rampant cannibalism

Welcome to BYC.

Age of birds and your climate location might offer some clues too.

Please help! Hi! I was on your website looking at poultry issues. I have read the section under cannibalism.

I have a sweet underweight Cochin that has been bullied unmercilessly (and has an open wound) by my other 6 hens. They have a large 8x10 coop and 8x15 run. They have plenty of space, food etc. The only thing that stands out is they are all different breeds.

My two hens (a super blue egged from my petchicken and barred rock) have pulled feathers also from two other birds in my flock. My question..should I nurse the Cochin (separately from the others...which I am doing now) and try to reintroduce her back in flock or rehome the two top birds? We are at our wits end and don't know what to do.

Any help would be helpful!

peaceonearth said:

Please help! Hi! I was on your website looking at poultry issues. I have read the section under cannibalism.

I have a sweet underweight Cochin that has been bullied unmercilessly (and has an open wound) by my other 6 hens. They have a large 8x10 coop and 8x15 run. They have plenty of space, food etc. The only thing that stands out is they are all different breeds.

My two hens (a super blue egged from my petchicken and barred rock) have pulled feathers also from two other birds in my flock. My question..should I nurse the Cochin (separately from the others...which I am doing now) and try to reintroduce her back in flock or rehome the two top birds? We are at our wits end and don't know what to do.

Any help would be helpful!

Click to expand...

I'd try to isolate the two offenders for a couple of weeks by sectioning off part of the coop to see if this restores the peace. I'd also try increasing the protein in the feed if it's not already 18-20%. Sometimes feather picking is a sign of protein deficiency. Scrambled eggs are a great source of vitamins and protein.

While the cochin is healing, keep her within sight of the rest of the flock. Once she's healed, try re-introducing her to the non-bullies to see if she can hold her own. If she can't you may have to re-home her. After the cochin is re-integrated, add the two bullies back into the flock and carefully observe them for any signs of cannibalism. If they resume bad behavior, I'd get rid of them.

Also, make sure there are adequate perches at multiple levels in the coop and run, as well as hiding places for the lower ranking individuals.

peaceonearth said:

Please help! Hi! I was on your website looking at poultry issues. I have read the section under cannibalism.

I have a sweet underweight Cochin that has been bullied unmercilessly (and has an open wound) by my other 6 hens. They have a large 8x10 coop and 8x15 run. They have plenty of space, food etc. The only thing that stands out is they are all different breeds.

My two hens (a super blue egged from my petchicken and barred rock) have pulled feathers also from two other birds in my flock. My question..should I nurse the Cochin (separately from the others...which I am doing now) and try to reintroduce her back in flock or rehome the two top birds? We are at our wits end and don't know what to do.

Any help would be helpful!

Click to expand...

Make sure they are getting enough protein. If you are feeding a layer ration, stop giving low protein treats entirely. And try to set up more distractions in the run. Break up those sight lines. Multiple feeders in different locations can really help.

Why is your Cochin underweight? Is she sick? That could be why the others are picking on her. Instinct tells them to get rid of the weaker members of the flock to keep the flock strong.

I Think it's because of the excessive bullying. They were probably cutting off free access to food. I'm going to try to add another feeding location. Thank you for the feedback.

peaceonearth said:

I Think it's because of the excessive bullying. They were probably cutting off free access to food. I'm going to try to add another feeding location. Thank you for the feedback.

Click to expand...

Just remember to put it as far from the other feeder as possible, and out of sight if possible.

Thank you!!