Hard to say how it will progress.
How old are the younger birds and how big, in feet by feet, is your coop and run?

Might add some clutter to the run too.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

 

[bunsmac]

Hey, everyone! I have five pullets. They are about 19-20 weeks old. My oldest pullet is pretty large and looks to be some sort of Barred Rock / Leghorn mix. She is the only pullet who has started laying. I noticed last week that one of my Brahma pullets was missing feathers on her back. I examined her and noticed there was a little blood, but no deep wounds. I cleaned her up, put salve on her back and then covered her back up with an apron for some added coverage. I then watched all my pullets for about half an hour and saw that the only pullet pecking backs and butts was the large BR mix. I separated her in a dog crate next to the run for five days. I just reintroduced her to the rest of the flock today. The Brahma still seems to run away from th BR mix, but I haven't seen any feather pulling yet. Any other ideas for things I can try?

My plan for this weekend is to double the run size and add a second feeder.

pecking order.....A rooster would solve the problem.but if not .you might have to seperate the bully...I usually let my hens out to forage and when I had a bully I kept her in.It take time for hens to reach full maturity.Then for my hens that stopped.

 

[lafinestra66]

pecking order.....A rooster would solve the problem.but if not .you might have to seperate the bully...I usually let my hens out to forage and when I had a bully I kept her in.It take time for hens to reach full maturity.Then for my hens that stopped

I can't have a rooster unfortunately because of where I live, otherwise I would definitely add one to the flock for safety and peace.

Do you think there is any chance that that they will stop picking on each other once they grow up a little? They are around 25-26 weeks old right now.

 

[lafinestra66]

Sounds like you're on the right track.
Hard to say how it will progress.
How old are the younger birds and how big, in feet by feet, is your coop and run?

Might add some clutter to the run too.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

My birds are around 25-26 weeks old right now. My run is 60 square feet (4 feet wide by 15 feet long).
My coop is about 10 square feet (including the nest box space).
Due to predators, they do have to be kept in the enclosed run most of the day. I do try to let them out every day for at least an hour for some exploration time.

 

[21hens-incharge]

My birds are around 25-26 weeks old right now. My run is 60 square feet (4 feet wide by 15 feet long).
My coop is about 10 square feet (including the nest box space).
Due to predators, they do have to be kept in the enclosed run most of the day. I do try to let them out every day for at least an hour for some exploration time.

That is very tiny given your climate, their size and the fact they are confined. You need to expand that space A LOT.

Can you post some pics? We can give you ideas on the best, easiest and most effective way to expand.

 

[Lillith37]

Giving the flock more space, adding clutter/enrichment and additional feeding and watering stations are all excellent strategies.

Azygous wrote a really good article on this issue specifically about the bully/victim dynamic and it’s worth a read.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chicken-bully-chicken-victim-a-two-sided-issue.73923/

 

[aart]

My birds are around 25-26 weeks old right now. My run is 60 square feet (4 feet wide by 15 feet long).
My coop is about 10 square feet (including the nest box space).
Due to predators, they do have to be kept in the enclosed run most of the day. I do try to let them out every day for at least an hour for some exploration time.

4' wide is minimal, not quite enough room to get by a 'superior' without appearing insubordinate.

Yes, 10 sqft, part taken up by nests, for a coop with 5 birds is way too small, especially come winter.

Any chance you can make both larger before winter?

 

[lafinestra66]

4' wide is minimal, not quite enough room to get by a 'superior' without appearing insubordinate.

Yes, 10 sqft, part taken up by nests, for a coop with 5 birds is way too small, especially come winter.

Any chance you can make both larger before winter?

I can make the run larger and perhaps buy an additional coop. I may also give some of my pullets to a family friend who raises chickens since I have limited space and can't let the free range all day due to predators.

 

[Mason Farm and Ranch]

Hey, everyone! I have five pullets. They are about 19-20 weeks old. My oldest pullet is pretty large and looks to be some sort of Barred Rock / Leghorn mix. She is the only pullet who has started laying. I noticed last week that one of my Brahma pullets was missing feathers on her back. I examined her and noticed there was a little blood, but no deep wounds. I cleaned her up, put salve on her back and then covered her back up with an apron for some added coverage. I then watched all my pullets for about half an hour and saw that the only pullet pecking backs and butts was the large BR mix. I separated her in a dog crate next to the run for five days. I just reintroduced her to the rest of the flock today. The Brahma still seems to run away from th BR mix, but I haven't seen any feather pulling yet. Any other ideas for things I can try?

My plan for this weekend is to double the run size and add a second feeder.

Pinless blinders.