Why don’t they let her roost beside them?

[WaveyCreekChickens]

Priscilla is at the bottom of my flock’s pecking order. Every single night when they go to bed, every single chicken pecks her away when she tries to sit next to them. It doesn’t matter if it is summer or winter. She has to fly up to the roost many times and gets pushed down many times, and eventually she gets to stay. But why? Even the rooster does this. When she came in a group of 4 Brahmas, the other 3 did this. Every night, roosting time is filled with her screaming.
It is sure hard to listen to when I happen to be nearby.
There is never any blood, just a lot of screaming.

 

[HumbleAmerican]

Welcome to chickens.

If she's roosting safely and not getting bloody..... I let them figure it out.

How many chickens and how long of a roost do you have? Big chickens (brahmas, rocks, RIR, etc) do well with 18" or more usable roost each. I have Rocks and RIR females and RIR rooster. I have 18' of roost inside and 10' in their covered run.

If I confine them to just the coop, they squabble a bit.... yet they're much tighter and happy to roost in the run with much less space.

 

[azygous]

It's one thing to be ranked at the bottom of the pecking order, of course someone has to be last, but the last doesn't have to mean she's bullied by everyone.

It would be a good idea if you could observe Priscilla during the day and at feeding times to see if she's actually being bullied. If she is, then this would explain her difficulties at roosting time. It would then be a good move to help her change her status as a victim. There's a way to do this, and it works very well. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chicken-bully-chicken-victim-a-two-sided-issue.73923/

If Priscilla isn't a bullying victim, installing partitions along the perches can break up cliques and shield more timid chickens from aggressive ones.

 

[CalBickieMomma]

Roosting time is ALWAYS a drama fest with my chickens. There is one that always ends up sitting on top of the 2"x4" along the top of the coop interior, and the younger chickens always get pecked. I wish I knew why they did this, but I agree with one of the posters above. So long as there isn't blood, I just try to ignore it. They can be such brats to each other, but for the most part, there have never been any serious injuries caused.

 

[WaveyCreekChickens]

Thanks for the replies!

Welcome to chickens.

If she's roosting safely and not getting bloody..... I let them figure it out.

How many chickens and how long of a roost do you have? Big chickens (brahmas, rocks, RIR, etc) do well with 18" or more usable roost each. I have Rocks and RIR females and RIR rooster. I have 18' of roost inside and 10' in their covered run.

If I confine them to just the coop, they squabble a bit.... yet they're much tighter and happy to roost in the run with much less space.

There are 6 birds that use the roost, 4 big ones and 2 smaller ones.
The roost is in an L shape (4 + 6 feet).

It's one thing to be ranked at the bottom of the pecking order, of course someone has to be last, but the last doesn't have to mean she's bullied by everyone.

It would be a good idea if you could observe Priscilla during the day and at feeding times to see if she's actually being bullied. If she is, then this would explain her difficulties at roosting time. It would then be a good move to help her change her status as a victim. There's a way to do this, and it works very well. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chicken-bully-chicken-victim-a-two-sided-issue.73923/

If Priscilla isn't a bullying victim, installing partitions along the perches can break up cliques and shield more timid chickens from aggressive ones. View attachment 2903822

I think I will make the partitions.
Priscilla is not usually bullied. The thing with her is, she is not sticking to the rules. She will forever try to eat next to the top dogs. They give her warning looks and “words” but she still tries to eat instead of waiting like the other underdogs. (I believe she is obsessed with food. She has given herself sour crop twice due to overeating.) So, she screams then too, and gets her crown twacked, but I think she “deserves” those twacks.
Thanks for the suggestion and picture!

Roosting time is ALWAYS a drama fest with my chickens. There is one that always ends up sitting on top of the 2"x4" along the top of the coop interior, and the younger chickens always get pecked. I wish I knew why they did this, but I agree with one of the posters above. So long as there isn't blood, I just try to ignore it. They can be such brats to each other, but for the most part, there have never been any serious injuries caused.

Definitely a drama! And she might be a drama llama with her vocalizations.
I avoid being there when they go to roost, so I don’t have to witness the brattiness.

 

[HumbleAmerican]

L shaped roosts lose 18 inches at the bend on one leg or the other. Cranky hens like their space.

 

[WaveyCreekChickens]

L shaped roosts lose 18 inches at the bend on one leg or the other. Cranky hens like their space.

I am changing it today to one straight line. Thanks.

 

[WaveyCreekChickens]

Well, it did the trick! So much more peaceful!

 

[HumbleAmerican]

Good to hear! Amazing what 18" more usable roost space does.