How to Stop Severe Chicken Bullying or Fighting

This video shows how I stop severe chicken bullying and fighting in our flock. When hens pick on one bird and go beyond the normal "pecking order" causing damage it's time to step in to prevent further injury.
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Self Sufficient Me is based on our small 3-acre property/homestead in SE Queensland Australia about 45kms north of Brisbane - the climate is subtropical (similar to Florida). I started Self Sufficient Me in 2011 as a blog website project where I document and write about backyard food growing, self-sufficiency, and urban farming in general. I love sharing my foodie and DIY adventures online so come along with me and let's get into it! Cheers, Mark :)

[@johnndavis7647]

First I took the weak one out so she could recover. As soon as i put her back in they attacked her I noted the ringleader of the attack and i put her in the holding pen. The others elected a new leader and the bullying stopped. A week later i put the bully back in And the new leader put her in her place. No bullying troubles since.

[@johnndavis7647]

@FRMONSIVAIS i did that on the advise of other, more experienced Flock keepers and it worked for me . Does it work every time? I don't know. Havent had any more trouble since then.

[@confidential5743]

@FRMONSIVAIS It's never the same, completely depends on your chickens. Maybe it hasn't worked that way for you, but it has for the original commenter.

[@BigAssNigga311]

I challenged the bully hen to a fight since it wanted to act so fuckin tough, she backed down like a little chicken, no bullying troubles since. Different things work for different people.

[@cflcami1008]

I did the same thing with my flock. Had a nasty mean chicken named honey who constantly picked on my ameraucana named penguin. Took out the mean one and put her in isolation. After a few days I put her back and she was no longer “top dog”, but instead my chicken Autumn is. Going to keep an eye out for the next couple of days, good luck with your birds!

[@Celestial_Wing]

I'd have killed the ring leader and crucify their corpse to the hen house to serve as an example.

[@suzanneburns6130]

When you grabbed her out of the tree, it sounded like she was screaming, "NO, NO, NO, NO!!!!" Poor girl, they really scared her. I'm so glad you were able to help so much.

[@Selfsufficientme]

She didn't want to go back to the coop that's true... I felt sorry for the poor thing. Thankfully, she is fine now and happily returning to the coop with the others each evening. Thank you :)

[@jocelynbrockway3089]

I guess she was being picked because her unique color makes her pretty in the other young chickens' eyes. And they are jealous.

[@suzanneburns6130]

Most likely. I guess there are haters everywhere, even with poultry, lol!!

[@suzanneburns6130]

Serious name, that is hilarious!!! I love animals! They all have such personality, lol!

[@stpierreforjesusthesavior984]

@@Selfsufficientme ?...?...?.... I do hope so... Bullies keep being bullies...

[@ancimargarita2763]

it is so nice the way you speak to her, the compassion and love one can feel you have for all your hens. That is a very nice and touching thing, and i respect you for this. Wish everyone could be like this, animals would live differently then...

[@an-tm3250]

I admire your compassion for this poor hen. Thank you.

[@mondopinion3777]

When I was a child in the 1950s, if a chicken was being picked my papa would paint soft tar on the wound. That was the standard remedy and feed stores sold little cans of tar for that purpose. The bullies hated getting a beakful of tar .. and the victim's wound healed underneath it.

[@risquerabbitthehomespa9356]

That is awesome

[@ivormectin.3046]

Ta.... 😂

[@kozatas]

oldtimers know best.

[@katherinesaunders5995]

There's blue kote spray now. Its antiseptic and turns the wound blue. But wear gloves, I had purple stained hands for a week the first time I used it

[@wilrausure6901]

They have other mixture of stuff you can paint on the back end of a chicken who has been wounded to keep chickens from pecking at their backside.

[@susanobrien4380]

You are such a sweet guy. I'm so glad she had you to look after her and help her to settle in.

[@stpierreforjesusthesavior984]

He threw her back in!... The aggressor(s) was the one that needed separating or eaten. Put the bullies in a separate pen as they show themselves and let them bully on each other. Not rocket science.

[@robbyers7614]

It's funny to see this big brute of a man to have a soft tender heart. I love his videos. He really is the Steve Irwin of self sufficiency. Sometimes even if his videos don't interest me I still watch and listen to them because of his voice. My wife likes his videos too.

[@slyvianovac4817]

Thank you for saving this poor suffering creature. You are a good man. I wish there are men like you to replicate your good deeds to humans suffering injustice.

[@NopeAndYep]

We had an old rooster that would attack me when I was a toddler. He got me really good one day and my Father came home from work and chopped it's head off. Still remember that darn rooster and I'm 41!

[@Selfsufficientme]

Yeah, I've been rushed from behind and kicked with two feet in my backside too many times to remember - that's one of the reasons we don't have a rooster at the moment lol...

[@thelasthomelyhouse]

Yep, that’ll work every time. 😂

[@cmac1100]

They are just little dinosaurs after all

[@FattyGetsFitty]

@@Selfsufficientme I had 6 chickens, and the rooster was my favorite. He never hurt me. You can find a chill bird :-)

[@YSLRD]

I had the same experience at 2. My mom fried him up.👍 And I still have the scar from his spur.

[@bbendzunas]

That aggressive one is the one that I would separate for a while. She will lose her status.

[@alicedubois1348]

Separate both the injured victim and the bully. The victim will heal both physically and mentally, while the bully will lose her status and "chill out".

[@N8rGrant]

Id just eat the bully

[@doriangz]

@@N8rGrant I laughed but no.

[@sirgashmbe_nwa5397]

or kill it?

[@N8rGrant]

doriangz 🐔💥🔫

[@tuppy]

omg it's so good to know I'm not the only person that goes and checks them at night and talks to them. When they're young I check them when it rains, to make sure they've moved under shelter.

[@an-tm3250]

So glad that you have empathy for the bullied hen. Animals have feeling & humans tend to be oblivious or cruel about it. Thank you for your good care & daily checks.

[@ExtremePrepper]

Like you, I have found giving the chickens lots of space pretty much prevents bullying. Also, we have two chicken coops, and the chickens get to choose which coop they go in. The chickens are free range, but go into a coop at night. With two coops, the chickens tend to sort things out. They sort of self select which coop they sleep in, and then further in the coop decide who likes to roost next to who. I find the problem arises when chickens have less choices, and dont have an option to avoid a bully chicken. Great video, thanks.

[@overmanback40farm44]

We have multiple coops as well. I transformed a cattle trailer that had served it's purpose over many years. Many seem to just love going in that coop while the others enjoy the pallet coop. We have a "teenage" house for when I get new babies so that they can grow up without being bullied by the big ones. We free range during the day and shut the coops up at sundown. My flock makes me happy. :)

[@ExtremePrepper]

@ Farrah OvermanBack40Farm . . . "My flock makes me happy". Exactly! We have had free range chickens for over a decade, and they really bring great joy to our little homestead. I am convinced that the therapeutic value of having chickens even outweighs the health benefits of the natural, free range eggs. Each chicken has its own personality, and it brings great joy to interact with them. When our chickens get old, and are no longer producing eggs, we still keep them, and let them live out there natural lives.

[@Selfsufficientme]

That's a really good tip! Thank you! Cheers :)

[@TheRainHarvester]

But sometimes, they get picked on because a red spot is simply a target. So the "bully" might follow the target.

[@TheRainHarvester]

Extreme Prepper , yes! I call it, "chicken therapy" for our daughters. It really helps them to relax after a day at school.

[@vemacrinnon9752]

# Self Sufficient Me. My advice would be to segregate the over aggressive one for 4 weeks, not the passive one. The segregated hen loses status and confidence and behaves less aggressively. All the hens relax more when she's gone. Then give her a chance and if she victimizes again, respectfully turn her into Sunday roast. Most habitually aggressive hens I've know have gone on to be egg or chick killers. I'm glad your method worked here.

[@mangouni]

hmm good advice. I don't have the problem at the moment, but I am keeping an eye on a more aggressive hen who might hurt others.. and would separate her, if needed. The rest are really sweet and calm.

[@ChillingwithMalc]

I know chicken and fish are totally different. There is a sort of "pecking order" or territorial aggression with aquarium fish. the order of fish put into the tank makes a difference last one in can get picked on. So you remove the aggressor into a quarantine tank then reintroduce it into the tank later on. And that changes the order of things.

[@mmgraff1]

Yes! this is correct and we always segregate a healing hen( most often with a friend)

[@JayLeePoe]

A very special after school episode with this poor hen learning to get on. I wish you could stay in your high tree perch like a cool dark gothic chicken but legit... pythons.

[@dcd11mc60]

chickens when they get bullied: **gets actual help and support** teachers when i get bullied: *"i'll pretend i didnt see that"*

[@vward4871]

Oh my goodness, what a good man. This is a great example of how to treat animals humanely. Thank you for sharing this story of that poor bullied hen.

[@harmoniclivechromatic7698]

i would like some of his eggs ,i think they would be awsome lol

[@morpheusgreene2704]

people like this are much better for the environment than vegans

[@writingfriend7765]

I thought so, too. He is so good to his hens.

[@acollette1234]

@Stefano Cantos Exactly! Death and murder is natural within the animal world...disrespectful to not use some things that are going to die. Some people that are looked at as rednecks, sometimes care the most about animals. Hard to see the whole picture I think. Factory farming and massive slaughterhouses are not natural, and incredibly cruel. The food quality is poor. People need to reclaim the land, their food supply, and rights. Hopefully in time.

[@snuckyr]

"a python will probably get her". things you'll only hear from a homestead in Australia! your chickens have a great pen and a wonderful caretaker. thanks for posting

[@bryanreeme8584]

Or South Florida unfortunately

[@bryanreeme8584]

Chicken snakes are great, about the only beast that doesn't bother my chickens!.. yellow rat snake describes em better! 👍

[@QuantumRift]

Or Florida.

[@kristagonzalezwidner4152]

I was going to say here in South Florida we have to be EXTREMELY careful with our dogs n cats too cause of the phythons!

[@gothic_oma]

@@kristagonzalezwidner4152 😨

[@truthmatters82]

This is like my memories of middle school with all the drama. It's nice to see that you care about your chickens and intervene when it's necessary. Thank you for all the great gardening tips too.👍🙏🕊️❤️

[@DaJamun]

hey mark great video! just wanted to toss my two cents in as I've raised chickens for quite some time. One of the reasons I feel like your bird got bullied is because of the mixed flock. I have seen this many times its usually from a more aggressive breed picks on less aggressive. I'm not sure what the white chickens you have are (leg horns?) but I see you have some barred rocks and its the one getting bullied. I had this same problem when a friend of mine took in some barred rocks to his flocks of mixed birds with bantams. the barred rocks tend to be a more Chill docile bird generally then most of the other breeds. I have found that keeping barred rocks with reds is fine but I won't mix them in with bantams or leghorns as those breeds tend to be bullies of the more docile birds.

[@zoe9632]

I agree too.

[@truus5653]

yes same with our flock, in the end we had to remove the loghorn and give this chicken away

[@RoseThistleArtworks]

I was surprised that she could be reintegrated. It looked pretty desperate for a while. It's nice to see that some love and attention helped sort things out. Thank you.

[@Selfsufficientme]

I must admit to having a little doubt myself and it's particularly sad when a hen is excluded because they do prefer the company and security of others but thankfully it all ended well. Thank you :)

[@rosewaters2533]

I saw another KZbinr recommend keeping a single rooster to help keep the peace. It seems that the rooster will jump in and stop any bullying as well as help protect the flock against predators.

[@crystaldyer3735]

Yep! Our sweet roo keeps the girls in check. No one pulls feathers or draws blood.

[@AquiloWulf]

Unfortunately our rooster doesn't involve himself in any hen conflict, he just ignores it...

[@shocklobster]

That is unfortunately not a solution for folks keeping a small flock of hens in a county that has a no-rooster ordinance.

[@malrec]

@@shocklobster Lol a no-rooster ordinance?! That is insane. That's like having laws against front yard gardens. God the oppression some of you folks put up with I'll never understand. Friggin cowards.

[@AJR-zg2py]

He's not allowed. His area has a no-rooster ordinance.

[@lt3k666]

wow even the chicken sounded like it had an australian accent when coming down from the tree.

[@tomog1]

why am I watching Australian Ricky gervais take care of his chickens at 4am

[@nonkeltonykula2565]

Hahaha!

[@kittenbrave1003]

It's interesting...lol

[@tarinewton7296]

Thank you for being so kind to your birds.❤️

[@rushrule1]

Was it just me or was that chicken saying no no no when he was getting her down from that tree

[@suzanneburns6130]

No, I heard her too.

[@Selfsufficientme]

No for sure :)

[@melindalemmon2149]

And she said help help another time

[@Rettequetette]

@@melindalemmon2149 Yeah, I also heard her say "help, help!"

[@MorganJServices]

I hear "owww, owww, owww" when coming out of the tree and then being put in her nest box.

[@faebalina7786]

would love to see some hidden camera footage to see what happens when you're away

[@SD-iy3sp]

I love the way Mark is...practical, honest-to-vulnerability, an all around good guy!

[@RampinRabit]

That hen is so in fear that she had to resort to climbing a tree 😱

[@elstyr]

Bee: Climbing a tree is not an unusual behaviour for chickens. When there is no coop or other shelter, then accessible trees are an often used option. I've seen this first some decades ago on a caribbean island. People had flocks of chicken but did not restrain them much and did not provide them any shelter. So the whole flock went up a tree every night, with the top ranking hen/cock in the highest branches. This had been a surprising sight to me too, but in hindsight - mankind builds them coops (lazy houses :) ) since centuries, so we're not used to their natural behaviour anymore.

[@multiverseoftimelessness4391]

And what does he do?: he goes and brings the poor animal down and places her among her abusers. The worst solution I've ever seen. The hen was obviously afraid. Terrible.

[@huberfloover]

I felt so bad for that hen! This was actually a really emotional video. I could almost hear her pleading not to be put back with the other birds. That was a lot.....

[@stpierreforjesusthesavior984]

@@multiverseoftimelessness4391 I can't believe he did that. How heartless. It doesn't take a lot of smarts to figure out something better than throwing that poor chicken back into the tormenters.

[@stpierreforjesusthesavior984]

@@huberfloover That's exactly how I felt!!! The first video I watched from him and the last. Can't handle another round of thoughtlessness. Some people don't seem to realize animals have feelings too.

[@gregharding9757]

Aloha, My name is Greg and I teach agriculture on the island of Kauai. Great videos! I'm learning heaps mate. Mahalo nui

[@Selfsufficientme]

G'day Greg! All the best :)

[@Keepitfiction]

Wassup Mr. Harding 🤣

[@radiclelife]

When could we expect to see videos? I’d love to see island farming 🌴 🌊 ☀️

[@MrMaxangel808]

Aloha nui e Greg from Lahainaluna AG/FFA! Hawaiʻi nō ka ʻoi!

[@ashleeboivin4338]

Love the way you handled this. The love you show these birds is perfect. Thanks for keeping up with ur birds and making sure ones not getting bullied constantly. You're awesome.

[@alkabeerpoultry4770]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZSciX6Qacpnf7c

[@natalierozean5989]

Oh, I love that I found your channel! You’re such a sweet, calm soul. I have my chics, too. I’m almost too sensitive to allow natural instinct to do its thing. Thankfully, I’m also a zoologist and a paramedic, so I understand that’s how chickens behave and know when their health is being affected...& when to intervene. I try my best not to anthropomorphize them...which can be difficult when you have a bully, or your lil sweetheart is the one getting picked on. It’s such a joy to watch how you understand your chickens personalities, have knowledge of nature’s way, the pecking order & when to intervene. What’s most wonderful about you is your patience to come up with a solution beneficial to the girls...not something simply convenient for yourself. Killing the dominant hen is a weak man’s move. He has neither the knowledge to recognize the importance of pecking order or is too impatient/lazy to take time & develope a resolution. He forgets that WE put the chickens in the position of being caged up with no way to escape constant harassment. It is also our job to protect and care for them when there is a problem. You have most excellent husbandry skills. You recognize that they are your responsibility even when things aren’t running smoothly. You care for them beyond just putting them behind wire and feeding them. I appreciate men like you so much. To a woman, you are so much stronger and what we consider a “real man” than those who snap a neck or kick a rooster to show who’s boss. I mean, it’s a bird. Do those men really think they look tough having a p*ssing match w a chicken? 😂 Thats one roost i don’t think men should try to rule. 😂 Im sorry this is so long. As I said, I have my own girls. I’ve had my own lil dramas each time new pullets get introduced to the OGs (my 7 yr old queens). What i wouldn’t give to have a calm caring intelligent man like you care for them with me. How fun! I found your channel looking for help suggestions on a bully hen. I’m trying to put my 7 Wk olds in gen pop. Daisy, my 2 yr old, WANTS BLOOD. She’s been waiting for me to open the introduction brooder. Ironically, Daisy was bullied last year. I’m going to binge watch your happy vids and take a break from the chics!

[@SobrietyandSolace]

Agreed; this be a fine example of a male human

[@pamsanidakos1254]

You expressed that so beautifully! I agree, this man is a 'real man', he has such a sweet spirit! I really hated reading most everyone elses solutions, all lazy quick fixes, kill them and eat them! I subscribed because I enjoy his approach to caring for his animals. God bless him!

[@natalierozean5989]

Pam Sanidakos 😉🥰

[@gothic_oma]

Thank you! ☺ I'm taking Bird Biology through Cornell University and also studying animal behavior on the side. So many of the comments on this video are "cringe - worthy", but that's only because the average person just doesn't have all the information. I like to think that's changing little by little, as we all learn new things together.

[@natalierozean5989]

Sabrina Marie THATS so awesome. I studied mammalogy. My ex husband was an Ichthyologist. I got into zoology after working for him at reservoirs. Although, interesting, Fish just weren’t my thing. 😊 Dont get me wrong, I appreciate every single species of animal. I didn’t realize how much I would enjoy birds, until I got chickens & ducks, so I never went into ornithology. Animal behavior is so fascinating, don’t you agree? I’m probably an old person compared to yourself. 😂 I still find myself walking down to the edge of the forest near my home, to sit silently and observe animals. It still fascinates me how they interact with everything from the weather to each other to myself. That will never get old! One thing I’ve learned over the years is quiet observation is the best way to understand any species. Yes, the dozens of 10lb books you and I study help guide us, but....animals don’t read the same books. 😂 I’m certain animals are drawn to you, as well...both domesticated and wild. It’s as though they recognize we intend no harm. It’s also something you recognized early in life that peaked your interest in studying animals. I have always found the most difficult part of studying and closely coexisting w wild animals is keeping my distance and emotionally not getting too close. Especially when it’s the the animal that chooses to get closer than natural. Living in the country, I can’t tell how many funny bear stories I have! (No. I don’t befriend bears. Despite the fact these are black bears, I know better) I have a visiting bear that likes Snuggle Fabric softer and steals my clothes off the line to “smell” 🤷‍♀️ it whenever I use the original “blue” scent. 😂 I also have a bear that, after leaving a case of SPRITE, COKE & DR.PEPPER on my back porch , I watched him slash open each can and taste it. He absolutely HATED COKE. He was indifferent towards SPRITE. And he absolutely LOVED DR PEPPER! 😂 As I said I make no intentional contact with the bears, for both mine and their protection. Yet, I live on the outside of THEIR forest. They’re curious. I’m sorry this is long! I apologize. It’s rare I find an intelligent likeminded person to respond back to. As you said most of the comments on here are cringe worthy. I agree. As with any subject...If one isn’t educated in that field they should probably reserve their comments for a topic they are knowledgeable about. Education is so valuable. It’s upsetting how so many are choosing NOT to pursue one in hope of finding an easier way to make money... Which is fine. Still, who wants to be a rich ignorant person? Intelligence, no matter how you make your money, is priceless... and attractive. I wish you the best in your studies!! Stick with it! It’s a difficult study. They don’t call it a hard science for no reason! Zoology is one of the most difficult degrees out there. People don’t realize it’s not the study of zoo animals 🤦‍♀️ rather the study of every single species of animal in existence! Starting at multicellular microscopic animals to human beings and EVERYTHING in between! I hope, one day, you get to enjoy working with the birds of your choice!!! Thanks for letting me talk your ear off! Good luck!!

[@Metanoia444]

I was so sad to see her up in the tree like that 😭 I’ve been there. So glad it got better

[@MechanicalMooCow]

Why were you up a tree?

[@love187punk]

@@MechanicalMooCow lmao

[@Pynaegan]

@@MechanicalMooCow Hey, don't knock til you've tried it! (I think *everybody* needs a treehouse)

[@stpierreforjesusthesavior984]

Metanoia - I don't like to see cruelty to any creature, human or animal. I can tell from reading these comments who has suffered much and who has gone thru little or nothing - yet.

[@Diana_the_green_dragon]

The poor girl wants a room of her own.

[@Lucretciela]

She does... He should just let her in the house

[@PatriciaStephens-ou9hf]

I love how kind you are to your chickens, and your realistic point of view too.

[@MBHeritageFarms]

The best homesteading/gardening channel on YT. Thanks for all the great info!

[@xm7331]

Hi there! A good tip to prevent severe bullying when introducing a new chicken, is to wait until it's dark to introduce it and put it straight on the perch next to the others​. At night they're not so agressive and the next morning...well.. they seem to not really care or have forgotten if they made their point already or not :-) Until now it has always worked for me and gave my new chickens a smooth welcome into the group. Good luck trying it out!

[@YouButter]

Oh wow wish I would’ve know this yesterday lol

[@em286]

Mean chicks! Reminds me of high school. I'm so glad you take such good care of your chickens. 🐔😊

[@vanessabugeja1877]

You are amazing with these hens, all animals to be honest seem to respond well to your caring nature. A lot of men would never show a caring side like that towards animals- I think there is nothing manlier than showing an animal love and care.

[@patriciarussell8450]

Once I have my property, chickens are going to be part of it. THanks for sharing what can happen and how you deal with it, Thanks, love your videos.

[@sherryellesson9665]

Mark, thanks for showing the whole day-by-day/week progress rather than just short-cutting it and saying "here's day one, here's 5 weeks later and everything's fine."

[@Selfsufficientme]

Thanks for the feedback Sherry. Knowing when and what to cut from a video creation can be a difficult thing to balance because you don't want the video to become boring but at the same time you want to keep context and build a story so that the viewer feels invested. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Cheers :)

[@praisethegourd3618]

Don’t even own chickens I just like watching mild Steve Irwin

[@Labentoo]

MILD STEVE IRWIN LOOOOOOOLLLLL

[@ellie_bells4988]

Same XD

[@haoyanq]

I feel like he's a calm Alex Jones

[@johndowe7003]

@@haoyanq lol! thats a more fitting description. alex jones is entertaining though

[@rickbarajas6823]

😂😂

[@aaronchristopher9777]

She wanted out on her own, but also you’ve built a special bond with her. If you don’t already know of this research something called the “bummer lamb” God bless, you’re a good man. Wise is the man who reveres his flock!

[@jett888]

It's so difficult to introduce new hens to a flock. I"m so grateful you care about their mental well being. I have 5 different coops each with its own rooster- I take turns letting them out throughout the day. Who needs to belong to a gym when we have animals and plants to attend to? NOT ME!!

[@LetoZeth]

When you got a chicken bullying other chickens, that means you're having chicken for dinner.

[@mikedee8876]

I was going to mention that but you did it for me...bully is delicious

[@wendelldeloach3048]

First the I thought of was breast and wing of a bully makes all problems go away

[@N8rGrant]

I was thinkin the same haha

[@marissakay8121]

Lol!

[@frenchiedekent8572]

😄🐔

[@chantellerosebud1780]

It’s nice to see how much genuine care and kindness you show your chickens. You clearly give them a great life. Thanks for all your videos, I’ve learned several garden and bird care tips from them.

[@phuck8627]

right because killing someone is so kind and caring

[@dawngillard1939]

This is a great help as we have just noticed 3 of our chickens in a bad way, with the culprit being the other head hen. We knew 2 were being bullied but noticed bleeding on them today so had to separate them all. Two were literally climbing the fence and escaping everyday and now we realise its because of the bullying not because they are super intelligent! Poor things, we will have to manage it carefully as you have shown to make sure they recover and integrate successfully.

[@herbcutler3194]

This might be my favorite video yet! These are very useful life skills that even chickens need once in a while.

[@fallenangelwi25]

Such a beautiful and smart bird. She listens when you talk to her and watches you lol.

[@simonbolivar1678]

HOW I HANDLE THIS... 1ST ..I TALK TO THE BULLING CHICKEN 2..I SEND HER A NOTARIES LETTER. 3..I GET AN ATTORNEY 4.. WE FILE 5.. WE GO TO COURT 6..SINCE THE CHICKEN IS NOT GOING TO SHOW UP IN COURT....WE WINN 7..IF PROBLEM PERSIST... I GO TALK TO THE LOCAL RACOON... TELL HIM THE DOOR IS GOING TO BE OPEN.... 8..WHEN I HEAR THE COMOTION.... I AM NOT THERE...

[@homerooseguera213]

SIMON BOLIVAR 😂

[@TopsyDora147]

Love it! Lol

[@johndowe7003]

i just lop their heads off with a machete mmm mmm mmm FRIED CHICKEN

[@justindolbel5566]

Hahaha savage

[@johndowe7003]

@@justindolbel5566 yeah no sense in wasting time with the aggressive ones, chickens are cheap anyways

[@victorrubahimbya1124]

Wow such a kind hearted man... interesting how he can actually talk to chickens

[@PinkyPuff69]

Good on ya! Thank you for being so observant and responsible to your brood! She really need you to help her get away from the bullying!

[@PetalsonthePavingSlabs]

we had a very bad incident once, was sickening to see. We did try some suggestions people made, but after a few days we had to rehome the victims. If it ever happens again, I will be re-watching this video for help. Thank you!

[@shana2887]

Next time re-home the bullies. Much more peaceful coop when you keep the bullied instead of aggressors.

[@h.s.6269]

Don't rehome it without warning them of its previous problems. Should cull if it is regularly aggressive, imo.

[@paulettestevens499]

I have had a bad problem with one of my girl's, she just started being very aggressive with her best mate, and drawing blood, so I put the wounded girl in hospital until she healed completely, when I put her back with the others the bully started again, so I put her in prison,( 7days) put her back in coop and she started again, this is now the 3rd time in prison, this time she has been there for 3 weeks, now waiting for my granddaughter to come and help me put peepers on her.🤞🤞 I just hope this works.....

[@bkrbkrl]

What my mom did when I was growing up is if the main top hen got too mean with the others she got eaten. Pecking order stayed the same with those remaining. Rarely needed to do that, but sometimes you just get an overly aggressive individual bird. She called them "psycho birds:" overly aggressive roosters that constantly attacked people that were nowhere near the hens, top hens that picked on lesser hens until they hurt them, and hens that broke/ate eggs in the hen house. Mom had zero tolerance for it because she had no time to correct such problems: she had enough of her own problems to worry about, so it was "off with their heads.""

[@underdude9818]

"Off with their heads" would be my go to solution as well.

[@elenid7530]

It was ours as well 😆

[@stpierreforjesusthesavior984]

A smart lady!

[@margimackowski-seif9305]

Plus, she fed her little chicks, right?

[@TikeMyson69]

In the soup they went. Perfect solution

[@witchyhour]

You're the best! We're trying to get our Peking ducks to brood and are inspired by your suggestion to get a pen for that. When the duck is sitting on the nest, our rooster goes there and terrorizes her. We've been following you for a few years and you've helped us get our homestead set up. Thanks, Mr. Gaaarden! 👍🤓💖

[@afran7855]

You seem to really care for your birds🥰 I loved it when you said “ come to Daddy” . I so happy for the little hen. They are lucky to have such a good Daddy. Also I could listen to you talk for hours, such a calm tone and a lovely Australian accent. 🥰

[@stpierreforjesusthesavior984]

Yes, but daddy threw the hen back into the torture chamber...

[@WinkTartanBelle]

I've found that isolating the top hen works best for me. Shaking up the pecking order and drawing attention away from the lowest ranking hen has been my go to solution. I also use BluKote of the injuries. I really try to step i before it gets as bad as your hen is. Observation is also important, in case is is just one particular hen doing the bullying. In that case, I'd try isolating the bully, and if that didn't work, harvest her. I've not had a bullying rooster before, though I have had one over-breed his favorite. In that case I switched him to a new larger group of hens.

[@lavandercharmander2307]

Wow, you're so sweet for taking good care of your chick but not the harvest part.

[@Artiefrog]

It really shows how you care for your animals.

[@amplifiedroots6469]

I’m emotionally invested in this hen, I wouldn’t eat her, I’d name her and keep her special. Any bird that can get that high on their own is special. Eat that white hen...

[@Ridley369]

Shouldn't name your non-pet animals, leads to attachment. Besides, he doesn't eat any of them anyway.

[@redhot2976]

@@Ridley369 Wait, do people not consider their hens to be their pets? Even if I get something out of them, I still love em to pieces.

[@Anonymous-km5pj]

agreed, bullying spirits infect others. God bless.

[@mizuchimusic8663]

to be fair the white hen looks big fat and juicy anyways 😂😂

[@hellopeach3451]

Hehe heh don't eat anyone lol

[@SpadeAce]

You are one of the most wholesome people I’ve ever seen in my life. God bless you.

[@tien4930]

Damn never knew chickens were so mean. Thank you for showing me it do be like that sometimes.

[@StillSwirling]

Awww poor girl! I'm glad there was a happy ending.

[@robertschreckenbach596]

My father in laws chickens all roste in the trees, they climb about 20 ft into the trees every night!!! I thought that was normal!! Lol!! I truly love this video!!

[@redtigerlily8165]

So sweet. You can tell animals that are well cared for. They know it!

[@avfb6474]

I heard chicken bullies make good fried chicken.

[@monabale8263]

crunchy on the outside an' TENDER ON THE INSIIIIDE!

[@idoaquatics3729]

Andres Vargas I guess

[@malaysianmalaysia6374]

Yep

[@QuantumRift]

COL Sanders approves.

[@mrsimslam1296]

Hahaha

[@curiosidadesextrano]

Aww good chicken dad.

[@LoveABun]

Poor girl! She’s scared of the others! Don’t make her go back in there! Set her up in a separate coop and put some friendly chickens in with her so she’s not alone. I do love that you care about her health and well-being. Thank you on her behalf. ❤️

[@sharifritz5406]

Thanks for the video. I am at the start of a severe bullying incident. It is helpful for me to see that your chicken healed nicely without intervention of cleaning and treating the wound. I have taken the step to try to clean my chicken's wound for a day or two to give it a headstart in healing. My poor chicken seems bewildered that her flock turned on her. She keeps pacing in her isolation tractor wanting to get back in with the flock.

[@henk-janvisser3508]

Lol, talking to your chickens and saying goodnight - I do that too - its real good therapy!

[@onepunch9203]

I also talk with my flock. I'm an english speaker, but my birds and I speak "chicken spanish" with each other.

[@danakarloz5845]

Henk-Jan Visser I definitely say good morning girlies 🥰 and sweet dreams if y’all ever go to sleep! 😂 they like to party all night

[@carolavant3778]

Great jobh! Chickens are amazing little creatures, aren't they?! When I got my four hens as day old chicks - Two barred rocks and two Rhode Island Reds, the smallest barred rock was a constant target for the reds. She's grown up to be the biggest, heaviest chicken and now protects her sister barred rock!

[@Selfsufficientme]

Hahaha, isn't that a turn of events! It goes to show you should be careful not to pick on others as they might just turn out more powerful one day. Cheers :)

[@kishadandridge6982]

Awww they are so mean to her😢 she doesn't even bother the other hens. Yes she is special. Hope all works out 🙏🏾🐓

[@kerrypitt9789]

I grew up with chickens and found we needed to do something quickly about literally eating each other. We used to use "No Pick," I think it was called. It looked and tasted like Red Vicks Vapour Rub. We put it on the afflicted area and the offending chickens hated the taste of it and quit picking on each other fairly quickly. Might save you a bit of mucking about! Always great videos, thank you!

[@tamikoestomo3275]

You are so kind and caring for your flock. The way you treated that bullied little hen warmed my heart thoroughly. God bless you! Greetings from Bogor, Indonesia. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🇮🇩❣

[@fordman7479]

I used to have free range chickens that I never clipped the wings on and they would roost probably 30-40ft up in the trees around the property, even the bantams would get up there going from limb to limb.

[@frankhernandez7827]

I like the fact that he talks to the hens like they’re his friends. It’s satisfying to watch them!

[@TheYellowmyth]

After watching this video, i was so happy the younger me 15 minutes ago decided to watch.

[@jaebee9308]

You should've seen my eyes when you said a PYTHON would get her. 😳 LOL Then I realized...Oh. Australia. 🤣

[@Infinite8blue]

When he said "good on her" oh he is Australian

[@musahaque2000]

Do all of you see Australia so alienatin'? That's where I'm from there's nothin' unusual about it, it's normal.

[@kelvinh8327]

Northern Australia, thank-you. It's like Jurassic Park.

[@bryanmmusic]

When he said "g'day, I'm Mark from Self Sufficient Me" Oh, he's Australian..

[@harukoharuhara8466]

This happened to one of my chickens once, the chicken had a hole on the back of her head you could se the bone, surprisingly she healed good.

[@elenid7530]

Ours did just the same! We isolated her and she became our pet chicken, she'd always greet us and ask for treats

[@elenid7530]

Ours did just the same! We isolated her and she became our pet chicken, she'd always greet us and ask for treats

[@stpierreforjesusthesavior984]

@@elenid7530 That was the humane thing to do, instead of throwing her back to the bullies. She was grateful to you all for sparing her from more torture.

[@michellebarbour5777]

Watched and loved your persistence and care with this speckled hen. Great film. Want to see more of these chicken 'problems' sorted by your calm, caring, practical solutions please!.

[@saikakouzlo862]

In my old house, our neigbors moved and left all their chickens who migrated over to our house and nested in our big fruitless mulberry tree. Well, my family isn't too big on involving anyone in our business, so the chickens stayed and our grandmother started feeding them. We didn't even eat their eggs or anything, but they lasted till we had to move and I'd say that was around five or six years later. I don't know all the details because I never let myself be close to any of them like the rest of my family did (my parents told us they weren't pets and we wouldn't be keeping them as pets, so I never let myself get attached), it was neat to watch the mother chickens teach their babies how to flap their way up the vehicles to the fence to the lowest hanging branch and then make their way up further if they wished.

[@Lou-li5mv]

Beautiful to see how you care about these chickens with your heart. These animals have a wonderful place with you!

[@lilynazara3809]

I have a phenomenal rooster! No bullying on his watch. :)

[@judyhowell7075]

My rooster just watches ;(

[@ansonjoseph8853]

My rooster bring up all trouble 🙄

[@apbtred8883]

I have a rooster that bully’s 2 of my chickens

[@underdude9818]

So from this string of comments a rooster is a roll of the dice? 🤔

[@kerielwatson3197]

I've had a hen pecked rooster. He was pathetic XD I loved the little sucker and he absolutely whooped my ass if I upset his girls when they had eggs or chicks. He might have been beaten up by the ladies but he still looked after them.

[@ejk872]

You've got a great channel, filled with lots of great advice for people wanting to live a similar lifestyle. I've been following for a few weeks now. Thank you for documenting these instances and please keep videos like this coming.

[@squirrelknight9768]

Almost two years now... Pleeeeeeease tell us how her life went from then on. God I'm so emotionally invested in that stupid bird 🤣

[@tahahadada1936]

Same here

[@spoolsandbobbins]

Lololol!!!!!

[@hill4472]

That hen lived a long life and went to chicken heaven after becoming breaded and fried.

[@real-vb8ou]

@Harry K a chicken is a bird

[@Alex-ws1xo]

Why stupid?

[@thebovineavenger]

This is an important subject. Thanks for this video.

[@peytonlackie8949]

thebovineavenger yeah one of are chickens was killed from this!

[@fionawalker8184]

Oh I just love the way you talk to your girls, I thought I was the only one who did that. From one Aussie to another, keep up the good work. :-)

[@diannahaw7264]

I had that problem and the chickens were from the same flock all grew up together and then one day they started and I would find her hiding under some of the nesting boxes!! They never stopped picking on the one, so I just gave her own little cage and would let here out supervised and then put her back in her own little house after!!! Her safety was the main thing!! And she has done quite well!

[@salfisher5312]

We had some chickens and we got some new ones and one night a new one had all her feathers on her head gone and her head was swollen so I'm glad you made this vid to help.

[@stpierreforjesusthesavior984]

Must have been in a lot of pain.

[@bonkerwonker5086]

The first thing that came to mind about the bullied hen is this special girl needs a name. 🐓

[@MattyDove]

I swore that chicken said "No! No! Help, help, help!" when you pulled it down lol

[@sandrahertel6282]

Poor thing, she was so stressed. I’m glad you isolated her for a bit. I hope she is ok now.

[@soaronwingslikeeagles7982]

Well done. Thanks for the video. There seems to be varying opinions on this problem of vicious pecking but what is important is you solved it in your particular flock. Learned lots: 1. Give perches in many places of varying heights.... like her tree selection. 2. Give hidey holes so when harassed it never gets too bloody because can escape.... like you chose for her in the nest box that wasn't used by the other hens. 3. No problem when they free-ranging that I saw. Thanks again. Learn lots from you. Greetings from South Africa 🇿🇦

[@asdfghjkl900321]

13:21 "I love a happy ending!" 14:13 Releases chicken and the big white immediately charges in to remind her of the pecking order XD

[@ronnietea3205]

🤣🤣🤣

[@tonyb5312]

🤦🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@emricap]

LOL

[@Motorhead264]

Cracked up at this

[@hellopeach3451]

Yea

[@ReadySetBeau]

She is adorable. 😍 I was like “awww” when you found her in the tree. I’m so glad you took the time to help her and thanks for the great advice 👍

[@evilbucket1608]

I have around 50 chickens. I really liked how you handle it. You have a great understanding of you hens.

[@TombstoneHeart]

There are a couple of other reasons for this behaviour in chickens. Sometimes it's just out of boredom but the other reason is a lack of protein in their diet. An old mate of mine had a mixed farm near Kin Kin and he told me he used to make sure his laying hens got some sort of animal flesh in their diet every now and then. Sometimes they just need some other type of food source that is a novelty for them. I used to hang a cabbage upside from some rope and just a little too high for them reach from the ground. The chooks seemed to have a great old time jumping up to peck at the cabbage.

[@brianmccutcheon3205]

It’s so good to see someone who cares enough to do this.

[@ltlbnsgarden]

That did happen with my hens, thankfully it has stopped. I keep them busy with things to peck like cabbage or cut up cucumbers . So glad you were able to get it under control and that the hen is doing great now 😊

[@paulaoconnor498]

I love how you talk to your little hen. Great video

[@matthewbattie1022]

Great job on those chickens. I have actually found that besides space it helps to add additional calcium and protein when they peck each other. I love your videos and your beautiful property.