Bully hen

[Chickenmomof6]

Keep an eye on the one hen that is particularly bullying the other. You will probably need to put her in isolation, rehome her, or keep them apart somehow. I had the same thing happen to me recently.

In my case, the girl at the top of the pecking order (8 month old BO) was focusing on my favorite girl (7 month old BO). She would follow her around and peck her on the head periodically, but I would just shoo the bully away and didn't think too much of it. I played it off as pecking order behaviors. Then, one evening the bully grabbed my baby by the neck and broke her neck. She died instantly.

I wouldn't have thought this possible, but I witnessed it myself. It's devastating, and I blame myself for not seeing the warning signs sooner.

Please don’t blame yourself. There was no way to tell that this situation would happen.