4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Hen Huggers R Us]

Hi, we have had our new Black Rock Ebony for 2 days now, she is getting picked on by our other 3 naughty girls, she has learned to stay clear of them and seems to be feeding ok, last night she would not go into the coop, she settled down behind a plant pot until we insisted she she go in, everything seemed ok when she was in but she did not perch and settled down in the nest. The other girls are occasionally pulling her feathers out when they catch her (she is quite quick) but when Ebony retrieves the feathers she is eating them, is this normal??How long is all this going to last before she is accepted into the flock and is there anymore we can do ?

[Egluntyne]

Looking at your signature, she seems to be just a little on the young side to be in with the older hens.

 

She will soon catch up with them size wise etc.

 

Why not put out a couple more food and drink "stations" so that she can snatch a mouthful here and there and not starve. They can generally only "man" two, so three or more is ideal.

 

You could spray her with Ukadex which is a vile tasting and smelling anti pecking soray which has good results **It stinks. You can get it from **Regency Poultry**

 

Or you could fit the aggressors with bumper bits, available from **The Wernlas Collection**. Why not give them a ring. They are extremely helpful.

 

Another method, if you have the time, is to sit with them, Granny Clampet style, and blast the naughty girls with a super soaker every time they are horrible to her. That method works quite well, but is rather time consuming.

 

Good luck.

 

Generally, with a bit of management, these problems cane be overcome in about three weeks.

[Trapper]

I'll second Eugluntine,

 

Don't waste any time buy some Ukadex it works and hope fully peace will reign again very quickly.

 

It might be worth seperating the bullied chicken untill you get the spray just in case the bullying turns really nasty. The spray is a lot cheaper than vet bills or the loss of the bird through stress which bullying can cause.

 

Hope this helps.