[freebirdy]

Help! At whits end! Recently bought 3 new Poland Banties to add to my exsisting 3 gold laced ladies and boy. Black Poland was "rescued" from a filthy front yard along with 2 Pekins. I had to buy all of them as I couldn't leave them in the terrible conditions I found them in! I have rehomed the 2 Pekins now free to a good home! Purchased other 2 Blue Polands from reputable breeded, 2 yr old and 16 wk (mum and daughter) Kept all birds apart thru fence to get used to each other. Now got to stage all birds are mixing in the garden, bit of pecking going on with the big girls to establish order but all of them are bullying the little blue! Even her own mum has turned on her! They just hound her to the point she is panting, crying out and in total distress! Feathers are being pulled out all over the place and I can't bear to see such suffering anymore! Now have her in a run on her own in the middle of the lawn so the girls can see her but not get to her but they still keep trying to attack her thu the wire mesh, it's constant and they wont let up! She just runs round the pen in a state until she literally collapses! Please someone tell me this will get better? She is still cheeping like a little chick and distress calling, do u think the bullying will ease up once she "grows up a bit?" Never had to deal with anything as bad as this when introducing new birds in!!!

[orchardlady]

Your distress is palpable freebirdy. I'm so sorry to hear of your problems. I have little advice to offer as my hens are all kept free range and so can get away from each other if there is a problem. Unfortunately there always has to be someone at the bottom and it looks as if this young bird has been awarded this roll. There are products on the market that can help I believe but I've never used any so cannot recommend. You may well have to re home her or even keep her separated from the others in a pen but purchase a similar aged bird to be her companion.
Sometimes a sick bird can be picked on so it may be worth having a really good look to make sure she is healthy.
I hope that others here on the forum may have some better suggestion and thoughts for you.

Orchardlady.

[Kenilworth]

This arranging of the pecking order really can seem like brutal stuff at times.

Has there been blood drawn? as that will act like a beacon for further pecks, if so you can buy purple spray that hides the red and i believe may have disinfectant property's.

If there is a need to separate the advise usually is to isolate  the main bully rather than the one being bullied.

[freebirdy]

All of my birds are free range so there is plenty of room to get away from the usual day to day pecking order scuffles. Luci is fit and well, no illness so it's not down to picking on a sick bird either. I've just let her out of the isolation pen and within seconds she was jumped on by 4 of my girls! All at once! 4 - 1 is not nice!! Poor little thing! Mayhem errupted! I had to dig her out from under a ball of feathers and claws! She is now back in the pen cowering in a corner and panting again. It looks like I may end up with a house chicken as I couldn't part with her, she is so tame, sits on our shoulders and heads and snuggles down (even with my huge tomcat) and trills away! So hope that the others will let her join the gang soon. Don't think I will EVER introduce new birds again after this! Chicken keeping has been nothing but a joy - until now!

[JACDORE]

awww just read this link and although I sadly cant help or comment I can send you a huge hug.  Hope things work out for you and the one being savvaged.  She sounds a darlin 

[Anndee]

Hi. I know just how feel. Its really awful to see and I thought chickens were calm peaceable creatures/ I don't know if its right or wrong but when my young cockerel was picking on my smallest Pekin, only 5/6 weeks old, 3 weeks ago I squirted him with a hand held sprayer on the finest jet. It certainly curtailed his pecking on her. She is the smallest still but by heck can she stand up for herself now!!
Is there one other one you could put in the pen with her that is more gentler than the others with her?? So at least she would have some company. what about even buying another one about same size and age for her to pal up with?
sorry can't be more help.
Anndee

[orchardlady]

Now anniedee has made a suggestion that has prompted my memory. I've never tried this and so am not sure if it works, however a while back I was chatting with another hen keeper (as you do as no one else will listen to my drivel and their eyes cloud over with boredom ). So, to continue, this hen keeper was saying that when they have a problem with bullying they literally give a very quick dunk of the 'bad' hens in a bucket of water enough to make them wet but not so wet that they are completely sodden. They then have to spend so much time preening that they do not have time to bully. I suppose this could be done as hens seem perfectly OK out in the winter rain etc so are fairly hardy things. You could try a partial soaking maybe with a hose pipe. Of course this will not be a permanent solution but it may ease the situation. A few soggy hens might be better than one seriously beaten up and terrified bird.

[Chrysalis]

We've used a water spray too and it seems to work.  There will be a girl at the bottom of the pecking order (our Brenda!), but she usually learns to cope.  Use the purple spray  as suggested to mask any broken skin.  I've occasionally separated the bully (for us it's Nesta) for a few hours and then re-introduced her.
Not nice for you, I'm sorry, but try to persevere.  It took us about five weeks to integrate four new girls to our original two.  Lots of feeders and waterers will help keep them apart at mealtimes!
Good luck!

[Flossiej]

Hi sorry to hear about your bullying problems. I know how distressing it can be. We added two new hens to our original three and they were picked on terribly. My youngest son was watching all e bullying going on and getting really cross about it and then disappeared indoors. He emerged a few minutes later with his super soaker water gun and began filling it up at the garden tap. When Asked what he was doing he said that he was evening up the sides and started squirting e bullies with water every time they were nasty to the newbies. My husband said he sat there for hours whilst I was at work and eventually the bullies got the message. Within a day or two they were all settled. The occasional peck but nothing like it was before.
Worth a try anyway. Good luck, hope it works x

[Casey76]

Are you sure she is 16 weeks old?  She shouldn't be cheeping at that age - this normally stops at around 10-12 weeks.

If she is noticably smaller than the others then this may be a trigger for bullying, however, if they are all attacking her, I would strongly suggest that she is ill in some way, which may not be detectable to you, yet.

Chickens can be brutal, and I have, on occasion, lost a pullet to the flock, even if everything seems Ok when I leave for work on a morning.

The thing is, the more you handle her, and the more you separate her from the flock, the more "different" she will become, and they bullying will not stop.

If you have the space, try putting the 4 miscreants in a smaller pen, and let the little one in the main pen so she can find her own space, and make her mark on the feeders and waterers.

Create plenty of hiding spaces (large terracotta plant pots, with a chip ot on the rim stood upside down are great for this (they also make great outdoor nesting places if you line them with straw ), and plenty of distractions.

Honestly, it will calm down eventually

[cejx]

I had the same.  I was separating the bully, re introducing the bully, Violet was in chook hosiptal in our down stairs loo as she was so badly beaten up.  We played musical chooks for ages, but poor violet was deemed to be bottom of the pile.  In the end we took the decision to say good bye to Violet as it just wasn't fair - and she went to live on a farm up the road with a flock of about 50 birds on 8 acres.  She is thriving there, and had the last laugh with masses more space and masses more mates than our ladies!

It is agonising to watch.

xx