WWYD: Small bird with neurological problems is becoming the punching bag of the flock.

[thecatumbrella]

I've made a couple posts about our bullying issues, so I apologize for making yet another one. This will hopefully be the end of it. I appreciate everyone that's offered advice.

Background:

I keep a small flock of 6 cochin bantams and 1 d'uccle in a 9x18 pen. One of the cochins, Willow, has suffered from a neurological problem since she arrived in the mail. We had some success with vitamin treatment (B, E, selenium), but she relapsed in May and has been suffering since. She also happens to be the smallest cochin bantam in the flock (but not smaller than the d'Uccle).

We started having behavioral issues at 14-15 weeks old. One of the other cochins, Flora, decided she wanted above Willow in the pecking order. This escalated into a full-blown cock fight. Flora is much bigger and more persistent, so Willow was knocked down. That's when the bullying started. Flora decided she wanted Willow OUT of the flock and would constantly chase her around the pen (emphasis on CONSTANTLY). I tried to let it play out, but Willow has a hard enough time eating and drinking without being stalked. I ultimately decided on chicken jail for Flora.

We put her in isolation for 2 days, and she resumed the chase almost immediately on being let out. We then penned her alongside the flock for several more days. All seemed well between her and Willow through the fencing, so we decided to let her out with extra food toys and forage for distraction in the main pen. First, she went hog wild pecking everyone. Then, she resumed her hunt for Willow. All of the other chickens immediately joined in on the Willow hunt. It was horrifying. I know chickens can form a mob, but I'd never actually seen it firsthand. I immediately broke things up and put Flora back in jail.

This happened yesterday. Most of Willow's flock-mates have since calmed down, though one seems to have been triggered by the event and wants nothing to do with Willow now. It's nowhere near the degree of Flora on Willow, so I'm letting them work things out.

Moving Forward:

Flora is getting rehomed. She has a previous strike against her after trying to kill 3 week-old chicks through hardware mesh. I don't have room in my flock for this kind of drama. My concern is Willow. I would not be surprised if another chicken took up the mantle trying to run her out of the flock. She's small, she has a health issue, and she now has very triggering body language (easily bowing head, or running away) since her spar with Flora last week. It's starting to make her the punching bag of the group.

Questions:

I do plan to try the @azygous method of penning Willow to build her confidence back up. But what can I do if this fails? There's no way I can rehome her in this condition; she'd be fodder for another flock. Do I trim my small flock down even more to accommodate her and maximize space? Do I cull Willow myself? Do I buy her a bunch of Silkie chicks and hope she can rule over them? And how can I better structure the pen to allow her some peace (photo attached)? My current layout seems to work well for low-level pecking order skirmishes, but Flora just followed Willow up/over/around anything in her path.

Thanks for reading.

 

[azygous]

First of all, and this is a rule for all chicken keepers, adding more chickens to a flock with bullying issues is not ever the way to solve it. It will only compound the problems.

Starting with Flora, you have a hen with sensory overload issues. She has too much stimulation and her brain isn't processing the overload of information she's experiencing, causing her to act out. I've discovered that using pinless peepers on such an intense bully can greatly mitigate the problems.

The peepers cut out a third to half of all sensory input. This causes the bully hen to be more relaxed and less prone to aggression. The peepers also cut down on the ability to acquire her "target", making it less rewarding to go after her victim.

Willow may have congenital neurological problems. Or she could have a brain tumor. Try the vitamin E again and give two doses per day with a scant sliver of selenium. If she continues to worsen, then you might suspect a brain tumor that is preventing recovery.

If you have the yard space, you might consider increasing your run space. I suggest adding "wings" rather than staying with a rectangular space. A complex run with more space can greatly decrease the amount of aggression your flock experiences.

 

[thecatumbrella]

First of all, and this is a rule for all chicken keepers, adding more chickens to a flock with bullying issues is not ever the way to solve it. It will only compound the problems.

I admit this is a horrible, throw-spaghetti-at-the-wall idea.

Starting with Flora, you have a hen with sensory overload issues. She has too much stimulation and her brain isn't processing the overload of information she's experiencing, causing her to act out. I've discovered that using pinless peepers on such an intense bully can greatly mitigate the problems.

It's interesting how something as simple as a cage wall serves a similar function. You would think Flora would try and fight Willow through the grates, but she does not. In fact, they'll forage beak to beak through the wall. The change amazes me. Also, do you have any experience using pinless peepers on a bantam? I've been so reluctant to use them because of removal horror stories, but I am very interested to see how she would respond with them.

Willow may have congenital neurological problems. Or she could have a brain tumor. Try the vitamin E again and give two doses per day with a scant sliver of selenium. If she continues to worsen, then you might suspect a brain tumor that is preventing recovery.

The vet guessed that she suffered brain damage during her hatch. There was a six week period where the behavior disappeared (and I believed the vitamin treatment worked), but we're 3 weeks into re-treatment with only partial improvement. I can try splitting her Vitamin E into morning and evening doses and see if that makes a difference. Thank you for the suggestion!

If you have the yard space, you might consider increasing your run space. I suggest adding "wings" rather than staying with a rectangular space. A complex run with more space can greatly decrease the amount of aggression your flock experiences.

I'm glad you mentioned this, because my dream is an L-shaped run with a netted outdoor area in the middle. Unfortunately, this particular pen is maxed out a 9x24, but I will try to come up with some clever ideas to make the most of the rectangle.

Thanks for your help! As stressful as this experience is, I do enjoy trialing and learning. I'm kind of a data geek, especially with chickens.