Please help!

[Ddeleon328]

Hi! I am new to having chickens and this is our first winter (New Hamphshire). We have 6 chickens of varying types of but all are cold weather breeds. We got them all at the same time as chicks and all was well until 2 months ago when our smallest (and sweetest) was found bloodied in the coop. We separated her while she healed but when we put her back with the flock they attacked again. After 2 weeks of "playdates" I left her in with the flock, she was obviously pecked but seemed ok so I thought all was well. But the other night it was going down to 14 degrees F and she was outside the coop in the run by herself. (They have plastic on the door to go in and out). I put her in, but she went back out while everyone else stayed in. Are the others forcing her out? Can she survive alone in the run by herself at these temperatures? I can't neefind an answer to this anywhere. Thanks for any help!!!!

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Are they all females? If you have a male he may be pestering her. The same can be said of a bully female.

Also, what breed is she and what other breeds so you have? Some chickens are just loners (I've had a few), but certain breeds can be a bit ostracized, like silkies and crested breeds (especially if they can't see), or a single bantam in a LF flock, as examples.

Edit to add: Just reread and you say she's the smallest so that may be the issue. She might need either another little friend or a new home.

 

[DobieLover]

Hello Diane.
Can you post pictures of your coop and run? What is the size of the coop and run in feet x feet? How old are your girls? How many food and water stations do you have? How much roost space? Are any/all of the girls laying?
Generally speaking, the more space chickens have, the better. Relying on the "minimums" that are routinely posted can cause behavioral issues in some flocks.
It very much sounds like your smallest (and likely lowest ranking) is being bullied out of the coop. She is not going in on her own to avoid being bullied.
Having places to get away from her bullying flock mates is also critical to her well being. There must be places she can get out of the line of sight of the others.
If you could please reply back with a few answers, hopefully we will be able to give you some advice to help your girl.

 

[Nats Chickens]

 

[MissChick@dee]

Once a flock member has been removed for whatever reason it takes a reintroduction period. You can start over. Make a little pen within the pen so she is safe. If it were my chicken I’d bring her in or at least crate her in a covered dog kennel. You’ll really need to spend time sitting out there with them to see/know exactly what’s going on. If we could see what your set up looks like we could probably provide more specific suggestions. Best wishes

 

[Ddeleon328]

Thank you for the replies!!!! Here is more information.....(Sorry for the advertisement they are the ones who built ours), but the picture below is exactly our coop(4X6) and we even have the same 6 foot run with a roof. Its supposed for be for 6-9 hens and we have 6. No roosters, all hens and they are all 8 months old. All were laying eggs, but currently 4 of the 6 are laying. We have 1 White Leghorn (the one I'm worried about), 2 Golden Comets, 1 Buff Orpington and 1 Silver Laced Wyandotte. We have 1 large feeder and 1 large heated water inside the coop and that's all (there are 5 nesting boxes built in).

We bought a mini coop and put it next to the main coop so she was isolated but near by (the dog kennel was too big in the coop). I had a week off so last week I did the "playdates" with her. I noticed the Silver Lace being mean so I put her in the mini coop to see how that worked out. But then the Black Sex Link was being mean so I put her in the mini coop too, thinking I'd get the mean girls out and all would be well. But then, the White Leghorn went nuts and was going after the other 3 who have never been any problem to anyone. So I thought maybe the 2 "mean girls" were just like an Alpha and were keeping the white leghorn and everyone else in order. So....I put the white leghorn back into the mini coop and put everyone else back the way they were and all was well with the 5. I did more playdates all together, and that's when I thought it was going to be ok only to find her outside by herself as temps were dropping to 14 degrees. So now she's back in the mini coop.

So....do I have to give her away? My daughter will be crushed as Gigi is the sweetest but we will do what is best for her. If they aren't pecking her, would she survive in the run on her own at night in these temps? Or is she as miserable as a person would be when they are left out of the group day in and day out?

Thanks SO much for any insight and all advice!!!

 

[Ddeleon328]

Correction....the run is 6 feet wide, 10 feet long.....

 

[MissChick@dee]

I still would put her in a dog crate that’s covered with a blanket or tarp. Fill it with bedding. This will give her protection and allow her to regulate her body heat. I just couldn’t let mine sleep outside without some protection. I would worry that the stress of trying to keep warm would weaken her immune system. But that’s just me. I’m sure others will say oh...she’ll be fine. She not accustomed to sleeping outside. She needs protection IMHO

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome!
That's a very small coop for your six pullets, and the run is also tiny, with no places to get away out of sight for anyone. you also have some breed types that tend to be more aggressive than others, and only one feeder and one waterer.
I think that somebody needs to move elsewhere, and it might be your most aggressive bird, if you have one instigator. Or, your small white bird, who's having an awful life right now.
What are you feeding? A low protein or unbalanced diet promotes feather picking too.
There's way too much drama in your coop! Some fussing is normal, but actual injuries cross the line.
Mary

 

[DobieLover]

I agree with Mary.
Your flock is too crowded in your setup. Your coop is just too small for the dynamics of your birds. There are not enough resources for all so Gigi is being bullied out.
You either have to remove one or two birds or expand their space and enrich it. Obviously the simpler solution is to re-home a bird or two.
Tough decision.