shegrowswildthings
Hatching
- Feb 24, 2025
- 1
- 0
- 7
Hi! I've been a lurker for quite some time and am finally making my first post! Unfortunately, I'm in a situation that I need help with.
I have a flock of 5 hens. They are 10 months old and were raised together from day one. I have four larger hens - easter eggers, plymouth rock, americauna - and one white crested polish. They have all gotten along until the last to lay eggs, Shakira my easter egger, started laying. A few days later, Shakira led the charge to attack the polish hen to the point that I wasn't sure she would pull through. She did, and reintegrating her has been challenging.
They all now pick on her, and the other day they tried to corner her. She does not fight back, and she does nothing to instigate this. They will get her in their sights and go right after her, no matter what she is doing, which is usually just minding her own business many feet away from them. She has no blood on her, all wounds are healed, and her only damage is that her left eye is now lazy.
The polish is currently inside with me and lately, I've been letting her in the backyard during the day while the four girls stay in the smaller run. I only let her out with the other supervised, but it's not long before they're after her again.
The hens have a 4'x4'x6' coop, a 10'x4' closed in run, and forage in my backyard every day. I am thinking about separating them into two flocks - the four girls in one with a 15'x20' run, and a flock of silkies and bantams in a smaller run, around 15'x10'.
My question is - is this a good plan? Is it my only option? Because the four bigger girls are so mean to her, would I have problems down the road if I tried to add to the flock with same-size pullets? Are there any other alternatives?
I have a flock of 5 hens. They are 10 months old and were raised together from day one. I have four larger hens - easter eggers, plymouth rock, americauna - and one white crested polish. They have all gotten along until the last to lay eggs, Shakira my easter egger, started laying. A few days later, Shakira led the charge to attack the polish hen to the point that I wasn't sure she would pull through. She did, and reintegrating her has been challenging.
They all now pick on her, and the other day they tried to corner her. She does not fight back, and she does nothing to instigate this. They will get her in their sights and go right after her, no matter what she is doing, which is usually just minding her own business many feet away from them. She has no blood on her, all wounds are healed, and her only damage is that her left eye is now lazy.
The polish is currently inside with me and lately, I've been letting her in the backyard during the day while the four girls stay in the smaller run. I only let her out with the other supervised, but it's not long before they're after her again.
The hens have a 4'x4'x6' coop, a 10'x4' closed in run, and forage in my backyard every day. I am thinking about separating them into two flocks - the four girls in one with a 15'x20' run, and a flock of silkies and bantams in a smaller run, around 15'x10'.
My question is - is this a good plan? Is it my only option? Because the four bigger girls are so mean to her, would I have problems down the road if I tried to add to the flock with same-size pullets? Are there any other alternatives?
