Legbar gone mad

[Hei-hei]

Hi all!

I have a beautiful and very snuggly cream legbar hen (Maizey) who absolutely hates one of my other chickens. My poor little white silkie (Butterbean) gets penned down and her head plucked bald and scalp injured every time they are near each other.

She nearly scalped my little fluffy friend a couple months ago. Butterbean lived in my laundry room for several weeks while healing.

So far, I have tried separating them. I kept my silkie safe in a crate inside the run to re-integrate after she was hurt. Maizey attacked again. So, I put Miss Maizey in a crate inside the run for a few days, didn’t work. I have tried pinless peepers, didn’t work. I now have her in a crate on my deck.

Maizey does not attack any of my other hens. She leaves the chicks alone. She leaves the other silkies alone. But poor little Butterbean is a target and she isn’t even at the bottom of the pecking order.

What can I do??? These are literally my 2 favorite chickens.

 

[Rose the Legbar]

You may need to make a whole separate flock with your silkie hen or rehome her as she isn’t accepted within your flock anymore. Sometimes bantams don’t do well at all in a flock of standard sized hens due to being smaller and getting picked on. If you remove your legbar, another hen may take the lead role and continue to pick on the silkie. You could try pinless peepers on your legbar but it may not work.

 

[Hei-hei]

She isn’t picked on by any of my other hens. Just the legbar. … when I lock Maizey up there are no problems.

 

[lomine]

You could try separating Maizey away from the flock for a longer period of time (at least a week) and where she can't be seen. When she gets reintroduced, she has to worry about reestablishing her role in the flock order.

Or totally weird idea, you could try dying your silkie. You said Maizey doesn't bother the other silkies. Are they also white? Dye the silkie a color close to that of the others and it might help her from standing out.

 

[Hei-hei]

You could try separating Maizey away from the flock for a longer period of time (at least a week) and where she can't be seen. When she gets reintroduced, she has to worry about reestablishing her role in the flock order.

Or totally weird idea, you could try dying your silkie. You said Maizey doesn't bother the other silkies. Are they also white? Dye the silkie a color close to that of the others and it might help her from standing out.

I’ve got her in chicken jail again… further away and longer this time for sure!

I actually thought about dying Butterbean! My other two are black silkies. Not sure how I could dye her that color though.

 

[lomine]

There are pet safe dyes. You could go with a dark blue or purple. Also found this black one on Chewy. I have never used any dyes so don't have any personal experience with this brand.

Black Dye- pet safe

 

[Hei-hei]

There are pet safe dyes. You could go with a dark blue or purple. Also found this black one on Chewy. I have never used any dyes so don't have any personal experience with this brand.

Black Dye- pet safe

Thanks! I’ll check it out!

 

[Hei-hei]

Hi all, update on Maizey. I sectioned off port of my run and built a little shelter. Put her in with my rooster who was being a meanie. They seemed happy back there together. Had room to move but couldn’t hurt anyone. She’s been laying eggs. We were all good for 2 months. I tried some short visits with the other birds. She does well if I’m standing there, but aggression would start as soon as I walk away. So, I haven’t pushed anything. I mean, it was working!

Well, today I found my rooster dead with his head torn open. It could have easily been a predator, but it could also have been my stupid legbar. This was the same kind of injury my little silkie had from her.

I don’t know what to do. She goes crazy when alone. But attacks her friends. My other hens are completely terrified of her.

I actually completely kicked her out of the run today and let her free range today. (We have lots of hawks) She spent most of her time today pacing the fencing trying to get back in rather than enjoying her time to scratch for bugs.

I don’t trust her around my hens at all. My polish hen likes to free range some under the trampoline while I do chores. The poor girl saw Maizey outside and turned right back around and came inside the run. Wouldn’t go out in the yard at all.

I did set up a dog crate with a makeshift roof, roost, food and water next to the run. So her food and water is good. She has somewhere with a roof during rain. I managed to shut her in there tonight.

I guess Maizey gets to live outside till she becomes hawk/racoon food. I hate this. She is super sweet with me, but such a big bully. I don’t want to make her someone else’s problem by rehoming either.

 

[Rose the Legbar]

Hi all, update on Maizey. I sectioned off port of my run and built a little shelter. Put her in with my rooster who was being a meanie. They seemed happy back there together. Had room to move but couldn’t hurt anyone. She’s been laying eggs. We were all good for 2 months. I tried some short visits with the other birds. She does well if I’m standing there, but aggression would start as soon as I walk away. So, I haven’t pushed anything. I mean, it was working!

Well, today I found my rooster dead with his head torn open. It could have easily been a predator, but it could also have been my stupid legbar. This was the same kind of injury my little silkie had from her.

I don’t know what to do. She goes crazy when alone. But attacks her friends. My other hens are completely terrified of her.

I actually completely kicked her out of the run today and let her free range today. (We have lots of hawks) She spent most of her time today pacing the fencing trying to get back in rather than enjoying her time to scratch for bugs.

I don’t trust her around my hens at all. My polish hen likes to free range some under the trampoline while I do chores. The poor girl saw Maizey outside and turned right back around and came inside the run. Wouldn’t go out in the yard at all.

I did set up a dog crate with a makeshift roof, roost, food and water next to the run. So her food and water is good. She has somewhere with a roof during rain. I managed to shut her in there tonight.

I guess Maizey gets to live outside till she becomes hawk/racoon food. I hate this. She is super sweet with me, but such a big bully. I don’t want to make her someone else’s problem by rehoming either.

You can rehome her with the knowledge of her being a bully. Usually with a new flock, the new bird will be the lowest on the totem pole and get beat up and put in her place. If you do rehome her, make sure she goes in a flock with no bantams and no chickens with large crests.

 

[SourRoses]

Yep, scalping injuries can be deadly. I'm sorry. I lost a hen to a vicious cockerel that way (they tend to keep at it into the brain).

It doesn't sound like she's going to change. Have you tried the pinless peepers? Maybe you might find her a good home where the other chickens are a lot bigger than her (it would be hard for her to get at their heads that way).