Hen pecking problem........

TopTec

[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]Hello Folks,

I have recently got myself 3 RIR hens. I chose them from a flock of about 30. All 3 were in good nick, apart from 2 of them showing a little feather loss. I didn't notice until I was home that one of the pecked hens has an under bite on her beak. The lower beak, ([/FONT][FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]mandibular rostrum), protrudes about 2mm further out than the upper, ([/FONT][FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]the maxillary rostrum).

I have them inside at night in a small coop with 2 nest boxes. They are let out as soon as it is light and free range a large rough garden. They have pellets available and just before dusk I put down some corn for them.

They have two roost poles which are at the same level as the boxes. I have noticed that they don't use the poles during the evening but stay in the 2 boxes. During the night I don't know where they sleep.

Now, one of the pecked hens is getting bullied by the other two. No blood drawn yet but most primary feathers have been snipped off close to the skin. Her comb is much reduced compared to the other 2. The pecking appears to be taking place inside the coop at night. During the day she spends most of her time away from the other two and close to the coop.

I have tried smearing some Vick on her but it hasn't stopped the pecking and bullying. I know this is part of the natural order of things but I won't stand by whilst she suffers. I think I might have to try to separate her from the other two at night, possibly build her a separate night coop.

Now the questions? Do you think this is a good move or by separating her will I cause her more anxiety? As far as the underbite is concerned it doesn't look like it affects her eating and drinking so should I just leave it or should I have the bill trimmed slightly.

Thanks in advance.

TT[/FONT]

angeldaisy

We rescued 4 ex battery hens almost 2 mths ago now. 2 of them are always together and are the top hens. The other two are loners, one is still very nervous and keeps well out of the way of the others. The last lady, baldy butt, is missing loads of feathers and was always getting picked on.
I bought some blue anti-bac spray and we sprayed all her red patches with it. It seems to be working. I've not noticed any major bullying or pecking since.
Still the odd bit of pecking, but only the normal hierarchy stuff.

fathead82

I find that there's always 1 bully hen that picks on the weaker ones. I spray the picked hens with forans blue spray, it seems to do the job. If you could find out which one is the bully and separate her for a few days. If you take out the weaker hen, you will find it very hard to reintroduced her to the flock.

aonb

bullying is very hard to look at - the bullied hen is so sad and pathetic - but as you say, it the nature of things with hens - its where the term "hen pecked" came from afterall!

Anyway DONT seperate the bullied hen, or you wont be able to re-introduce her
If there is any blood/redness, then the other two will go after that, so as the others suggested, the blue spray is great to mask the red/blood. You can use a smear of Sudocrem in the meantime - hides the red/blood well too.

some things you can try:
seperate the bully for several days. She should be able to 'see' the other two at all times - e.g use a fence of chickenwire down the run... Get her a little seperate coop - a box/chest/plastic crate on its side etc. In theory the 2 hens that are left together, will bond a bit, and the seperated hen will drop a notch in the pecking order when she is re-introduced.

If a hen is being bullied, it is very important to have several water and feed bowls placed around the run. Most bullying will take place over food/water. By putting several feeding bowls around, that should help. Also ensures that the bullied hen has a better chance of access to food

I wouldnt have thought the bullying would take place overnight in the coop - unless its not dark? When its dark the hens go 'dormant' - if there is a windown in the coop you should 'black' it out. Try to darken the coop as much as you can... when are you letting them out in the morning? if its late in the morning, you might let them out earlier.

Hens usually ignore their roosting bars and sleep and pooh in the nesting boxes

I wouldnt worry about her underbite if its not bothering her eating. Now that the weather is getting a bit colder, you could introduce a bit of warm mash - add hot water to the pellets, just enough to make a mash, not watery. Some hens love that. If your bullied hen is stuggling with her beak, she will be able to eat the mash easier too.

Is the bullied hen v.nervous? You could feed her seperately on her how in the afternoons, with a bit of protein - e.g. tinned fish, or cat food (pate type) - to build her up a bit. Or just to spoil her really :cool:

TopTec

Thank you for the responses. I will be in Ballina tomorrow looking for blue spray.

It appears that both the others are bulling her, at any rate they both chase her when they are all in the garden. They go into their coop at dusk and are out again as it gets light.. about 7.30am here.

When she appears first thing with the others she has more feather loss each morning so it is happening once the door is shut in the coop.

I have just checked her and she is bleeding from the tops of her wings and the centre of her back now so I will be taking her out this evening and lodging her a box in the Dairy, at least until I can spray her, but will let her roam with the others during the day. I don't have any sudocream but I do have calendula so will apply that just for tonight.

I am fortunate in that I am home all day so can keep an eye on her. She tends to separate herself from the other two anyway.

I will try to get a pic this evening.

TT

aonb

Could she be moulting?? Are there feathers on the floor of the coop? Sometimes a hen will moult because of stress - between being bullied and the new home. I still think that its unlikely that they would pluck feathers in the coop overnight...

The blue spray will definitely be a good idea if shes bleeding

A boost of protein will help her regrow her feathers, especially with the cold weather coming.

Again, I would not seperate her from the other two. I would split the bullies up. It might break their dynamic of treating her as lowest order hen hopefully when they come back together.
Unfortunately a flock always has a pecking order. There always has to be a higher and lower hen in that pecking order

Because you have just rehomed them, they are establishing their pecking order. How long do you have them exactly? The bullying, once the pecking order is established will hopefully peter off, and just the odd bop on the head from the top order hen... Unfortunately sometimes bullying can be persistant, so splitting the bullies up might be the solution. You could just put the 2 bullies out to free range and leave the 3rd hen with her treats (e.g. some protein/pasta/cheese/corn) in the run for peace and quiet?

Are you happy with your THREE hens - do you plan on getting more? If for example you had a cockeral, he would ensure there was no bullying (!!!)

Dutchess

Maybe this was resolved, but I will pitch in anyway.

The blue spray is perfect. Hens like pecking at the colour red. Hence the bottoms of those feeders often being red.

If she was a rescue from a battery, the upper part of the beak may have been cut off to prevent pecking. Just one of the many atrocities that go on in intensive farming. I have three as well and one has this. Initially one part of the lower beak even stuck out more, like it was cut too and poorly at that. But all our hens sometimes run their beaks over the terrace tiles and basically her beak is filed down now.

Hope you enjoy them, they are smelly buggers but fun to have around.

TopTec

Just an update on the situation.

I call the weak one Molly. She was getting worse over the following few days and then developed a cold which made her breathing rattle. I had removed one of the bully's for a few nights but put them together during the day. Molly was still getting pecked by the other one. It came to a head one morning when she was pinned down by one and some vicious head and neck pecking, almost beak stabbing, went on. Molly just lay there and took it.

I separated her and have had her in a temporary coop in the Dairy for a week now. her cold has improved and she does look happier all round. I put silver spray on her wounds, (can't source blue spray around Ballina) and they seem to have healed. She is eating well, drinking and the rattle has gone from her breathing, but has not yet produced an egg. There is no feather loss since she has been separate.

My plan is to get her weight up, let her recover her feathers and try to re-introduce her. I will start to give her some protein as you suggest Aonb. I cannot keep her permanently over in the Dairy as it is my workshop. I got them at the beginning of November and they are 10 months old. I am content with just having the 3 for now...

Cockerall? Oh no, not yet. Maybe in the distant future.

She came from a flock of 25 other RIR's Dutchess. I had the pick of them. Not battery hens.

Isn't it funny. I was only really worried about introducing my 2 Shih Tzus to the hens, especially Holly who will chase the wind if she could see it, but they have been great and if anything are wary of the hens. This bullying thing has detracted from the pleasure of having hens and I probably wouldn't have had them if I knew this was going to happen.

Ah Well.

TT

aonb

As with any animal, when things go wrong we wonder if she should have had them in the first place. Hens are complete cows for bullying, its the way of things. I feel for you - Ive been there, and if you are a softie at all (me too),watching the bullying is just miserable. She is obviously going to be bottom of the pecking order, if you tried to seperate them, and that didnt work... did you actually remove the bullying hen for several days?

What you could do next is get a couple more hens - this could go pear shaped in that if molly is really a timid hen, you might have four ganging up on her. But if two more hens come in to the flock, the bullying hen, will be too busy establishing her top place in the pecking order, that she should leave Molly alone. Technically then too, Molly would be hen #3 - i.e not at the bottom of the pecking order.

Another alternative is to rehome one of the two hens. This will shift the pecking order again, and the 2 hens left together - i.e. Molly and the other one - will just get on with things on their own...

There is another option - Molly becomes the house pet!!!! Keep her away from the other two, if she is that timid, she may be happier living without her own kind, and just let her potter herself about the place. Put a seperate little coop - anything will do - a plastic wendy house/an old kennel/a plastic crate in a sheltered spot on it side, with a mushroom box, or fruit box filled with straw. Without the stress of being bullied she might come into her own, and slowly go back and integrate with the other two - on her terms as it were.

Ive kept hens for many years, and never had a situation where bullying got out of hand - lots of handbags at dawn, but no blood drawn and no injuries. Dont let it put you off - hens are a wonderful passtime, and the eggs are a huge added bonus - its a shame your first venture into hen keeping should be miserable...

angeldaisy

This reminded me about one of my neighbours hens. A couple of years ago we were pet sitting for her and heard an almighty racket from the hens. Like yours, One of the hens was pinned and was being brutally pecked. We actually thought she'd have to be put down. But we managed to separate them, dress the wound and bandage it, not easy!! She lived, although never grew feathers there again, her neck was practically open.
Now you'd never know it, they all pall around together, she has 8 now in total.