How to handle bully?

[Dynamissa]

Post some pictures of your set up. Sometimes problems come because birds become full size. What was more than enough space when they were chicks, rapidly becomes not enough space when they are full grown. Being raised together has almost no influence on behavior, and neither does 'free range' for a couple of hours a day. Lack of space is the number one cause of problems.

I might be making an assumption, but often times when people come on here and post that they have just started, and got 6 head, well often times that means they also got a pre-fab chicken coop that says it 'will hold 6 head' And they don't. Really Backyard Chickens should make them take that off of there as false information.

Multiple feeders placed so that a bird eating at one place, cannot be seen by a bird eating at another is very good. I tend to have a feed bowl for every 2-3 chickens.

Mrs K

I’ll have to grab one at some point. We don’t have much clutter because the coop is in the run and it has a crappy domed top so it’s hard to walk through. Its raised so they have floor space, with boards blocking vision from one side to the other with a kind of tunnel in the middle.

It’s about 125sqft for 5 birds.

I have three feeders, two are positioned right next to each other - this worked fine before our one pullet died. We had no one bullying off of feeders.. the third is two walls away.

Since then though this Wyandotte is dominating them, and for some reason the other girls ignore the other two feeders and keep getting chased off the new one. She doesn’t care about the buff Orpingtons eating from there just the Delaware and the starlight green egger. fricking maddening.

So we have 3 feeders and waterers for 5 birds. The Wyandotte doesn’t care about them drinking, only eating and I’m kind of afraid she’s going to eat herself to death because she scares the others away and just scarfs all day. What can I do about this? lol put her in a crate in the garage and have mealtime for her and water available all
The time??

 

[Mrs. K]

Well space should not be your problem. I think I might try pin less peepers on the bully.

 

[Dynamissa]

Well space should not be your problem. I think I might try pin less peepers on the bully.

I will look into that.

Out of curiosity which would be theoretically be more effective - isolating the bully from the flock for a bit, or protecting the ones getting bullied with access to their own water feeder, oyster shell and her etc in an in-run pen until they (hopefully) build confidence? One of these girls doesn’t even want to approach a feeder if anyone else is even near it.. I have 3 of them but when the other hear pecking they run to the spot to join and she leaves, even if they don’t bother her.

 

[Mrs. K]

Penning up the bully