How big a jail and for how long for aggressive alpha hen?

[EmmaDonovan]

We don't have a rooster. A 7mo white leghorn named Snow is our flock's alpha. She was sweet and timid but friendly as a chick, then adolescence hit and she turned into Sneaux: the Mean Girl.

She doesn't just peck. She jumps on top of a hen and holds her down and rips out her head and neck feathers. She brutalized three docile hens so much that I built a separate pen for those three. They still sleep with the flock at night when no one bothers them but they spend the days in their own pen. They're very happy there and their bald patches are filling in.

Sneaux's behavior hasn't improved with the removal of her three favorite victims. I haven't seen her hold anyone down (it's possible she has, I just haven't seen it) but she's still aggressive.

Recently she's become aggressive to people. I don't mind getting pecked when it's to say hello or they just mistake you for some food but Sneaux grabs on whenever she can get a hold and pulls back and forth. It's an attempt to bully and intimidate. "Pecking" her back doesn't phase her in the least. She just stands there and glares at you.

I don't want to get rid of a healthy hen who is one of our best layers if I can avoid it. Before rehoming or culling her, I'd like to try putting her in jail to try to knock her down a few notches in rank.

I've never had to jail a chicken before so I have some questions:

(1) How large should the jail be for Sneaux to live comfortably for an extended period? I have a dog crate that is 42"L x 28"W x 30"H. I can convert it to be predator proof and leave it outside. It has a tray floor, I can fill it with dirt to avoid bumblefoot. Sneaux is an average size leghorn. I haven't weighed her but she's the smallest hen in our flock.

(2) How long should she stay in jail? I want to keep her out long enough that she won't be recognized as a flock member. I know I'll have to slowly integrate her back into the flock as if she were a new hen. The dog crate can fit inside the run so I can put her back in the run inside the dog crate until the flock gets used to her.

(3) How will I know when to release her from the dog crate back into the flock?

(4) Is there anything else I can do to gentle/tame her?

 

[cavemanrich]

Some of my thoughts.
I know your chicken facility are somewhat limited. Can you place Sneaux into spot where your 3 victim hens are held??
If you can shield the view from the rest of flock with cardboard or such,,,,,,,, Maybe after a week, she would be newcomer category.
Don't do an introduction ceremony,,, just drop her in. Then observe. If she gets newcomer negative treatment,, then maybe she will mellow out.
Keeping her in a small dog crate such as you mentioned,,, I would not do.
And my final thought,, which may solve much of the aggression.
Trim the top portion of her beak. Never the bottom portion.
The trimming makes the beak less of a weapon grade accessory.
It can be trimmed with a nail clipper, or wire cutter pliers. After clipping, you would take an emery board,, (kind used for personal nail grooming) and round off the edges, so noting has a sharp edge.
This is somewhat a 2 person job. One to hold, and second person to do the manicuring.
Easiest way to immobilize chicken,,,,, large plastic, or paper bag,, with opening cut on bottom. Slip head and neck thru hole, while securing rest of chickens body inside bag. This way chicken does not try to escape.
With a trimmed top beak, it is not as easy to grab feathers.
Beak will grow back to its regular shape in due time.
That may be enough time to calm hen down, and realize that she,, is not as aggressive as desired.
If you choose to try the beak trim option, I can give you more info, with some possible pictures on how it should look.

 

[Nym]

I sold my two Lavender Araucana today because one has been bullying Betty bantam for several weeks now. I was letting it run it's course until the other one started joining in. Betty is hiding at the back of her tractor not wanting to come out all day and has been losing condition.

All the best sorting your hen out, Emma.

 

[Debbie292d]

It has a tray floor, I can fill it with dirt to avoid bumblefoot.

We do this cage for broodies and take the tray out and put a 2x4 for them to stand on. That way, their poop goes on the ground. Be sure to tie the feeder/water to the inside so she doesn't knock them over.

I'd think in about a week she should have a new attitude. There isn't a way to know until you put her back with them and see how she acts now.

 

[Ridgerunner]

When I do something like this my goal is to isolate her from the flock and bring her down in the pecking order. A cage works for that. She is not going to be physically injured. Hopefully she will undergo a personality adjustment. A week should be enough but it does not always work.

She is laying. That means she is past her adolescence and should be acting like a hen instead of pullet. If this were a rooster or cockerel acting this way the cries of "Off with his head!", "Kill him!", or "He has to go!" would be deafening on this forum. She is a productive hen, you want to salvage her. I think this is worth the effort. But at the end of the day I solve for peace in the flock. I've eaten hens before when they were the problem.

Good luck!

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Thanks, this is good info and I'm thinking about all of it.

I watched some videos about taming roosters and tried some of those techniques today.

I picked Sneaux up and held her off the ground for a few moments, then set her down and gently pushed her all the way down. I held her there with one hand on her back, then I gently pushed her head and neck down with my other hand.

I was very gentle, I don't want to hurt her and she isn't a big hen, but I was firm. She didn't struggle. I kept here there for a few moments and gently released her. She looked like "What just happened?" but she didn't turn around to retaliate or anything. She just stood there and then walked away.

While she was down on the ground several of the other hens came over and curiously peered at her, like "Heyyyyy, you're not so tough after all!"

A little while later I tried it a second time but she was on to me and struggled a bit. Then she calmed down and I held her on the ground for just a few moments then let her up. She just stood up and walked away again.

I'll keep trying that a few times a day. No one in our flock objects to being handled. I've worked with chickens who can't stand being touched and that makes it so hard when they need help. We handle everyone nearly every day, have done ever since they were chicks. Some enjoy it more than others but everyone tolerates it fine.

Sneaux didn't peck at me when I was cleaning the food and water and putting out treats. Might just be a coincidence but I'm going to take it as a good sign. I don't know if this will affect her behavior with the hens, I'll watch and see.

 

[FrostRanger]

Thanks, this is good info and I'm thinking about all of it.

I watched some videos about taming roosters and tried some of those techniques today.

I picked Sneaux up and held her off the ground for a few moments, then set her down and gently pushed her all the way down. I held her there with one hand on her back, then I gently pushed her head and neck down with my other hand.

I was very gentle, I don't want to hurt her and she isn't a big hen, but I was firm. She didn't struggle. I kept here there for a few moments and gently released her. She looked like "What just happened?" but she didn't turn around to retaliate or anything. She just stood there and then walked away.

While she was down on the ground several of the other hens came over and curiously peered at her, like "Heyyyyy, you're not so tough after all!"

A little while later I tried it a second time but she was on to me and struggled a bit. Then she calmed down and I held her on the ground for just a few moments then let her up. She just stood up and walked away again.

I'll keep trying that a few times a day. No one in our flock objects to being handled. I've worked with chickens who can't stand being touched and that makes it so hard when they need help. We handle everyone nearly every day, have done ever since they were chicks. Some enjoy it more than others but everyone tolerates it fine.

Sneaux didn't peck at me when I was cleaning the food and water and putting out treats. Might just be a coincidence but I'm going to take it as a good sign. I don't know if this will affect her behavior with the hens, I'll watch and see.

Those techniques don't usually work with jerk roosters, but they can work wonders on a hen. I had to do that with my late girl Parsley and she went from trying to bite me every time I got near to backing off if I said her name in a certain tone

 

[cavemanrich]

jerk roosters,

First time I read this term,, had to look it up,
This is what I found......

 

[dawg53]

Put Peepers on Sneaux, they work.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Sneaux seems to avoid me now unless I have treats. She has not bitten or pecked at me. If I touch her back she goes to the ground on her own, which is interesting. Those techniques seem to have worked, at least in getting her to recognize I outrank her.

The bullied hens spend about 12 hours a day in their own pen, from around dawn to dusk. We call their pen "The No Peck Inn" (no peckin', get it? ). They still sleep with the rest of the flock which I think they prefer now that it's getting cooler at night and twelve chickens are warmer than three.

They have no new wounds. Their previous wounds from bullying are completely healed. I'm waiting for their feathers to grow back in the bald patches. They run up to me to be moved into The Inn in the mornings. As far as I can tell they are thriving and happy.

Next week I'm going to expand the main pen another 35 sq ft. That will make it almost 19 sq ft per bird for twelve birds which I'm hoping will be enough room to eliminate any more bullying until we can get the main coop and run rebuilt.

I won't put the bullied hens back in the main pen during the days until their bald patches have completely filled in, though. I'm also adding more line-of-sight breaks to the main pen. The 35 sq ft addition will share a wall with The Inn so everyone can see each other all day but without any physical interaction.

I'm hoping those two things (the bald patches filling in and the others not being able to physically get at the bullied hens) will start to normalize not bullying those hens.

This is all quite a bit different from jailing Sneaux as I was originally considering but so far I think this is working out even better.