Dominant hen bullying my chicken at feeding time. What can I do?

It may be that Shelly just doesn't fit in well with your flock. Looking to see if you could rehome her with a smaller flock may be helpful. Making sure your birds have enough room and aren't fighting for resources is also a good idea as this can cause excessive pecking, fighting, etc if there isn't enough room to stretch, eat, rest, etc.

While it is not uncommon for one bird to bully another, it certainly isn't behavior we want to allow or encourage. Birds can become ill, withdrawn, malnourished, and experience physical trauma from bullying behavior. I usually recommend owners try to determine what might be causing the bullying (disputes over food, water, toys, perches, cage space, attention, etc.). If you can figure out what the cause is you might be able to stop it. For instance, if the female is being picked on every time she sits on a particular perch you can remove that perch and add a few more options so they don't have to share. I have also had owners who have gotten a second cage and will separate the two birds for a few days when one bird starts to pick on the other. It is also not a bad idea take these guys to your veterinarian to make sure there isn't a medical problem with either bird. It can certainly happen that if one bird gets sick the cagemate will target the sick bird with bullying behavior. Best of luck with your little pair, I hope this was helpful!

Yes, this sounds like a dominance behavior. Is there any reason that you can't add a second dish and split the food between the two dishes? I would try that to see if that helps. It may however, make it worse as Echo may flitter back and forth between the bowls trying to be in two places at once and it may cause more anxiety. All you can do is try and if adding a second dish makes the problem worse then just go back to what you are currently doing. As long as Quiz is able to eventually eat and is maintaining his weight I would not be all that concerned.

Thanks for reaching out about Hens. The basic thing is to establish a routine and keep to it, make all movements slow and deliberate, other distractions need to be kept minimized. Give it a few days. Good luck.

Poor Mrs. Star! Loss of feathers can be due to a number of things, including mites or parasites, skin issues, or even learned behaviors/stress. Checking for any signs of mites (stuff attached to the feathers, crawling bugs on the body, excessive itching, etc) can alert you to this. If you are seeing any wounds, making sure to treat them and keep Mrs. Star separate until the wound is healed is best (as other chickens are likely to peck at the exposed area.) If the feather plucking has become a learned behavior, using a chicken apron to protect the area, or an Elizabethan (cone) collar to break the habit for a few days may help the area to start to heal. Making sure all of the hens have enough space, plenty of enrichment, etc is also a good idea to help decrease stress.

If they were fighting or your older bird was causing distress to the new one, I would wait and try introducing them again later to see how they get along. It could be that the cage you have is too small for two birds and they are being territorial, or your older bird is just stressed out by the change. Making sure the cage is large enough, and there are multiple food and water dishes available so they can't be possessive over one or the other can help reduce fighting. Adding in extra perches along with barriers such as toys or clothespins can also help break up the space to avoid one bird chasing and picking on another.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If she is not getting better by now, it is definitely recommended to have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. The main reason is that she may have suffered some trauma that will require further therapy. Often times there is much more trauma than what it appears in dog bite cases. Good luck!