Debate/query; LAYERS PELLETS AND PROTEIN

   Quick update.  If Matilda is laying, and not particularly worried about her bum .. then I'm not gona worry either.  Treating except for their afternoon corn has stopped.  They seem MORE satisfied on just the pellets !  Hmmmmm so the answer was obvious . . CHICKEN ADHD    
Seriously though, it seems they were just spoilt brats then .. as they've really quietened down.  The new girls are settling in well too.  They all go to bed together quite happily, and I just separate the newbies out in the morning.  By half 5 Lucy and Tilly trot into the run, and I let the wee ones in with them for a bit of a social.  Just half an hour at the moment, gradually increasing.  By next week I'm hoping they'll be ok together but I wont let the newbies free range until they're hand tame.  It's coming ! They're VERY shy but I'm being patient. 

I have one persistent feather pecker ... not bored, not malnourished, possibly overfed  but the others don't do it  She's sixth in a pecking order of eight ... the top five lose a feather occasionally, but keep her in check ... while the lowest two are threadbare. We've separated those two off for a while as the lowest lost a large patch of skin 

I've ordered some beak rings, but I think I'm going to try and rehome her ... it's become a habit ... and I think putting her into another brood might break it (perhaps esp if there's a cockerel - would that make a difference?)

Ho hum - it's never dull keeping hens.

I took the little ones out because one of them was bleeding and I needed to keep an eye on her, but didn't want her on her own.

Yes, I've tried separating the bully but it didn't break the habit ... and I have beak rings on order. But there's a hen keeper up the road who has a cockerel or two, so she's going there for a holiday, if not for good!

So I've separated the bully for today (she's moving in after dark) and put the two little ones back in with the brood ... and I think I might also get a poultry saddle for the little one who is still the bottom of the pecking order - it will at least cover over her bald patch!

While I had a cockerel running with my girls there were far less squabbles. I'm lucky as their little spats are never serious, but I do think from my own experience that the cock bird being the dominant bird helps to set the hierarchy and the hens are calmer.

HF perhaps your cockerels are wusses - two of mine certainly break up the squabbles 

Perhaps I should remove their handbags!! 
I will say that since all my hens always run with cockerells I don't know how quarrelsome they would be without being with a cock!  But perhaps judging from some of the chicks on the chat line I can see how it might be!
HF

HF I think you're treading on thin ice   
You are either very brave or can run fast     

QED!
HF