The pecking order is a very serious social hierarchy in any chicken flock. The purpose of a pecking order is to establish an order of dominance to reduce conflict amongst the flock. Every member of the flock knows where they stand in the hierarchy and once a pecking order is established it greatly reduces aggressive competition. To onlooking humans, the pecking order may seem like a very violent behavior, but it is usually short lived and we should not intervene as it is a normal and crucial chicken behavior. However, every once in a while you will have a bully amongst your flock who will threaten the health and well being of another, most often causing injury. This behavior crosses the line beyond the pecking order and should be dealt with.
What Causes Chicken Bullying?
- Stress – Anything out of their normal routine can cause stress. Triggers could include moving coops, predator attacks, mites or disease, or change in flock members. I especially find adding new flock members creates stress and disrupts the pecking order.
- Overcrowding – This is by far the most common reason for chicken bullying. The rule of thumb is to have a minimum of 4 square feet per bird in the coop and at least 8 in the run.
- Boredom – Here in New England this most often occurs during the Winter months when they can’t go foraging for bugs and greens to eat. Most often this leads to feather plucking and occasionally more serious wounds.
- Illness – Instinctual behavior leads chickens to want to drive away any weak birds out of the flock. In a domesticated flock this leads to the bullying of any weak or ill birds. Always do health checks on your flock to ensure you catch any sign of illness early.
How To Stop Chicken Bullying
- Add More Space – as mentioned above, overcrowding is the most common reason for bullying behavior. Even if overcrowding is not your main problem it doesn’t hurt to add more elbow room – More space will allow the victims more room to run and hide if in need of sanctuary. This means expanding your coop or run, shoveling some more space outside in the Winter, or downsizing the number of birds you have (I know *Gasp*).
- Add Entertainment – Alleviating boredom is important when trying to prevent and stop bullying. This can be done with homemade toys such as a frozen block of ice with veggies inside, or a hanging cabbage in their run as a peck toy. Scratch is another way of keeping your chickens busy while providing a little extra nutrients. And, of course, there are always store bought toys available such as the Chicken Xylophone Toy or the
Chicken Treat Ball
.
- Add More Feeding and Watering Stations – Your chickens may feel like they have to compete for food or water if there is only one option available to them. Consider adding 2 or 3 feeders and waterers to your coop and run.
. 
- Consider Anti-Bullying Products – Red light is supposedly soothing to chickens as they see and process color much differently than we do. They have extra-retinal receptors that secrete calming hormones. If you have light bulbs in your coop consider switching them from white to red light. If you do not have electricity in your coop (like me) then maybe give Anti-Pecking Glasses
a shot.
- Isolate the Bully – Do not remove the victim from the flock, unless injured and in need of rehabilitation. It is best to remove the bully from the flock and isolate her for a few days. This will cause her to lose her spot at the top of the pecking order. When she is returned to the flock she will be lower in the hierarchy which should diminish her dominant behavior.
- Rehome – As a last resort in the case of extreme bullying consider rehoming the offender. If you cannot put a damper on the bully’s behavior with the options listed above, then maybe it’s time to say goodbye.
a shot. A bully needs to be handled quickly for the safety and well being of the rest of your flock, and to keep peace within the pecking order. The rest of your chickens will thank you!
