Confused Bullying!!

[lizzylemon]

I really need your expert advice with this one. I'm totally confused and not sure what to do. I'm seeing some, what I think, is very odd bullying.

I have a little Amber Line who was much smaller than the others and subsiquently hit bottom of the pecking order. I have 2 reds who hang with each other all the time but neither seem to be the boss, plus a Black who's totally laid back and doesn't care who or what she's doing. All Good, apart from one of the red's (Clap Clap) is pulling neck feathers from the white one (Pea). It's not over food as Pea will charge through the middle of everyone to get to the feeder and I haven't seen any feather pulling nor found feathers but I actually saw Clap Clap doing it when Pea was having a dust bath and Clap Clap wanted a go. I've also found a few in the coop so I'm guessing morning times too.

Now does that mean Pea's begining to stick up for her self: charging through everyone to get to the food and NOT giving up the dust bath and I should just leave well alone (unless blood is drawn). Or is it just the start of even bigger problems.

Would removing Clap Clap for a night change the pecking order and let Pea move up the ladder or should it be longer or not at all?

Huff!!

Off for a hot bath me thinks.

[Suechooks]

If they were mine and there was no obvious distress or blood being drawn I think I'd let them sort themselves out. If the white one looks a bit bald then maybe take the bully out for a while(about 24 hours maybe) but if the white one is ok and feeding well and not hungry they should be fine. Is it boredom? Do they have things to entertain them? Bales of straw, tyres, logs etc in the run, greens in hanging baskets, bags of dead leaves to rummage through, are all good distractions.
Hope that helps.

[Glutton4...]

I think I'd be inclined to watch and wait. Mine are like primary school kids; A pecks at B for just walking past. 2 minutes later they're happily eating out of the same dish. The other day a Brown one rushed across the run, grabbed a beak-full of feathers out of a White one for no obvious reason.

As Suechooks says, unless there's an obvious problem or injury to one of them, it's probably not serious. You'll soon tell if one is seriously off colour.

Good luck.

[lizzylemon]

Mine are like primary school kids; A pecks at B for just walking past. 2 minutes later they're happily eating out of the same dish. The other day a Brown one rushed across the run, grabbed a beak-full of feathers out of a White one for no obvious reason.

Thats mine exactly!! You put it so much better than me!! I'll keep an eye on them to be on the safe side. Thanks for your reasurance. But now the Black one, Henni, is been looking very sorry for herself. All puffed up feathers and pulled in neck not really doing very much at all. I'd think it was just the weather if the others were the same but they're pecking around and roaming the garden being very busy.

I'm such a worrywort. Much worse with the hens than with my 10mth bambina!!

[HayleyB]

Yep I agree with all, mine are like it all the time there's never one that's the main one picked on as they all have playground tantrums at various times.