Pecking order or just a bully

[rew15]

We just picked up our 4 ex bats on Saturday and I have to say they are in a better condition than I was expecting.They seemed to settle in well and we have three eggs already.
There is one of the four though that has been pecking the other three and one in particular. Trying to keep them away from food and water.
Is this just them establishing their pecking order or should, having read on here, isolate the 'bully' for a while.

Your thoughts please.

Cheers,
Rew15.

[Suechooks]

Give them time to settle. They've spent the last year fighting for every mouthful. Being free is like someone from Belsen going to a banquet at Buckinham Palace!
They have to establish a pecking order. You could initially try another feeder away from the first one which would give the others some opportunity to feed. Make sure the feeder is big enough for them all to get round easily.
If it continues or blood is drawn then is the time to isolate the bully.

[davefromthechipie]

Hi try adding 2 food and water bowls one at each end of the run . Your problem is pritty normal when it comes to ex batts and should fix itsself in time So unless real blood is drawn i wouldnt seperate her at this time .
The problem with exbatts is when you get them We all just put them in a pen thinking their going to get on But unless the ex batts lived in the same part of the barn in the same flock ,( Its just like adding a new bird to you existing flock) fight fight fight

[MaureenHall]

they're doing exactly what they've been doing for the last year, and that is to grab the food for themselves and shove any others out of the way. Is the bully the one with the least neck feathers? It usually is! Honestly, they will settle down once the new pecking order is sorted out, it'll take a week or so but persevere and they'll be fine.

Congratulations on getting the ex-batts by the way, they really do deserve to retire in freedom

[Hans Mum]

just to add to everyone elses comments, my girls were exactly the same and even had a go at my 2 existing girls, everything has settled down now and other than the odd spat harmony seems to be there.

[dozey1]

Mine are ex bats as well and i habve had bullying recently just put in another food pot and a bowl of water. They will sort themselves out..I have started letting mine out in the evenings for a bit of free ranging and that really has helped...

[SuzyB]

Hi there,
Im new to the forum and read this post with interest - I collect our 3 ex batts last Thursday and everything was going great (first egg next morning, 2 the next morning) until Saturday afternoon when one (Nutmeg) started attacking the meekest one (Ginger). Now its got to the stage where Nutmeg wont allow Ginger out of the house. I have a house within a run, with a ramp down into the run, and have a separate run that I push up to the door for extra space. When poor Ginger even steps on to the ramp to come down, Nutmeg is there, pecking and jumping on her. Today Ive had to put food and water inside the house which I didnt want to do, but being out at work all day, there's no guarantees Ginger will get anywhere near the feed and water in the coop or run.

Im pretty sure Ginger is the main layer, and there was an egg yesterday, but it had been smashed in what was clearly a fairly hefty fight as the perches had been disloged from inside the house. Whether it was smashed, or just eaten because she was probably hungry by that point, having not been allowed past the house door, I dont know.

The third chicken (Cinnamon) seems to get on fine with Nutmeg, and I havent seen her peck or attack Ginger. Should I separate Nutmeg from the other two? I can put her in the main run during the day, but have no where else for her to sleep so she'd need to go back in at night. Does anyone have any advice, I know its early days and all but I feel so sorry for Ginger!

[Hans Mum]

hi suzy and welcome to the vine, the general consensous seems to be to seperate the bully from the others, but so she can still see them so a divide across the run maybe, with water & food on each side. They can all go into the coop together on a night, just lift them onto their perches, having said that they are still only getting used to their freedom and it maybe that things will settle down on there own and as long as blood isnt beeing drawn then you might want to leave it a few more days before you seperate the bully.

[Flummery]

The usual advice is to separate the bully, so I would do as you're suggesting and try to put Nutmeg in a separate run in the day, if you can - but within sight of the others. Sometimes picking the bully up and walking around with her under your arm for a while as you wander around the garden can give them enough of a feeling of being 'deflated' so that they don't feel strong enough to bully any more.

If she's spent a few days separated off she won't feel so bossy. That's the theory! Good luck - aren't they a worry?

[SuzyB]

Thank you for that.

I should have added that they didnt come to me straight from rescue. They have lived on a farm for a couple of weeks before I collected them, so are, for ex battery hens, looking quite healthy now and are used to being outside. Does that sounds like they are just ascertaining the pecking order?

I shall give it a couple more days to see how it goes, then if it doesnt get any better, will keep Nutmeg in the run and Cinnamon and Ginger in the coop run. Im just hoping that the egg mishap was not down to one of them eating it, Ive read its a really hard habit to break once it starts?

[rew15]

There was a fight and blood was drawn last night. The bully spent the night alone in our guinea pig run and has stayed there today. We were told by BHWT to seperate her for a couple of days and the reintroduce her.
The one that was being picked on still hasn't settled like the other 2 have and I'm hoping she'll be o.k. She just sits all day in a crouched down position.

Any further ideas greatly appreciated.

Rew15.

[SuzyB]

Hi, I just thought Id drop in and let you know how it went.

After I posted the other day, when I got home it was obvious poor Ginger had got it in the neck again so as the other two were in the run, I shut them in there to give Ginger a couple of hours peace til bedtime. I have never seen pee'd off chickens before, I know it sounds crazy but you should have seen the looks on their faces! They were shouting at her from the run, as she wandered up and down the coop, doing what she liked and you could tell they didnt like it!

When I let them back in at bedtime, they more or less ignored her as if to say 'we're not bothered' and all was well. The next morning I decided just to separate Nutmeg who is obviously top in the pecking order, so she spent the day in the run while the other too stayed in the coop run. That night when I let Nutmeg back in, all was peaceful and for the first time since I first got them, the two top dogs (chickens) let Ginger sleep in the nesting box with them instead of shoving her our to sleep in the house.

Since then its been very harmonious, they still give her the odd peck when she gets too close to them or happens to be by the feeder when they are, but Ive put two feeders and two drinkers in now so even that isnt much of a problem but its nothing like it was thankfully. She's still squishing up with them in the nesting box at night too so I take that as a good sign. What's more we've had three eggs since, none were damaged so I definitely think the egg smashed earlier this week was due to a fight and the perches being disturbed.

Thank you for your advice, Im happy to say it worked brilliantly!

[sheena]

Glad it all turned out well for you Suzy... it's not nice playing referee, but at least you managed to hopefully nip it in the bud early on.

I'm hoping that I won't have to go down the same route with my "Baldy", but I know what you mean about their faces. You have to feel sorry for them, whilst at the same time being firm and fair to the others.

Being cruel to be kind has it's rewards most of the time, but it don't make us feel any better.

[rew15]

Our bully has gone!
Asbo as we nicknamed her was seperated, but kept within sight, from the other three for 48 hours and when we allowed them all back together she went straight for the weakest one. So we tried another 48 hours and the samething happened.
Having has a chat with BHWT, we think she may have turned to he. So I have re-rehomed himmy her with my Aunt who has 20 odd chikens and ducks and was getting another 10 ex batts Saturday.