Wwyd - mean pullet

[BluebirdHomestead]

I have an almost 5 week old pullet that is beating up the other 9 chicks that she is with. This is my first time dealing with this. She hasn’t been mean from the start, and maybe she isn’t even mean, just working out the pecking order, but I’m not sure what to do. It’s been about 2 weeks of her getting progressively worse. She is tormenting the others by constantly taking flight and jabbing them with her feet. She locks in on one, and goes for them and then picks someone else and does it to them. One of the others is a Cockerel (90% sure) and she’s really tormenting him. No one seems to fight back or challenge her or anything.

I’m seriously tempted to toss her in with my 12 week olds. It seems like she would hold her own and all the others would be happier. The 12 week olds are in a look don’t touch situation with the 5 week olds so they aren’t total strangers.
Am I misreading this situation?

 

[BluebirdHomestead]

Here’s a pic of the bully from a week ago. She’s an EE.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Make a wire divider for your set up. Keep her on one side and the others in the other side. Food and water for all of course.
Give it a few days then let them mingle and see how it goes. If she starts up again repeat.

She is young. It should not take long to correct.

 

[BluebirdHomestead]

Make a wire divider for your set up. Keep her on one side and the others in the other side. Food and water for all of course.
Give it a few days then let them mingle and see how it goes. If she starts up again repeat.

She is young. It should not take long to correct.

I actually already have a wire divider down the middle with the older 12 week old chicks on one side and the five week old on the other side. I’ve started moving the big ones out to the Coop during the day while they adjust to the cold so I could always put her over on that side during the day but I don’t really have a place for her at night...

 

[21hens-incharge]

At night she should be sleeping so less of an issue.

Is she causing injuries to the others?

 

[EggWalrus]

Chunk her in with the big girls, I bet they can pull that wild hair out of her fluffy little butt. But keep an eye on her to make sure they don't rough her up to bad.
One of 2 things will happen.
1. It will cool her jets and she'll find her place in the new pecking order.
2. She may become the Queen and take over the whole 12 week old's pen.
Either way the little ones will be safer.

 

[janiedoe]

Do you have room for a small cage in the coop? She is very cute but if you don't prevent her picking, you may come to dislike her. I hope she will become a "team player" soon.

 

[MrFluffyandGirls]

If she's used to being around the older batch then she's liable to hold her own. It's worth a try.
I had a little feisty pullet that I kept thinking might be a rooster but no she was a spunky little RI hen. But to this day she will still charge me like a rooster when i don't feed her in a timely manner. She's very bossy with my silkies so I keep them separated. At the time I didn't have the option like you to possibly teach her manners. LOL.

 

[BluebirdHomestead]

At night she should be sleeping so less of an issue.

Is she causing injuries to the others?

Not that I can tell. No one has been seriously injured yet. Just some feathers flying when she launches her attacks. But it has caused the 3 littlest chicks that are growing much slower to spend most of their time hiding.

 

[EggWalrus]

There in Colorado, you have about 2-3 hours till it gets dark and they go to bed. Now would be a good time to throw her in with the big girls. They've already seen each other through the wire, and they have only a few hours of light to "get acquainted", I doubt the could teach her much of a lesson in that little time, so toss her in!