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Will it always be like this

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I've had my girls for just over two weeks now and despite a few dramas (bleeding combs, poorly chook dying) they seem to have their pecking order sorted and there are very few "incidents".

My bottom chook is never allowed to eat any treats though, if she gets brave enough to try the top chook will attack her quite violently. Mostly she knows to stay away.

They make no attempts to stop her eating and drinking, but she still seems to have less as she won't eat or drink if one of the others is there, and she doesn't seem to take advantage when they are not. She is not laying yet though so I know she needs less food, so maybe it is just that.

Its sad to watch the other three never far from each other and her often alone.

Luckily they don't attack her unless she goes for the treats and she doesn't seem to really get bullied, but will they ever fully include her and let her share treats, or is this the way it will always be?

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Hi,

 

I had the same situation. Our youngest chicken didn't get her fair share, as the boss would attack her in quite a nasty way.

 

Just give them stuff split into different bowls (or whatever) so the boss cannot stop her getting to one of them.

 

On a happier note it all calmed down a lot once the youngest one started laying.

 

HTH,

 

Nick.

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It's early days yet, and things should settle down eventually. As Nick W says, you probably need to have more than one food and drink station, and try to spread the treats out as far and wide as possible so that she has a chance to get at them without being attacked.

I agree that it is sad to see one chicken being left out, but unfortunately someone has to be bottom of the pecking order! I'm sure things will get better once they are all laying and have been together longer. Good luck!

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It is hard to see them behaving like this, but it will get better - promise!

For ages I had a loner, but once she started laying the others seemed to accept her much better. Try giving her some treats seperately, I used to get the greedy ones in front of me and sprinkle some corn, then try to get in between them and the nervous one and sprinkle some behind me so that hopefully she also got some. She was an araucana though, so half the time she couldn't see what I was doing :roll: She was fine in the end though :lol:

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My Naked Neck has a bit of trouble when it comes to treat time. The other two guzzle treats; she pecks at the treats and theyt often get stolen.

 

I've "solved" this by scattering corn on the ground, which the two guzzleguts rush off to eat, and then I feed her treats from a bowl (I hold the bowl out and she helps herselof).

 

When the guzzleguts come back, I throw a bit more mixed ocorn for them, and then keep feeding Scarlett from the bowl.

 

I then let others have a pick at the bowl too.

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My Speckeldy was a loner for a while as she was slightly younger than the other newbies and laid later. However, although she's still slightly shy (from the earlier bullying), she now goes for the treats and joins in with the others. I'm sure yours will too.

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