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

[EmmaDonovan]

If the problem is just one hen, consider rehoming or culling. It is the best to always work for peace in the flock. A single bully is not worth making the whole flock sick.
When considering which breeds to keep, try to not mix shy breeds with aggressive breeds in the future.

That is sage advice.

 

[SkyAJK]

Consider getting a Super Soaker water gun. It won't hurt your chicken, and can reach a far distance. When you see rude action,,, give it a squirt. Chicken doesn't know where that came from. Assumes that picking on that chicken, results in chicken fighting back.

I do have a soaker water gun at home, thank you, I did not think of that. We had this water gun for my dogs, they bark just about at anything that move and the water gun stopped them. We have not use it for many years now. It is also fun to use the water gun.

 

[cavemanrich]

soaker water gun

I suggested it,,,,, because I have used it.

 

[McChooky]

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?

It can be caused by hand feeding the spoiled little things.My first hens did it until my new batch of leghorns a couple yrs ago put them in their place.After they got a good dose of their own medicine then quit

 

[McChooky]

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?

Remove her and get a better hen. My young leghorns were wrecking havoc until I thinned the herd. Now I only have 3 leghorns but I have peace in my flock again(and they all have feathers again)

 

[McChooky]

It is exhausting. Do you want to describe your situation and see if others can maybe help?

A high maintenance flock takes the pleasure out of raising chickens.

 

[SkyAJK]

I can related to that "high maintenance flock takes the pleasure out of raising chickens"

I did use the soak water gun, it works well for a little while, but I can only do it when I am in the garden, other time the bully hen is free to bully others, jump on them like a rooster so aggressive.

At the moment my bully hen Apple is quiet, she is molting excessively so she is often somewhere by herself, she is not hanging around other. Temporary break from bullying.

One of the hen copied Apple and head to jump on a few other hens, I chased her away and now I don't let her out with other in the afternoon. She is only out in the general garden by herself.

The extra work of separating them, managing and monitoring is not nice at all. I can not rehome or cull any of my chickens so I have to constantly trying to find a solution.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Update: Sneaux has not been aggressive towards humans since I gently held her down a few times and that was months ago. She squats submissively whenever I or my roommate touch her. All of our chickens are handled every day unless they are molting and really cannot stand being touched.

There are a few hens with some feathers missing from the backs of their heads so we know there's still some aggressive behavior going on.

Right now they each have ~15 sq ft of space. We are building a new enclosure where they will have almost 19 sq ft of space each. I hope that will resolve the few remaining issues.

For now I'm happy with the decision to keep Sneaux. Maybe in the future I won't be as patient, who knows? Being a white leghorn she definitely is an excellent layer so there is that. We will be adding to our flock (and our enclosure) in the fall but I don't have plans to get any more leghorns. They are just a bit too aggressive and anxious.

I have realized from this experience that I really prefer a flock with a rooster who can break up fights, keep bullies in line, and provide leadership so the hens don't feel like they have to try to assume that role. We can't have roosters where I live now but I'll be relocating in a few years and I'll make sure it's someplace where we can have a roo.

 

[McChooky]

I can related to that "high maintenance flock takes the pleasure out of raising chickens"

I did use the soak water gun, it works well for a little while, but I can only do it when I am in the garden, other time the bully hen is free to bully others, jump on them like a rooster so aggressive.

At the moment my bully hen Apple is quiet, she is molting excessively so she is often somewhere by herself, she is not hanging around other. Temporary break from bullying.

One of the hen copied Apple and head to jump on a few other hens, I chased her away and now I don't let her out with other in the afternoon. She is only out in the general garden by herself.

The extra work of separating them, managing and monitoring is not nice at all. I can not rehome or cull any of my chickens so I have to constantly trying to find a solution.

I divided my run again to separate my hen only flock (4 ) from my younger flock (5) Fortunately(3) of my hens used to be in the hen only flock and are now in the young flock with the rooster.They get along with everybody because they're bigger and aren't intimidated lol

 

[SkyAJK]

I divided my run again to separate my hen only flock (4 ) from my younger flock (5) Fortunately(3) of my hens used to be in the hen only flock and are now in the young flock with the rooster.They get along with everybody because they're bigger and aren't intimidated lol

I carried and move my hens back and forth here and there at night switching coop to manage the bullying and pecking issue.

At the moment, 1 hen is nervous due to the excessive bullying so she is sleeping in a dog travel box, she seems to improve a lot.

I have not rehouse the bully (rooster mating behaviour) girl as we have been having so much rain and it is a misery for all human and animals alive, so I just leave it as it is so not to disturb the already miserable condition.