[bb72]

HI

had a quick look through a dozen or so pages and didnt see anything relating to this.

I have a dominant hen who chases the other girls or bullies her way into any tasty bugs that are raked up or treats scattered out.

Now most threads from what I can see dominant one appears to go for the vent but all the girls are fine however the area around the base of the comb is a different matter and 4 of my 5 are bald here(I have witnessed the dominant one going for here).

I am new to hen keeping and these are ex bats ,I was going to seperate the dominant one but was wary of upsetting the natural order they have plenty of space to free range but my concern is they are being bullied at night when they can't get away.

any advice would be appreciated.

[ANHBUC]

They do go for the comb but with it already being red you don't always see the damage.  I usually see the evidence on my feeders when there are smears of blood.

Best to separate the bully but keep her in sight of the others.  If all else fails I believe you can get a beak bit which will stop her being able to peck the other hens.

[300AJC]

I had that problem with one hen as well. I separated the bully but kept them all in sight of each other. A couple of weeks later I integrated her back with the others and they were all fine. The bullied hen got a chance to get her strength and condition back as well.

[nic_28]

Aww what a shame its tough to see isnt it? I had a hard time at first when my Speckledy pecked the heck out of my favourite girls, but everything has calmed down and each has a shot at being boss. I did see yesterday that you can buy beak bits aswell, they look a wee bit nasty to fit and I gather its quite triky to get the right size etc, but the reviews are great and theyre also very cheap (oh my goodness, a pun!). I guess if all else fails you could try them!