[Bev]

Hi,

My friends gave me their last chicken about this time last year when their other one died. She is very bossy and one of my old chickens has been pecked by her on the front of her neck and on her bottom. They free range and there are only 3 chickens in total.

When I asked for advice at the time the general consensus was that they would settle down. However she has been through 2 moults and is still missing feathers so they obviously haven't sorted it out. I did try anti-pecking spray but it didn't seem to make much difference. They are all healthy and I can't see any signs of mites etc. Have wormed them and regularly spray house with poultry shield. My other chicken is fine but I think she is too flighty for the pecky one to get hold of.

My OH was in garden at roosting time this evening and said he heard them having a spat over going in to the hen house so I think this must be when it happens, I haven't seen them pecking at all during the day.

Any suggestions gratefully received?

Many thanks,

Bev

[Sassy]

Ideally you should take the bully away keeping her within sight and sound of the others for two to three weeks. This establishes a new pecking order. Then when she is reintroduced she will be bottom of the pecking order. Even better if you can put them onto fresh/neutral ground. However, all of this is not possible for many. Some people get on well with beak bits, you could Google these or put them into the search engine of this site.

[Bev]

Oh thankyou Sassy,

I have a small chick pen inside my large run. Perhaps I will stick her in there for 2 weeks. It will be like prison I think  but got to be worth a try. She should be safe from foxes at night.

The other thing I could try is putting her with the chickens at my pony's stables for 2 weeks, there are 6 hens and a cockerel. Could that work? Would the cockerel teach her some manners?

Thanks,

Bev

[New shoot]

There are often spats in the coop at bedtime.  Mine sound like an all-in wrestling match is on sometimes 

As regards moving your bossy hen in with the ones at your stables.  I think if you just put her in alone, she may have a tough time for a few days.  If the cockerel claims her as his own, he will stop the worst of it, but it will be way more stressful for her than using your chick cage.  If you then move her back after a couple of weeks, she may come back even more aggresive, having had to fight her corner in a new group.

If you hang some greens for her to peck in the chick run, that will help occupy her.  It won't be so bad and if it does solve the problem, it is well worth a try 

[Sassy]

Agree with New Shoot

[joyfull]

me too - the only reason with moving her to the stables would be if she was to stay there permanently and by doing so she would have an awful time for a few weeks. Your best bet is to have the bully in full view of the others with space for her to walk and scratch and have her own food supply.
Make sure your run has plenty of bolt holes for any bullied hen to escape to - my run has objects for them to run round to evade any bullies (on the rare occasion they are shut in the run), also make sure you have several feeders and drinkers so that any bully cant guard them all at the same time.
Whatever you do you will always have a top hen and one who is at the bottom, this is known as the pecking order.

[Bev]

Thank you all very much, wish I could get the same useful advice about how to get naughty children to stay in bed!

Back to the chickens, I would be happy to let things lie if she had all her feathers on but she does look a sorry sight with bald patches both front and back. My run is like chicken heaven, they have 16 m2 between 3 of them, there is a very mature blackcurrant bush and a mature other bush of some sort which they can run behind or climb into, they also have 2 wooden garden chairs that they like to perch on and the chick pen and the bin which I keep their feed in and their hen house which they can go on top of or underneath. For most of the day I let them out into half of my garden then put them back in run after school so really they have no need to be naughty!

Does anyone think it could be having 3 chickens that is causing the problems? Do they need a fourth one to pair up?

Many thanks,

Bev

[barley]

its not the number of chickens you have - it's the bully causing the bother - follow the advice given , it usually does the trick