Advice about Boss Hen

[Flummery]

Hi all. I'm hoping some of you experienced chicken keepers can advise me about my Top Hen, Topaz. We've divided the run and the new girls are in the smaller bit, the older hens in the bit where they can get to the pop-hole door so they can access the nest box.

We let them mix at corn-scatter time, just before bed, but Topaz is absolutely vile to the little ones. I know that the top hen needs to exert her dominance but she takes it too far. She chases them into one corner, pecking and pulling feathers out, so that they never get chance to mingle with the other Senior Chickens.

Yesterday we decided, a couple of hours before dusk, to put Topaz in the smaller bit on her own and the other 5 together to see if they would integrate. The little ones skittered up the ladder and huddled at the top of the stairs for a while but eventually came down. After about half an hour you'd have thought they'd always been together. They drank together, ate from the feeder together, pecked and scratched on the ground together. There were one or two eye-locking contests but no fisticuffs. Meanwhile, Topaz, after trying to get at the others through the mesh, gave up and carried on scratching, feeding etc as usual.

What I'm wondering is, are we storing up trouble keeping her on her own? Will she calm down or is she going to store up her anger till she's ready to marmalize them all?

[RichmondHens]

I'm confused - are they all sharing the same hen house and you divide them manually each morning into two pens? Or are there two houses? If the latter I would be inclined to keep Topaz in there completely separate until the other five have sorted out their order (could take a week or more) and then reintroduce Topaz. If just the one house it may not be so straightforward as Topaz is likely to remain dominant even if she is separated during the day. There can be a lot of bullying in the house before they get out in the morning. You may just need to let them fight it out, but I know it's not pleasant to watch.

[Flummery]

Currently they go to bed in the same house and I have wondered what goes on in there before I let them out. They get segregated when I let them out which has been about 6.40 lately. We do have the option on putting a small coop in for her at her side which we might pursue. At the moment, there doesn't seem to be any chance of them becoming an integrated flock if she is going to keep the little ones separated in a corner. Thanks for the advice.

[RichmondHens]

If you have a separate coop then I would put her in there. As long as she can see and hear the others she will be fine, although she won't like it and will protest loudly!! Give her a week in "solitary" then try her back with the others.

I have a very tame Welsummer who I hand reared 3 years ago and (probably as a result) doesn't get on with quite a few of my other hens. I have used her for breeding, as a companion for ill chickens and for lonely cocks, and she has also been to school as a pet. She is very placid and copes with the many changes in her life really well. However one group of hens in particular hate her and beat her up so I have to think quite carefully about who she lives with (my pens are rearranged each year according to what I have, what I am breeding etc). She's currently in the geriatric pen.

Sometimes with chickens you find you just have an oddball that doesn't get on or fit in with the others and you have to make special arrangements, but hopefully your Topaz will settle down before long and the whole group will live happily together.

[BUFFS]

its always the hardest part,to leave them to sort themselves out,we had 3 weeks of mayhem when we got 2 bluebells,but when we put in a speckled hen,barred plymouth and a light sussex all the fuss was over in 30 mins,there seems no hard and fast rules,we had the bluebelles on top of the coop,having to put some food up there,wife was upset at the constant bullying,but when she decided to try to seperate them,she went out and they were all in the dust bath together,so just dont look ,they will settle...good luck..

[Flummery]

Settled much better now - we let them all out together on their bit of fenced off garden where they not-quite-free range. One or two minor run-ins but eventually all seemed well as long as the little ones didn't get pushy.

However, Topaz laid a soft egg - just membrane - on Sunday morning - I'm wondering if it's stress, although she has form. She didn't lay yesterday in spite of a spell in the nest box and today is hanging around with her neck pulled in looking sorry for herself. I suspect another softie in the pipeline. It means she hasn't the ooomph to be mean though. Hope it will resolve itself in the next day or so.

[Flummery]

Latest! Boss hen back on form after a couple of days of looking decidedly poorly and not eating much. She was in with the others again yesterday because we thought she needed the warmth at night. She ranged with the others yesterday and wasn't feeling up to snaping at anyone. This morning she's been so different - snappy again but the young ones give her plenty of room. It seemed best to let them get on with it at this stage so we are having a few squabbles but no feathers pulled out. She hasn't laid since her softie on Sunday so I think that's been at the bottom of it.

[chris]

Glad things are on the up!