[cbv8]

Hi All,
I have had my 3 Lohmanns since last Oct 2012 and although there was pecking to start they seem to have settled down with one main one still doing the odd feather peck on the other two. Yesterday i decided to start enlarging there run but to do this i had to cut part of the run off until the extension is finished. When i looked 2 of my hens had pinned the smaller of the three into a corner and were both pecking the feathers off the other which gave no resistance to them she was crounched in the corner in silence whilst they pecked away at her I ran for the anti peck spray which made no difference and they only stopped after i shooed them away a few times  I have now partially finished the extension so have opened there hutch back up again ie no pecking just the odd feather peck and yelp no and them always from the same hen why are they so nasty to each other for no reason any advice much appreciated 

[compostqueen]

It's a common tale I'm afraid. Hens will be hens. Normally the cockerel keeps them in line but if you don't have one you get this bullying.  It might settle down once you get your housing and run sorted out. Also you can keep them interested by giving them pack-a-blocks or half a white cabbage etc chucked in so they peck at that rather than your poor little girl.  You could run her separately if it's really bad but just by means of some wire fencing so they can see each other, and they think they're still together, if you know what I mean. You could supervise bed time so that they all return to the same coop at night but you lock them up when they all get into bed and make sure you're there early to wake them up, so they get no chance to peck her to bits.  It might be a stop gap measure to ensure her safety but things do usually settle down.  You'll have to patrol more often too to make sure she's all right as you don't want her seriously injured.  Hens are happier together though and if separated she would not do well at all, so please bear that in mind

Fingers crossed and good luck with her 

[Beano]

I wonder if it was because you had reduced the size of the run temporarily. From what I understand it got better once the run was larger. The odd peck isnt too bad (pecking order and all that) but it escallated when they had less room. Hopefully they'll be better with even more room.

[cbv8]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions i have no doubt my will be happier when i have completed the extension at least they can run away from each other when agroed 

[bravemurphy]

They are ruthless animals I am afraid and when they get the taste for it nothing seems to stop them.

We had new hens last year and kept them in a run next to the original run so they could all see each other for weeks.

We let them out in the garden all together but the one older hen who was not chief pecker really wanted to kill one of the new hens, there was not a problem with the others.

Well it got that bad we had to get rid of the old hen, I gave her to a friend and he had to give her away too as she was just mental.

Cokerel is the way to go but our neighbours want like that.