2009 Omlet cube and run for sale

[TAJ]

My lovely Bluebelle is being such a challenge. When I had my 3 original hens she was top chicken, never pecked at anyone, she was just naturally the leader. She was (and still is) very human friendly and will follow me around the garden at heel and chats away to me all the time. However all that changed last April when the new 3 layers arrived. They were introduced slowly over three months before finally being moved in together in July and she was just awful to them, pecking, drawing blood, jumping on top of them and attacking with her claws, pinning them into the corner of the pen, etc. With a bumper bit fitted she has been able to do less damage, but still tries attacking them at every opportunity. Two weeks ago, the others being covered in anti-pecking spray, she then went for the comb on my Dorking and there was blood everywhere - this is when we realised she had worn through her bumper bit. She is a big fat hen - at least twice the weight of the others.

 

At that point we put her in an Eglu on her own until we had a chance to fit a new bumper bit - that is where she has stayed for the last two weeks - she has been very happy, no pacing looking for the others and she has also been laying well. Over the last two weeks the other birdss feathers are improving greatly and they seem so much more relaxed without her.

 

When I was at the DTB centre in Devon yesterday I was talking about her to Nick - he said sometimes you do get a hen that is so dominant they become that aggressive you simply cannot do anything about it, except for get rid of them - that is never going to happen! Due to my impulse orps coming home yesterday we have had to have a shift round.

 

Bella is now fitted with a new bumper bit, all the other layers are coated in anti-pecking spray and I have put her back with them - they started free-ranging and within 5 mins she was jumping on the Barnvelder's back with her claws in! She then refused to go in the cube so I left her out in the garden on her own for 2 hrs and she was happy and not bothered to be on her own.

 

The new orps are old enough for integration, so as soon as I am happy they can go in with the other layers I will swap them over so Bella is back living on her own in the Eglu - I think Nick is correct that she is a rogue hen and nothing is going to work - still attacking like this on hens she has been living with since July 2009 is beyond the norm.

 

Tracy

[TAJ]

She has only been back in with them since 5 pm yesterday and causing trouble - the 3 'new girls' (now a year old) jump up inside the cube to get away from her, she goes up after them, they all go back in the run, she comes down and chases them, at which point one-by-one they jump back up in the cube, she then realises they have gone, she then follows them up to the cube and so it starts again - she is just pecking in their direction and not actually doing physical damage, but she is so evil now I think she will be back out in 24hrs as she is so horrible to the others.

 

Tracy

[Griffin]

Have you tried being the dominant hen with her? When she lunges for the others, scoop her up and hold her firmly for a few minutes before putting her down again and repeat X amount of times to see if she calms down.

 

I had to rehome my Bluebelle with a friend, not because she was a bully but because she was so noisy. She recently survived a fox attack where only 6 out of 26 survived, I reckon she frightened the fox away with her big gob!

[TAJ]

Have you tried being the dominant hen with her? When she lunges for the others, scoop her up and hold her firmly for a few minutes before putting her down again and repeat X amount of times to see if she calms down.

 

She has been held, removed, sprayed with water, I have chased her like she chases the others - there really is no stopping her, but as I say put her on her own and she looks really happy in her own Eglu, never pacing and totally content scratching around. Even now that one of the original hens has died so it is 2-to-3 old to new hens ahe still is the same.

 

She is my only hybrid now and I think I will be letting her spend the rest of her time in the Eglu on her own - she seems happy and the other hens are certainly very happy with that arrangment.

 

Tracy

[Seagazer]

Definitely sounds like she's better off on her own doesn't it? She does sound like a big bully. If she's content on her own and you have the space for it then I'd leave her in there.

 

One of my gingernuts is a bully and has drawn blood on the other girls, everytime I go in the run I hold her down. This is why its taken me so long to even think about getting other girls. They can really upset you can't they.

[Griffin]

I was just describing the 'gangs' of chickens I have in the garden to a friend because despite them all freeranging together there are definite groups among them. The noisiest, naughtiest, rowdiest bunch of them all is the group consisting of hybrids & ex-batts The hybrids are pretty and good layers on the whole but I'd never buy any again because I've seen how quiet and well behaved most of my pure breeds are. They are worlds apart! It sounds as if Bella got a double helping of attitude when it was dished out

[Bunnyish]

lol my little hoolagans are my 3 ex batts! they are such bullies comepared to the other 7! i have 5 that are soo ell behaved, my 3 new babies are sooo quiet, i dont think i have ever heard them make a noise!! the 2 blue eggies are bit over confident and i think that annoys the ex-batts, bit of top pecking order competition... as for my 'top girl' i think its all 3 of the ex batts they 'gang' up and mooch about the garden like they own the place!

[Egluntyne]

Sounds like she needs to be kept apart from the others permanently.

[PhilipCaldwell]

My Edith has turned out to be a right bull yto the new chooks, trying to peck through the bamboo all the time!!