Smart Feeder - Light sensor values

[A chickychickychick-ENN!!]

My light sussex hybrid has been pecking the other three hens in the coop and when let out to range with the bantams, treads on one and pecks it. She is hideous. Evolutionarily a very good chicken, but hideous for the other hens.

 

I lost my best chicken to her bullying this week. She has been bumper bitted and is currently in isolation, but will this help? How have people handled bully hens and has it worked? Or is dispatching the only option? It's been going on for months.

[Janty]

I have to confess that my two light sussex hybrids were also vile and all measures to convert them failed. I sent them off to M-I-Ls to be sorted out by her cockerel after they nearly killed my pekin. Alfie has done a great job of 'sorting' them and they are very meek and mild now. However, they are also staying at the in-laws as I'm sure that on re-integration they would revert back to being vicious.

[jess1merlin]

I tried separation for my bully for a week but she continued to be a thug when I put her back with the others. In the end I put a bumper bit on her and that has really helped. She will still try it on but the others seem to realise that she is restricted by the bumper bit and I am happy she is less likely to do any damage.

[abwsco]

I've got a bully in solitary at the moment. The last straw was Wednesday night when she attacked my Vorwerk again and had her screaming She detests my Vorwek and also one of the Welsummers and will run down the garden to attack them. She's also been worse since Mo and Barney died. Obviously decided that even though she's the youngest she won't be at the bottom of the pecking order.

 

If her behaviour doesn't improve when she's let out, I'm going to have to see if my friend who we got her from last year will have her back, as I think she needs a cockerel to sort her out.

[A chickychickychick-ENN!!]

It's quite funny isn't it - I would think most ladies on the forum see themselves as independent, forward thinking lasses, but when it comes to our chickens, they need a man to 'sort them out'!

 

She's not a pure breed, she's just a run of the mill Sussexy hybrid. And a total baggage. The other thing is, I don't want to enter the realm of cruelty to try to teach her. She's in a big cat box right now, so I want to give her mobility, but I want to give the other two hens some recovery and destress space. Darn chickens.

[Eggasperated]

As you can see from my signature I eventually had to rehome one of mine after months of feather plucking of my other two - she went to a local animal park who already had hens and a cockrel, I just asked them and they were very happy to take her, she seemed to fit in very well and everyone is happier as a result. Perhaps if you ring round local animal parks in Kent someone will be happy to take her.

[Egluntyne]

You could try rehoming her via the Omlet Marketplace, or follow some of the suggestions to be found in the rehoming policy. **click**

[A chickychickychick-ENN!!]

Thanks Egluntyne.

[A chickychickychick-ENN!!]

She is also egg pecking now. I can't immediately rehome her. Is there anything that can be done to try to tone down her destructive behaviour?

[Egluntyne]

Try her in solitary, with a couple of mustard filled eggs or pot eggs to try to alter her behaviour.