Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: AbbyB on March 24, 2024, 01:43
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Hello all,
For the past few weeks our hens have started bullying the same hen. Her back is all scratched up and her feathers are gone. We have the Durvet anti-cannibalism spray, but they aren't really pecking at her, they are more jumping on top of her and scratching her. She doesn't necessarily have any open wounds, but we do have wound spray.
We have had this flock for a year and haven't had any problems except for losing some (to our dog :( ) . We let them free range occasionally but obviously not all the time because of our dog, and when I closed up the coop tonight I noticed they were all sleeping in the same side of the coop but she was sleeping by herself, so she is definitely isolated.
Someone I know who has a chicken farm said she could have a calcium deficiency but I don't know how to handle this because it's my first time dealing with one being bullied, especially since they are scratching and not biting. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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If a hen is ill and the others sense it they can try and drive her out.
Do you worm your hens? She might just be off colour because of a heavy parasite load. If nothing else obvious springs to mind, it would be worth having a vet check her over. There may be underlying issues you have not spotted.
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I don't worm them and she is definitely more scratched up instead of being off color... But the problem might be taken care of! A fox got one of our other chickens (sadly) and we think it may have been the bully. The one that was having a hard time is looking a little better. I gave her some eggshells just in case it was the calcium though.
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Worming is part of the care they need, especially if they free-range. The one being bullied is having a miserable life and is getting beaten up every day. Sad to say if the bully has been taken by a fox, another hen will be second in line in the hierarchy and could well take over the role. I am not convinced lack of calcium is the cause of the issue.
It sounds like you maybe need to do a little more research into chicken keeping. There is a lot of info here on the main site:
https://www.chickens.allotment-garden.org/
And here on this board:
https://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?board=13.0
Chickens are living creatures and if you decide to keep them in your garden, looking after them and their basic health needs (like worming) is a responsibility you take on, just like it is for any other animal.
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I don't personally keep chickens, but I know a number of people that do, or did. Many that I know that give it up do so because of the responsibility and work required to keep them all healthy, safe and happy.
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I haven't had my girls for quite a while now, but I did have one who could be a bit of a bully. Finally, in desperation, I penned the bully (Lavender) in the cage inside the run, so that she could still see all the other birds and kept her there for a few days, then let her out. As soon as she started again, I put her back in the smaller caged area. After a few spells in there she decided to behave. The time away from the flock seemed to change the "pecking order" and they soon all got on well together. This may not work, but it worked for me. It all depends on the offender I would think.