Hy-Lines attacking my Leghorn

[ChookaPete]

Hello, I joined this thread to seek help with managing the bullying amongst my flock.

I have four brown-reddish Hy-Line chooks (twins Cumin and Coriander, Cardamon, and Clover), and a white Leghorn named Chamomile.

I bought the Hy-Lines over a year ago, while Chamomile was hatched at the end of April this year from a fertilised egg underneath her surrogate mum Clover, who also raised her in their own separate pen. Over time they integrated with the rest of the flock and were all happy, laying eggs in the same nest (in the pumpkin patch!)

I'll say straight up that Chamomile's nature is the opposite of her name! She is very flighty, not cuddly like my other chooks who follow me about the yard, and gets very anxious. At times she will come a little close to get treats like bits of apple or chips, but she carries them far away to nibble on. If another chook takes a piece from her she huffs and grumbles like a moody adolescent!


However, I noticed over the last couple of weeks that Chamomile would sit on her egg for hours at a time, or just on her own in the backyard, while the rest of my chooks would lay their egg quickly then move around to the front yard to bask in the shade. I thought she might be going broody, but she was still laying eggs and sleeping on the perch in the coop with the rest.

Yesterday was rather savage. I witnessed the leader chook, Cardamon, full-on hunt down Chamomile like a tiger stalking their prey, hunched down, then fly and pin down Chamomile to the ground and peck her! One of the other chooks would join in, and I noticed her surrogate mum Clover just look on nervously (Cardamon used to do this to Clover).

It was not just the typical pecking order quick jab, Cardamon would get Chamomile in her sights then chase her down from across the yard! And yes they would gang up on her and squish her to the ground while getting stuck into her. It was a gang-bashing. It was so nasty that I'd shout at them like the angry dad mad at his kids for fighting - well the fact is I am their dad! But yes despite me getting mad I would feel very upset for Chamomile as I don't like seeing anyone get bullied.

Chamomile and Cumin ran to the front yard, while Cardamon, Coriander, and Clover ran to the backyard. So I kept them separate by blocking the doorway in the fence that divides the yards. I observed Chamomile and noticed that Cumin was attacking her too! Stalk her down, fly onto her, pin her down, and peck at her. So I made a big noise to break it up so Cumin would run back towards the backyard, while Clover would duck for cover in the garden beds. I tried to catch Cumin but she managed to squeeze past the backyard gate (which I had not shut properly).

I sat on a chair under the carport to monitor Chamomile. She was hiding in the front garden bed.

When I slowly walked near her, staying back about ten metres, she'd hop up then cluck loudly and anxiously. I left her to see the other chooks in the backyard. I waited a while, and checked on the other chooks again who had all gone to bed in their coop. Chamomile was pacing around anxiously, I thought she was looking for somewhere to roost for the night. She ended up flying over the garden bed side fence to a windowsill (she actually hit the window with a loud bang!), then flew onto the top of the backyard gate, over to the patio, into the backyard, then paced to the coop. She climbed up to the perch to go to sleep next to her fellow chooks, even though only about an hour before had attacked her!


I thought that if she stayed in the front yard while the rest in the backyard, that would separate them so she can get some relief from the bullying. But she was dead-set determined to be sleeping in the coop with all the chooks!


Right now, just after midday - the four Hy-Lines are hanging out in the frontyard, while Chamomile is hiding in the backyard pumpkin patch, where the current main nest is (all lay there except for Cardamom who has a favourite patch of tall weeds).

What do I do to resolve this?
Do I catch Cardamon and Cumin and put them into a "sin-bin" separate small coop for a week or so?

 

[ChookaPete]

Here's some history of my flock.


I bought four Hy-Line pullets of similar age in late October 2023.
After a few days, one sadly died. I waited a day and a half in case there was an infection, then when they all seemed okay I bought two more Hy-Line pullets of similar age from the same stockfeed shop.

In mid-February 2024 when I returned home from being away for a few weeks, I found one of them dead inside the chicken coop.

In March, I discovered that one of them started laying eggs! They were in odd places. Then I found a big nest underneath a pile of cut branches.

One of the chooks, Clover, was flying over the small wire mesh fence that separates the backyard from the patio, to lay her eggs on a patio chair. She also happens to be the smallest of my flock.

After a few weeks of laying, Clover went broody, staying put on her patio chair. When she did leave the chair to eat and drink, another chook, Cardamom, would attack her viciously. She'd chase her away from the feeder box, chase her away from the water bowl, peck at her, even pounce on her. I tried setting up a second feeder bowl but Cardamom would chase her away from that too! She was so vindictive!


To try to mitigate this I'd distract Cardamom, Cumin, and Coriander with grain or bits of apple while Clover could get something to eat and drink. But that would only work if I was home all day, being on standby when Clover would fly over to the backyard to get her bit of food and water.

I was given some fertilised by the stockfeed shop to put underneath Clover so she could hatch them. After a few weeks, a sweet little yellow-white chick hatched, who I named Chamomile. I had become a father!

I shifted Chamomile and her surrogate mother Clover to a cardboard box in the patio, with chick feed and water. However after a day, Chamomile escaped into the backyard, with a worried Clover after her! I put them back and built for them a nursery with wire & nylon mesh netting attached to the coop.

The following day, I found Chamomile being swiped at by the other chooks! It was so fast that I didn't know if it was Cardamom or the other two. So I immediately picked up Chamomile, put her on Clover's back, then picked up both of them and put them into the nursery!


Clover set up a corner of the coop as their roost, sleeping on a bed of straw on the floor, with Chamomile all snug and warm beneath her.
They were very happy there, and the other chooks could see them all the time.

I was then away for six weeks for work. During that time, I was notified by a friend checking the chooks that strong winds had ripped the nylon netting. Clover and Chamomile got out, and the other chooks got in! However by then (early July), all the chickens started to integrate. They were all content when I returned.
I built them a new roost using a metal arch covered in layers of shade mesh, fixed to the side of the coop. They all slept underneath there on a ledge of the coop happily. A few months after I built them a new roosting coop inside a closed-off corner of my shed, which they access via the smaller wooden coop that was Chamomile's nursery (hole cut through both walls). The hardest part was getting them to transfer to the new coop! I had to catch each chook one by one and throw them through the hole into the coop, then they'd climb up to perch. Chamomile was the hardest to catch, as she was so anxious! In fact since July she seemed a bit flighty and nervous whenever I was around, though she would come somewhat near to grab a bite of food that I'd give to all the chooks. For three months she stuck to Clover's side, then became independent of her. They all seemed happy.

I noticed since October that Chamomile had not grown out of her nervousness. She would try to come close, and whenever I was in the yard I always spoke calmly to them all and especially to Chamomile.
But she was still okay in the flock and always roosted with them, albiet she would be at the far end of the perch (a big long thick branch I raised up high off the floor, with a branch ladder to reach it), while the others were in the middle and together.

Then as mentioned above, her anxiety seems to have escalated, and over the last week or so while I was away again, would not be with the rest of the flock (apart from sleeping at night). Now of course I saw her being horribly attacked.

I don't like that she has become an outcast due to bullying. I guess this can happen when chickens are cooped up together in a small space. However both of my yards have a combined area of 500 square metres, of which they have full access to! So why the bullying and targeting?

 

[ChookaPete]

UPDATE: I checked up on Chamomile a minute ago. She left the nest in the pumpkin patch, where she had laid an egg (but was sitting on it all morning). Clover's and Cardamom's eggs were there as well.

Cumin and Coriander's eggs were in the big pile of tall weeds.

Chamomile was in the 'nesting nook' - the little wooden coop built out of wooden pallets and shadecloth, where I keep the 20kg main feeder box (filled with mixed grain), and is also where the chooks access the main coop to sleep at night (I have a second feeder box in there as well, filled with layer pellets).



The rest of the chooks are still peacefully in the shaded part of the front yard.

 

[ChookaPete]

Late this afternoon, Chamomile went to hide in the coop, and Clover went into the backyard. Cardamom, Cumin, and Coriander were still in the front yard. So I took the opportunity to separate them by blocking their access between the two yards.

This is Cardamon (dark brown Hy-Line chook), and "semi-twins" Cumin and Coriander (Hy-Lines but have a blonder, Orpington-like neck), in the side garden that runs from the backyard to the front yard. Part of it is fenced, but as you can see there's a section with no chook netting, so they can go across to the main part of the front yard (there is a lot of space. Sad to think too that only over a week ago, ALL the chooks would hang out in the main front yard happily).

I have a big water bowl, smaller water bowl, and some mixed grain & feeder pellets for them. I am waiting right now to see if they'll roost here, or try to get to the main coop in the backyard.

You can just see the gate to the backyard, in the background. I blocked up the hole in the fence that they normally use to access each yard.

Here's Chamomile, already in the main coop inside the backyard shed, and still anxious. I feel so sad for her. However she will have Clover with her tonight.

 

[ChookaPete]

I just checked on the three chooks in the front yard and noticed that only Coriander was on a perch (actually a pallet leaned against the fence), while Cardamom and Cumin were together but at ground level. So that indicates to me that they both are the co-conspirators.


I picked up Coriander from her temporary roost and transferred her back to the main coop, with Chamomile and Clover.


I will keep them in the backyard for the next few days, while Cardamom and Cumin will be in the front yard. Both have plenty of water and grain to eat, plus grass and bugs of course.

 

[ChookaPete]

UPDATE (I'll try to keep it brief):

• Sunday night: Chamomile, Clover, and Coriander sleeping in the backyard coop. Cardamom and Cumin sleeping in the front yard.
• Monday: Cumin flies over to the backyard so she can lay her eggs in her favourite patch of weeds, and sleeps in the main coop.
• Wednesday: Only Cardamom in the front yard, while the rest are in the backyard. I opened up the access between the yards.
  • Night, Cardamom is adamant to sleep in the front yard.
• Thursday morning: All four Hy-Line chooks in the front yard, after laying their eggs. Cardamom laid hers in a cupboard that I have on my front porch (there were three eggs there).
  • At 9am, Chamomile is in the pumpkin patch trying to lay an egg
  • 9:10am: Chamomile goes to the front yard and is savagely attacked by Cardamom, pinned to the ground and pecked.
  • 9:20am: Chamomile retreats to the backyard, frightened, and heads back to the pumpkin patch to hide. She lays her egg sometime later in the morning.
  • I block the access between the yards and shut the side gate, for Chamomile's safety.
  • I buy two Hy-Line pullet chooks, approx. 3 weeks old, to be companions for Chamomile. I name them Cinnamon and Caraway2 (my first Caraway died on 14th February 2024). I put them into the original coop (now a foyer to the main coop inside the back shed). They stay there for most of the day. Chamomile sits by the side gate feeling anxious.
  • 3pm: I pick up Clover from the front yard and put her in the backyard. She forages around happily.
  • 5pm: Both Chamomile and Clover are foraging together. Chamomile has calmed down to the point that I can sit one metre from her. This is significant as earlier in the day she would freak out if I stood ten metres away from her.
  • 6pm: Cinnamon and Caraway2 explore the backyard, while Chamomile and Clover go to bed inside the main coop. I shuffle the two pullet chooks into the main coop and shut the door.
  • 7pm: I open the side gate but form a barrade in front of it with the shade arch turned onto its side. Cumin and Coriander fly on top of it to roost for the night. Cardamon roosts on a patio chair under the carport in the front yard.

 

[ChookaPete]

My plan is to keep Chamomile, Clover, plus new chookies Cinnamon and Caraway2 inside the coop until Cumin and Coriander have laid their eggs (usually just after sunrise). Then I will let them out and monitor the interactions.

I am hoping that I can develop Chamomile's confidence by bonding with the pullets, supported by Clover, and then develop it further by re-bonding with Cumin and Coriander. This is tricky as I did witness Cumin attack Chamomile last Sunday.

Cardamom will stay in the front yard for at least a week. I will build her a small coop to roost in, which can double as a shelter for all the chooks in future.

I don't want Cardamom to be all on her own in the front yard, however she does seem more resilient than the others, and not too fussy either where she lays her eggs. But she does need some time on her own so the pecking order gets reset. If I can I'll try to put Cumin and Coriander with her during the day for company.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Good luck! Poor Chamomile. How is she getting along with the two new girls, Cinnamon and Caraway 2? And how are the two new girls being accepted by the bullies - or have they been introduced yet?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I may have missed it, but was Chamomile part of the original group? If so, when did the bullying begin?

 

[ChookaPete]

Good luck! Poor Chamomile. How is she getting along with the two new girls, Cinnamon and Caraway 2? And how are the two new girls being accepted by the bullies - or have they been introduced yet?

Hello Big Blue Hen!


So far Chamomile has had little interaction with new pullets Cinnamon and Caraway2, who tend to stick to the little wooden 'nesting nook' that is the entrance to the coop. I am hoping over the next couple of weeks they start to explore a bit more and bond with Chamomile, however it has been very hot so no wonder all have been rather sedentary for most of the day.

I have kept the main bully Cardamom in the front yard, away from the pullets and Chamomile. Cardamom seems content in the front yard and is happily laying eggs inside my porch wooden cupboard!

However the 'twins' Cumin and Coriander did sleep in the same coop (backyard) as Chamomile, Clover, and the new pullet chickies but apart from laying their eggs (done by 7:30am) they were very keen to get to the front yard to hang out with Cardamom.

I have put up a perch (sawn branch) between two trees in the front side garden, for Cardamom, Cumin, and Coriander to use. It does not provide much shelter, but as it is very hot the fresh air hopefully will be a relief tonight, however there is a storm brewing...In saying that, all the chooks in the past have slept quite content in the pouring rain at night when they used to roost on top of the shade arch!

Interestingly, this afternoon when I shifted Clover from the front yard to the backyard so she could keep Chamomile company, she whined to be back in the front yard! So I took her back. However right now it is 5pm and getting near sunset, so I will shift her back again.