When to separate a bully

[getaclue]

I've had to pen a bully or two through the years. Usually I can pen up a bully in large wired type dog kennel for a week, and then re-introduce, and things go fine then, or re-pen it up for another few days. After the second round of being penned up, even one of my worst bullies got the message. BUT there are many on here that have a bully that simply can't be broken from bullying. That's when it's time to get rid of the bully. Sometimes it's a hard choice, but the resulting peace in the flock is worth the choice. It's always so much more pleasant to have a peaceful flock.

 

[CannedMonster]

They behave well and run but never try to fight back. Our Phoenix has always been last on the pecking order due to her small stature and in the past has never been aggressive. I'm just trying to figure out if she is salvageable sin e ahe wouldn't be much of a dinner.

Ahhh! I see. She’s trying to keep her position.
She doesn’t want to be on the bottom of the new ones too. Less resources for her, or that’s what she thinks.
Do you have more than one waterer and feeder?
Having multiple water & feed stations can help sometimes.

 

[getaclue]

Multiple feeders, waterers, and a bale of hay or two for they younger ones to hide behind help a lot.

 

[BigSurChick]

I've had to pen a bully or two through the years. Usually I can pen up a bully in large wired type dog kennel for a week, and then re-introduce, and things go fine then, or re-pen it up for another few days. After the second round of being penned up, even one of my worst bullies got the message. BUT there are many on here that have a bully that simply can't be broken from bullying. That's when it's time to get rid of the bully. Sometimes it's a hard choice, but the resulting peace in the flock is worth the choice. It's always so much more pleasant to have a peaceful flock.

Yeah- I had a pair of Barred Rocks in my original flock, when one was eaten by a bobcat, the survivor became so mean that I gave her away. She was huge, so when she went after the other gals, she could really do a lot of damage fast. I was hoping to reform our little Phoenix as she is so small and she is mb t son's favorite chicken. I thi k I'll Bertie a dog crate and try separating her.

 

[BigSurChick]

Ahhh! I see. She’s trying to keep her position.
She doesn’t want to be on the bottom of the new ones too. Less resources for her, or that’s what she thinks.
Do you have more than one waterer and feeder?
Having multiple water & feed stations can help sometimes.

Yes, 3 feeders and 3 watering holes. I feel like this is the case. She is so little compared to her mates that I kind of worry about her being truly on the bottom of the order but her sisters seem much more benevolent. Lol.

 

[aart]

The coop was designed by a professional and includes a 15 square foot henhouse above 48 square ft of open floor in the main coop.

The nests and floor door in the coop(above) reduce that number(unless you subtracted them).
The 48sqft in the (run under the coop) is minimal for 6 birds...crowded for integrating

Their house has 62 sq ft of flat roaming space between the two levels so that is a fair amount of space per bird- almost 9 sq.ft. per bird.

Adding together the 2 levels .....doesn't really 'add up'.
Tho, like @Ridgerunner, I don't subscribe to hard numbers for space,
I do think the 'rule of thumb' of 4sqft per bird in coop and 10sqft in run is a good minimum to start with.

You may not only have an aggressive hen in the phoenix, but space is a bit tight.