Chicken getting bullied

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1chickens1

1chickens1

In the Brooder
Aug 28, 2016
33
1
47
I have 5 chickens that are in a coop(every now and then i take them outside for 30 minutes or so to free range while supervised) One of my chickens is getting pecked at and bullied. The chickens chase her around the coop pecking at her, not letting her eat food, drink, be with them, etc.
I am very attached to all of my chickens and hate seeing this happen. Any recommendations on how to stop it?
-and I keep my chickens in a coop because where I live there are lots of foxes, cayotes, hawks, etc. and don't want any of them to get eaten.
 
Are they always in the coop? Do you have a secure run attached? It could be your chickens aren't getting enough exercise, it's normal for there to be some pecking at each other, all chickens do it and it's normal behavior. It's mostly noise and drama. I wouldn't worry about it unless there's blood being drawn. They have a strict hierarchy that need to be respected by each member for them to be a cohesive flock.
 
They are in a coop with a run attached.
And recently I have noticed some blood on the chicken getting bullied's comb
 
How big is their area? It can help to have places where bottom chickens can get under, on top of, or even in so they can stay away from the dominant birds. Lots of hiding spaces can help.
 
Its about this size(not currently with my chickens so had to just find an image online)
400
 
What things do u recommend putting in the coop for the chicken to go under, on top, or in?
 
You might want to enlarge the run. Unfortunately those coops don't actually work for the recommended birds. That's why your birds are probably pecking each other, they need more space, as much as you can give them.
 
oldhenlikesdogs said:
You might want to enlarge the run. Unfortunately those coops don't actually work for the recommended birds. That's why your birds are probably pecking each other, they need more space, as much as you can give them.
Click to expand...

I agree. The rule of thumb, as a minimum run space is 10 sqft per bird. For the coop, its 4 sqft per bird. As Oldhen says, the more space, the happier your flock will be. Multiple food stations can also help reduce food-based aggression.

CT
 

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