Bully Hens :(

[Chickenman MAN]

Hello! I have 4 hens. I have known for a while that one hen is a bully and picks feathers out of other hens. I've now separated her and yet have the dilemma that one of the 3 hens together is bullying the two other bullied hens. I've put the two bullies in for now.....but the original bully is bullying the other bully :/ pinless peepers don't work on the bully (I have tried). Any suggestions would be much appreciated! Ty

 

[AOrchard]

Is it accompanied by other bullying behaviors? Or she just walks up and pulls a feather? What's her body language when she goes for the feather?

If she's pulling them but not otherwise aggressive, have you tried higher protein feed? Or some fresh foods and vitamins? I had a young hen doing this for a few weeks, and it resolved once I changed up her diet.

 

[lomine]

How big is your coop? Do they have a run or free range? If run, how big is it? Do they have places to go that are out of view of others, either hid-e-holes or blind spots? Do you have multiple feed and water stations?

Sometimes hens are just jerks and have to be culled to have a peaceful flock. Sometimes bully behavior is because of stress or boredom and can be fixed. Since a second hen started to bully as soon as the first was gone makes me think this is environmentally related, or maybe diet like AOrchard said.

 

[FRCBfarm]

How big is your coop? Do they have a run or free range? If run, how big is it? Do they have places to go that are out of view of others, either hid-e-holes or blind spots? Do you have multiple feed and water stations?

Sometimes hens are just jerks and have to be culled to have a peaceful flock. Sometimes bully behavior is because of stress or boredom and can be fixed. Since a second hen started to bully as soon as the first was gone makes me think this is environmentally related, or maybe diet like AOrchard said.

One of my chickens was getting bullied to the point she was bleeding from her head. She would not get bullied when free ranged, but on those few days when they were inside the coop she would get pecked on. One day I attached a lot of large branches and sticks to the run (so the chickens could have some fun), and found my bullied chicken would escape her bullies by sitting on them. So, I created a whole new level in the run with sticks and branches, and hung food and water. It works great because she spends most of her time walking, hopping, and perching high above her bullies. There is peace in my flock once again!
Keep in mind this worked for me because the bullies only attacked when the chicken was getting in their way. If your chicken bullies go out of their way to attack each other, it may not be as effective.

 

[Chickenman MAN]

Is it accompanied by other bullying behaviors? Or she just walks up and pulls a feather? What's her body language when she goes for the feather?

If she's pulling them but not otherwise aggressive, have you tried higher protein feed? Or some fresh foods and vitamins? I had a young hen doing this for a few weeks, and it resolved once I changed up her diet.

She can be quite aggressive, though mostly it seems rather casual. I'll try feeding her some eggs perhaps ty!

 

[Chickenman MAN]

How big is your coop? Do they have a run or free range? If run, how big is it? Do they have places to go that are out of view of others, either hid-e-holes or blind spots? Do you have multiple feed and water stations?

Sometimes hens are just jerks and have to be culled to have a peaceful flock. Sometimes bully behavior is because of stress or boredom and can be fixed. Since a second hen started to bully as soon as the first was gone makes me think this is environmentally related, or maybe diet like AOrchard said.

They have a run but it is rather large at about 22.5*22.5 feet, the coop is about 4.5*4.5 feet.

 

[Chickenman MAN]

One of my chickens was getting bullied to the point she was bleeding from her head. She would not get bullied when free ranged, but on those few days when they were inside the coop she would get pecked on. One day I attached a lot of large branches and sticks to the run (so the chickens could have some fun), and found my bullied chicken would escape her bullies by sitting on them. So, I created a whole new level in the run with sticks and branches, and hung food and water. It works great because she spends most of her time walking, hopping, and perching high above her bullies. There is peace in my flock once again!
Keep in mind this worked for me because the bullies only attacked when the chicken was getting in their way. If your chicken bullies go out of their way to attack each other, it may not be as effective.

Ty! I have a perch for them but it didn't do much, I'll try and put another one in.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Ty! I have a perch for them but it didn't do much, I'll try and put another one in.

Aim for more than just a perch. Clutter: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

 

[McChooky]

Whats the source and percentage of protein in your feed and is it available at all times? Picking feathers can be a sign of a nutritional deficiency.

 

[Steve Garrett]

Hello! I have 4 hens. I have known for a while that one hen is a bully and picks feathers out of other hens. I've now separated her and yet have the dilemma that one of the 3 hens together is bullying the two other bullied hens. I've put the two bullies in for now.....but the original bully is bullying the other bully :/ pinless peepers don't work on the bully (I have tried). Any suggestions would be much appreciated! Ty

I have a bully too and it's driving me crazy. When I introduced 3 younger hens to the existing 3 full grown that I had - one of them is just became a complete bully and won't leave the younger 3 alone. She pins them down and pecks at them and it's loud and upsetting to hear and watch. Now the 3 younger hens are full grown and even bigger then the bully and she still won't leave them alone. It's keeping the two flocks separated even though the younger ones really want to be with the others. What can I do??? I don't want to get rid of the bully but she is driving me and the younger birds crazy. Please let me know if you have any advise. Peace, Steve G