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

[Bootscooter Nell]

I am finding it very hard accepting Maggie's aggression towards Lisa. I am very inexperienced with keeping chickens and have no idea if this is normal behaviour or not. We are now into day 11 and it is still going on. The pecking order has been established but Maggie still insists on hounding Lisa. All I know is that it is making me very sad about something I feel should be an enjoyable experience.

 

Maggie is an extremely greedy bird and to me seems quite aggressive in comparison to Marj and Lisa. She hates it when Lisa eats out of the bowl and even when she is not interested in eating she will leg it across the pen to nudge Lisa out of the way and peck at her when she starts feeding. Thankfully Lisa is persistant and knows when to grab an opportunity to feed. It does help by having more than one bowl of food on the go.

 

Maggie is also getting quite aggressive towards me too when I bring some treats she will jump up in the air grabbing at the bowl and today took a chunk out of my knuckle whilst I was trying to give them some corn because she was being so greedy and wanted to get there first. The aggression is obviously triggered by food and if the other two were like it I'd think it was the norm but they are no where near as bad as her.

 

Maggie also point blank refuses to take herself to bed. The other two trot off into the eglu quite happily between 9:45 and 10 but Maggie sits out side and I have to physically put her in the eglu. Something else that doesn't seem normal.

 

Now the problem is, I'm really not enjoying her and Golden Valley Poultry have very kindly said they will take her back and I am very very seriously thinking about it. I'm then faced with the problem of do I just stick with Marj and Lisa or do I chance introducing another chicken and end up possibly back at square one.

 

Sorry I've rambled on, but I'd really like to hear if anyone else has had a similar experience or am I just being pathetic and expecting too much by hoping for harmony between them?

[Olly]

I don't think you're being pathetic at all, we all want to see a happy flock of chickens ... but I do think that what you're describing is fairly normal chicken behaviour.

 

Provided Lisa isn't being injured, then I would just stick with it. I'm assuming that they are fairly new - they do calm down as they get older, and are laying regularly, and you should find that pecking (of you) gets less - mine used to peck my fingers very regularly and painfully, but they don't do it at all now.

 

My smallest hen, Sieglinde, is constantly being 'told off' by Yolko the pack leader, even when they are free-ranging; she gets pecked, chased and generally jumped on. I hate seeing it, but she is perfectly healthy and laying regularly, and has never had any injuries from this.

 

It's hard not to impute human emotions to them - if three humans behaved like this, you'd accuse the 'boss' one of being a bully and put an end to the relationship, but chickens don't have the same feelings. As long as Lisa is behaving normally, then I would guess that she isn't feeling as persecuted as we would in that situation!

 

I think if you took Maggie back, there's no guarantee that the same situation won't arise with another hen; also, if Maggie is 'top' chicken, and you remove her, what's to say that Marj won't turn into a more aggressive personality? Stick with it, and it will get calmer, is my guess.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Oh dear . I'm so sorry to hear that you're not able to enjoy your new chickens thanks to Maggie's behaviour . I think if the breeder will take her back you should take them up on the offer. You may just have a bird with a "difficult" temperament and it's a shame for the other two if they're quite placid and contented.

 

Regarding getting another one, it's hard to say. Perhaps you've not had them so long that a new hen would bother them too much? Do you have somewhere you can keep a new girl if there are problems? Would the breeder be understanding and take a new one back too if things didn't work out?

 

Hopefully others will be along with some more advice but I would say, don't feel bad about taking Maggie back - presumably you haven't bonded with her the same as the others if she's being nasty, so you shouldn't find it too hard (it's in the interests of the other two after all).

[Egluntyne]

I agree with Olly.

 

As long as blood is not being drawn, things will settle eventually, particularly as they mature.

 

As the issues all seem to be about food, why not put out extra food stations. If she sees that there is more than enough for everyone, she might lay off, and she won't be able to monitor them all.

 

Re the bed time issues, if you are happy to leave the Eglu door open she will put herself to bed eventually.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Oops, I've cross-posted with the others . My post hasn't helped really has it? On reflection, I think Olly and Egluntine are probably right. I suppose it is early days and she will calm down soon enough. I just hope she does though - taking lumps out of you is not going to make her your favourite chicken .

[Nuggywoo]

I'd take Maggie back and get 2 others.

 

I don't think food is the issue - she just sounds like a nasty bit of work (yes that may be a 'human' term but don't animals have their own personalities??)

[Tigerlily]

She sounds (Maggie) just like my Mabel!

I think we place a human element on our girls - but let's face it - they are chooks!

 

If she is top chook (or trying to be), she will behave like that. I don't have the experience of Egluntine (the wise owl), but I think you should give her a chance (Maggie, not Egluntine ). Mabel seems to have settled a lot since she started laying on Sunday, and she and Rosie have stopped pecking Betty virtually now). I've been pecked by Mabel too, but not hard, and she hasn't taken a chunk off me yet but she does fly when she sees the treat bowl

 

I say give her a chance If she was hounding poor Lisa constantly, and drawing blood, then it would be a different story...

 

BWx let us know what you have decided

 

edited to say: I know exactly what you mean: when the bullying happened I felt out of control, inexperienced and that it took all the fun out of chook keeping. I have to say I love all my girls with all my heart, even the bullies, and would be devastated if anything happened to them I will just have to pray that it will settle down now, as they all seem so happy and contented I hope yours do just the same! x

[Guest]

I'd take Maggie back and get 2 others.

 

I don't think food is the issue - she just sounds like a nasty bit of work (yes that may be a 'human' term but don't animals have their own personalities??)

 

Maud was very aggressive for a couple of weeks or so, I nicknamed her 'Maud the marauder'. We added extra food stations and seperated her when it got too bad. We sectioned the run off so they could all see each other but where she couldn't get at the others. We sprinkled sweetcorn on the floor in the evening so they could all get used to feeding together and the tasty treats took her mind of bullying for a while.

 

She eventually calmed down and although she's now top chook, she looks after the girls, isn't aggressive at all any more and is the cuddliest hen ever. She's a very confident chook and lets me pick her up and she jumps on my lap for cuddles.

 

I never thought she would turn into such a delightful chicken but she did but we went thru what you're going thru but we perservered.

 

If you take her back to the breeder then she'll probably be for the chop so I'd urge you to keep trying and give her a chance. She's still settling in and it's all natural behaviour.

[Christian]

Have pm'd you Helen

 

C x

[lisa33]

When I first got my girls Bobbi was officially known as Bobbi-Satan.

 

She is now my favourite of the three and will quite happily sit for cuddles for quite long periods of time.

 

When I introduced Pepper, it was Cynthia who became evil. They are all now quite happy together (apart from the occasional peck just as a reminder of who is boss).

 

It will sort itself out and just takes a bit of time.

[chicklit]

I'm sorry to hear about the problem with Maggie. In this situation I would feel inclined to stop giving them treats for a while if the problem is worse when food is introduced. I would just let them have their pellets (which are nutritionally balanced) and what they eat when they are free ranging.

 

It has to be your decision however because you are the one that has to watch what they are doing. It must be very difficult to watch the bullying.

 

Whatever you decide. good luck.

 

Brenda

[superjules]

If it were me, I'd stick at it for another 2 weeks before making a final decision. I know it sounds glib but it does take a while for them to get settled.

 

This may not be relevant, but at our local poultry centre although they will offer to replace a bird if you have problems for whatever reason, when they take a bird back it ends up getting culled in the carpark as they can't risk it bringing any disease to the hundreds of other birds they have. I'd make sure that's not going to happen where you are taking her back to before deciding.

[..lay a little egg for me]

I agree with the others who say to stick with it. Introducing a new hen at this stage might be tricky.

 

I don't have much experience but just wanted to add that, in my limited experience, the treat bowl is a cause of much bickering (in fact, it is the hen who is lowest on the pecking order who jumps up at me when I go in their run with the treat bowl). I have found that when I scatter corn or rice or pasta, they feed together much more happily than when I put in a bowl of treats. We have an area separated off with electric fencing so I can walk up to their run and just chuck the corn or whatever over the fence for them to forage for. So, I would suggest holding back on the sticky treats that need to be in a bowl and go for treats you can spread around. They will then (hopefully) learn to eat together more peacibly.

[chucknette]

Hi

 

I would try to stick with it for another couple of weeks and review the situation.

 

You have had them for a short time and she is establishing that she is top chook.

 

When every thing calms down you will find that she will look after your girls.

She will raise the alarm first if there is a problem and call them all to her if needs be.

 

It looks awful to us when this is going on but it is normal chicken behaviour.

 

My top chook who was a pain at first is now the most confident chook and she will sit on me in the evenings and spend a lot of time with me but I am aware that she is still on duty with regards to the others.

 

The others also know their place and you can even see who is where in the ranks it is really interesting to see the politics going on between them.

 

Hope all settles soon for you, just persevere

 

Best wishes

[Guest]

Hi

 

I would try to stick with it for another couple of weeks and review the situation.

 

You have had them for a short time and she is establishing that she is top chook.

 

When every thing calms down you will find that she will look after your girls.

She will raise the alarm first if there is a problem and call them all to her if needs be.

 

It looks awful to us when this is going on but it is normal chicken behaviour.

 

My top chook who was a pain at first is now the most confident chook and she will sit on me in the evenings and spend a lot of time with me but I am aware that she is still on duty with regards to the others.

 

The others also know their place and you can even see who is where in the ranks it is really interesting to see the politics going on between them.

 

Hope all settles soon for you, just persevere

 

Best wishes

 

I agree with everything you said!

[MedusA]

I totally agree with the concensus opinion of sticking it out.

 

My Scully was an absolute haridan (sp) to poor Toffee for ages, but now they are the best of friends. It will settle down, but it does take a while. At least Lisa is taking what opportunities she can to feed and if you put in more feeding stations, then Maggie can't patrol them all at once!

 

Good luck. I do hope it settles down and you can start really enjoying your girls.

[Tweety]

She should stay. I agree with Olly etc and think that you need to give them more time. It is early days yet and, although it is distressing to see, this is normal behaviour for chickens. I hope that they settle down before too long.

[surferdog]

I know exactly how you feel Helen. I could cope with everything else but the bullying really upset me. For a while I really disliked Horrible Hyacinth the Hen from Hell.

 

Things did eventually settle down but then she started on Sylvie again a few weeks later. Like Maggie her aggression was centred around food and sometimes she'll still chase the others away if it's a particularly tasty treat. I withdrew all treats for a few days and used to sneakily feed treats to the others.

 

I also sprayed Sylvie with tea tree solution (my anti-peck spray has still not arrived to this day ) which seemed to help.

 

Sylvie has gone broody again and yesterday I found Hyacinth cuddled up to her in the 'sin bin' so I guess chickens don't see things the same way we do!

[Cyber Chook]

Hi Helen, just wanted to add my tuppence-worth and say that I've only had my five girls since April, but what you wrote could have been written by me, word for word. I have to tell you about Evil-O.

 

Olive ('Evil-O' backwards, I realised recently, which is now what she gets called when she's being naughty) has a real go at poor old Ruby, chasing after her for no apparent reason other than Evil-O thinks it's fun. After 8 or 9 weeks things are settling, thankfully. I did find that the stinky spray Ukadex, which is recommended here, has been a real help. Ruby looks most put out and indignant when I spray her with it, but Evil-O does then leave her well and truly alone - yay! - what a relief. I spray all the gingernuts with it so she doesn't decide to move on to someone else. It has made a big difference.

 

I was wrestling with the exact same dilemma of whether or not to keep Olive, and felt so envious of people whose birds all got along sweetly. But I'm glad I kept her now, as she's funny and bossy and a real character, but with less and less of the bad-tempered madam behaviour as time goes by.

 

Best of luck with whatever you decide is best for you

 

Caroline

[dancing cloud]

As an absolute non-expert chicken keeper of a month, I would say stick with it too.

 

My top chook Daisy was the thinnest of my ex-batts and by far the most demanding and grabby when it came to food. Like others here, I scatter the corn and treats quite widely so that everyone can get a bit and feed Daisy by hand. She really loves the special top-hen attention and I can feed her quite slowly, so all the others get to finish before she does. Might be worth a try?

[..lay a little egg for me]

As an absolute non-expert chicken keeper of a month, I would say stick with it too.

 

My top chook Daisy was the thinnest of my ex-batts and by far the most demanding and grabby when it came to food. Like others here, I scatter the corn and treats quite widely so that everyone can get a bit and feed Daisy by hand. She really loves the special top-hen attention and I can feed her quite slowly, so all the others get to finish before she does. Might be worth a try?

 

I once read that you can raise the status of your horse by giving him lots of attention in view of the rest of the herd....I wonder if it is true of chooks too?

[Guest]

i read that you can try pinning the bully down in front of the others as it humiliates them and might stop them being so aggressive. I tried that too, in conjunction with all the other tips. That last post reminded me!

 

It's not going to hurt her, just hold her down in front of the others.

[Bootscooter Nell]

I just want to thank everyone for all the replies to my 'Maggie' problem, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading everyones thoughts and experiences. They have been a huge help. I now feel tons better about the whole situation and realise that Maggie is probably just a normal healthy chook establishing her authority and I'm a paranoid new Mum expecting too much too soon.

 

I have decided that she can stay and I wont be frogmarching her back to the breeders this weekend after all. I feel optimistic that things will more than likely improve and harmony within the group is just around the corner

[Christian]

Wonderful news Helen.

 

Hope it settles quickly now.

 

You know where I am if you need me!

[ebaygirl]

Hi

 

Just to add to what every one else has said really.

 

I'm glad you have decided to keep her. My top bird, Rosie, occsionally needs putting in her place. I haven't tried pinning her down, but I have been known to chase her round the walk-in run a bit to remind her that, actually, I'm in charge!

 

Works with the husband, too!