What Did Chicken Fighting Mean in Automatic Hate
Todays' article tackles one of the least endearing qualities of our beloved hens – chicken bullying.
It is more than establishing the 'pecking order'- it is systematically picking on one or two hens for no apparent reason.
Bullying can be limited to feather plucking or escalate into full-blown warfare, with the receiving hen being severely injured or possibly killed.
In this article, we will cover the usual causes of bullying, how to stop them pecking each other, and finally, what to do when you need to intervene.
Our Choice for All-In-One Automatic Chicken Coop Door
Happy Coop Door - Weatherproof Automatic Chicken Coop Door Open/Close with Timer/Light Sensor, Predator Resistant Self-Locking Gears, Protection Sensor
- Plug and Play Design - Takes 10 minutes to install the door
- Up to 6 Months of Power with AA batteries - You don't need an outlet for the door to work, it functions on 4 AA batteries or a 6V battery (adapter included)
- Protection Sensor - Built-in sensor when closing to detect when there is an obstruction under the door to prevent injury to chickens
- Protects Chickens From Predators - Due to it's design, the notches the gear uses to open and close the door act as a self locking mechanism that prevents predators from breaking into the chicken coop. With this your chickens are protected and you can enjoy fresh eggs in the morning
- Door Will Open if Hell Freezes Over, Rain or Shine - Our weatherproof design has been tested to work during rainy weather as well as extreme cold temperatures as cold as 5°F
Our Choice of Treats for Our Chickens
HAPPY GRUBS - ULTIMATE MIXTURE OF WHOLE, HALF, AND POWDER OF BSFL FEED - CHICKEN FEED MIXTURE - 50X-80X More Calcium Than Meal Worms - NON-GMO, Molting Treatment, Great For Wild Birds, Reptiles, Ducks
- Egg Armor For Your Girls Eggs - Mixture of whole, half, bits AND POWDER of black soldier fly larvae that you can mix in your chicken's feed. It increases the strength of your girls' eggshells.
- Healthier Feathers - This product is better than bulk dried mealworms and helps keep your girls' feathers healthy and grow back quicker during molting season.
- Laying More Eggs - Because of the nutrient dense profile of dried black soldier fly larva, your hen's egg production will increase!
- Totally Safe for Reptiles and Other Birds - Happy Grubs is worm food that can also be enjoyed as bird food, reptile food, and turtles as a treat!
- Easy-To-Use Scooper - Our bag comes with a scooper that makes our bsfl mixture and powder easy to pour into a bowl or add to your typical chicken feed. It also has a clip so you can clip it onto the resealable bag. You can use it for feeding your other pets too!
The Pecking Order As It Relates To Chicken Bullying
This is just a brief rehash of the pecking order to refresh your memory. If you want to get more in-depth information, please see our article on the pecking order.
The pecking order is a complex relationship structure within the flock. A birds' place within the flock is determined by age, ambition, personality, etc.
A hen who wishes to rise to the top will be assertive with her flock mates ensuring dominance over them first.
When she is integrated into the flock, she will initially be at the bottom, but she will challenge the more timid hens and rise through the ranks accordingly.
When viewed from the outside, this behavior can seem like bullying, but this particular behavior has a gainful purpose and is usually short-lived.
It will stop when one of the antagonists gives way.
Bullying is a sustained behavior that really has no purpose other than to intimidate or harm another hen.
Let's look at some of the usual causes of bullying now.
Usual Causes of Chicken Bullying
There are four main causes for bullying to erupt:
- Stress
- Boredom
- Sickness
- Overcrowding
Stress
Chickens love routine, and anything that changes their routine can lead to stress.
The major stressors are new members in the flock, death of a flock mate, change of feed, new accommodations, and a host of other minor things.
Usually, they deal with stress by going off lay for a few days, being quieter than usual, but on occasion, the stress can trigger one hen to act out of character and become aggressive to a flock mate(s).
Stress can also be caused by the presence of a predator or an eager farm dog lurking about.
Boredom
Winter-time is the usual time for boredom aggression. They can't or won't go out in the weather, and they have little to do, so feather picking starts.
If it stayed as a minor thing with occasional picking, that would be acceptable, but it can escalate into a frenzy of picking by several hens.
The victim is usually terrified to go anywhere near the bully girl(s) and hide for most of the day. She will likely be frightened to go into the coop at night also.
They may keep her from eating and drinking, so it is important to have more than one feeding station available so that she can eat in peace.
Also, make sure to read our chicken winter boredom busters to avoid this type of problem.
Sickness
Chickens know intuitively when one of their own is sick. In the wild, chickens would drive a sick chicken from the flock as she becomes a liability for the rest of the chickens.
This can happen in our domestic hens too. They will pluck at her, driving her away from the flock.
Overcrowding
Probably the number one cause of bullying. Many chicken folks are guilty of impulse buying or hatching, thinking one or two more birds won't hurt.
In good weather with free-ranging that may hold, but in winter – not so much.
Remember, each large bird requires 4sq.ft/bird in the coop and 8sq.ft/bird in the run.
If there are tight quarters, it's a given that mischief will break out.
Think about how you would like to spend the winter with your family in one room all the time. As much as you may love your family – nerves will get frayed, and tempers may flare.
Read how much room do chickens need for more help.
Now we know what the usual causes of bullying are, let's look at preventing it.
How to Stop 'Bully' Hens
If you notice some minor anti-social stuff going on, try to figure out why it's happening.
Have there been recent stressors for them?
Is there anything you can do to change or help them?
You can partially alleviate winter boredom with fun things for them to do – cabbage tetherball treats such as melon, zucchini, or cucumber to peck at, flock blocks, or handfuls of scratch for them to eat.
Can you entice them to go out each day, even for a brief spell? Sometimes, a shoveled area with straw or hay is thrown down enough to get them outside.
I will often throw some fresh straw and scratch into the coop and let them do their thing – it gives them something to take their minds away from anti-social habits.
If you suspect one of the ladies may be unwell, give her a good check over. If you feel the need, you can isolate her in 'sickbay,' but in doing so, you may make her problems worse.
Re-integrating her could become a real problem for you and her. I will do everything I can to avoid separating her from the flock because it can cause issues further down the road.
Obviously, if she is severely picked on, she will need to be isolated for her own safety.
If you plan on chicks in early spring, she may have to go in with them for successful integration.
The only real solution to overcrowding is either to thin the flock or expand the room they have somehow.
Suppose it's possible to move some of the hens to separate quarters. That would be ideal. I would move the hens lower on the pecking order so they can have a break from the bully girls.
This will also re-set the pecking order in both camps, so for a brief period, you may see some squabbling as they get settled in their new positions.
It is not ideal but may save some of the lower hens from a miserable winter.
Extra Steps to Stop Chicken Bullying by Your Hens
Bully Hen Diversion Techniques
We have already mentioned some diversion therapies above, but what happens if you see the bullying happening in front of you?
I have used a water pistol in the past. A well-aimed squirt to the offender as she pecks at her flock-mate can stop her in her tracks.
This repeated over time will stop the behavior, but you will need to spend a lot of time observing and dealing with these behaviors.
Another trick that has been used successfully is the 'pebble can.' Get an old tin can, fill it about 1/3 full with pebbles, and tape shut.
Make sure it is well taped!
When you witness bad behavior, shake the can vigorously. The hens will all stop what they are doing to see what the hideous noise is!
This gives the victim time to move and also stops the bully hen by distracting her. I haven't used this one, so I can't say how successful it is, but it sounds like a good idea.
Upping your game
So Ms. Bossy has not taken the hint – what now?
There is a product out there called 'pinless peepers.'
They are something like sunshades for chickens… with a subtle difference; they cannot see what is in front of them!
These 'glasses' stop the chicken from seeing what is directly in front of her.
She can see to the sides, can do the normal things chickens do except pick feathers!
Many folks have used them and have been delighted at the results. You can buy a pack of six for around $15.00.
Some companies recommend that you use a special pair of pliers to apply them, but others state that soaking them in warm water or leaving them in the sun for a while makes them malleable enough to apply.
The peepers fit into each nare of the beak and are held in place by the beak.
Last Resort: Jail!
The ultimate punishment – chicken jail! If your aggressive hen will not be reformed gently, she needs to do some hard time.
A separate cage away from the ladies but somewhere they can see each other is perfect.
How much time will depend on the offender of the chicken bullying? Some take the hint and can be returned to the flock after a couple of days, but others may be determined not to be reformed.
This exercise resets the pecking order. Life goes on without her in the flock, and everyone adjusts accordingly, so when she is returned to them, she has to start all over again from the bottom up.
The average 'jail sentence' is 3-7 days, but some will need more time in the 'clink.'
Every once in a great while, I hear of a hen that refused to be reformed and ended up being given away.
This really is the last chance for her – perhaps being in a new flock intimidates them enough to make them behave; I don't know, I have never had to do this.
What if The Rooster is The Bully?
From time to time, a rooster can be the biggest bully in the coop.
If your hens are getting beaten up, it might just be that he is a little too aggressive with his mating processes.
Hens that become injured from an overeager roo may lose feathers, contract infections in open wounds, or even become severely stressed out.
If your rooster needs to chill, you can try separating him for a short time to see if your hens recover from a rough rooster and the stress he has caused.
You can then try to reintroduce him to the flock.
In many cases, he will return to his old ways. In this case, you can consider de-spurring your rooster.
Hopefully, regularly maintained spurs would cut down on injuries incurred during mating.
Unfortunately, a rough rooster may need to be culled or given away to a new flock.
When roosters are aggressive toward hens, there isn't much that you can do to change their behavior, but it's always worth a try.
Our Choice for All-In-One Automatic Chicken Coop Door
Happy Coop Door - Weatherproof Automatic Chicken Coop Door Open/Close with Timer/Light Sensor, Predator Resistant Self-Locking Gears, Protection Sensor
- Plug and Play Design - Takes 10 minutes to install the door
- Up to 6 Months of Power with AA batteries - You don't need an outlet for the door to work, it functions on 4 AA batteries or a 6V battery (adapter included)
- Protection Sensor - Built-in sensor when closing to detect when there is an obstruction under the door to prevent injury to chickens
- Protects Chickens From Predators - Due to it's design, the notches the gear uses to open and close the door act as a self locking mechanism that prevents predators from breaking into the chicken coop. With this your chickens are protected and you can enjoy fresh eggs in the morning
- Door Will Open if Hell Freezes Over, Rain or Shine - Our weatherproof design has been tested to work during rainy weather as well as extreme cold temperatures as cold as 5°F
Our Choice of Treats for Our Chickens
HAPPY GRUBS - ULTIMATE MIXTURE OF WHOLE, HALF, AND POWDER OF BSFL FEED - CHICKEN FEED MIXTURE - 50X-80X More Calcium Than Meal Worms - NON-GMO, Molting Treatment, Great For Wild Birds, Reptiles, Ducks
- Egg Armor For Your Girls Eggs - Mixture of whole, half, bits AND POWDER of black soldier fly larvae that you can mix in your chicken's feed. It increases the strength of your girls' eggshells.
- Healthier Feathers - This product is better than bulk dried mealworms and helps keep your girls' feathers healthy and grow back quicker during molting season.
- Laying More Eggs - Because of the nutrient dense profile of dried black soldier fly larva, your hen's egg production will increase!
- Totally Safe for Reptiles and Other Birds - Happy Grubs is worm food that can also be enjoyed as bird food, reptile food, and turtles as a treat!
- Easy-To-Use Scooper - Our bag comes with a scooper that makes our bsfl mixture and powder easy to pour into a bowl or add to your typical chicken feed. It also has a clip so you can clip it onto the resealable bag. You can use it for feeding your other pets too!
Summary on Chicken Bullying
We have given you some options here to stop your feathered bully from plucking her flock mates naked!
As we mentioned, space is all-important. Provide enough space, darkened hiding spots, boxes, etc., so the victim can find a peaceful place to sit.
Also, ensure there are sufficient feeding and drinking stations for the ladies.
The pinless peepers certainly sound effective, are painless, and seem to be relatively easy to apply – they may be a great solution for you.
We hope that your girls will live in peace and harmony together, and you won't have to resort to any of these tactics, but at least you now have some ideas of what is available should you have chicken bullying.
Have you ever had a bully hen – how did you manage her? We would love to hear about your solutions in the comments section below…
Read Next: 20 Surprising Things You Didn't Know About Chickens.
What Did Chicken Fighting Mean in Automatic Hate
Source: https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/chicken-bullying/
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