Aggressive chicken - should I re-home?

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. Where, in general, are you? Climate matters, especially when it comes to housing.

Oh no. I was hoping it would be comfortable for more hens.

The Usual Guidelines
For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

Integrating new birds generally takes additional space above and beyond the usual suggested minimums.

 

[DobieLover]

How many chooks do you think would be comfortable in those spaces?

Without an attached run to use, you have enough room for 2 to 3 birds. You have already discovered why. They need space and if they don't get it, bad behaviors begin.

There is also nothing for them to do in the ground level of the enclosure. If you were to add perches and let them out at dawn and lock them up at dusk and not lock them into the more sheltered area, you could house about 5 LF birds.

They are also fully feathered at do not need to be brought in because it's cool at night.

 

[pinewoodacres]

Pecking order seems to have cycles and so many things can change it up. Some of mine do that behavior (pulling out feathers, lots of chasing) when younger ones are introduced but they learn to get along with no major issues. It probably looks worse to us than it is for them. I’ve noticed the ones on the low end of the pecking order are the bullies of the new, younger birds. But it is called a pecking order for a reason and they are always trying to otherwise control the ones they think they can boss around (battles over roost space, who eats when, even who gets rooster attention). I wouldn’t rehome as someone else will just take that top bully position - someone will always be at the top.

 

[Phoebe_here]

Thank you @3KillerBs. I am in Brisbane, Australia. It’s winter here at the moment. We have a sub-tropical climate. Temperature ranges from between 50 degrees F in winter to 100 degrees F in summer. It can get very humid in summer.

 

[Phoebe_here]

If you were to add perches and let them out at dawn and lock them up at dusk and not lock them into the more sheltered area, you could house about 5 LF birds.

They are also fully feathered at do not need to be brought in because it's cool at night.

Great. Thank you @DobieLover. I have been letting them out in the morning, and bringing them back inside to my indoor pen at dusk. I’m glad to know they can get by on body warmth and stay out in their coop overnight.

I have roosts in the indoor pen, and the older girls seem happy enough to find a space/snuggle up to each other on the branches overnight.

I’ll add some branches to the outdoor coop and trial them overnight.

 

[Phoebe_here]

It probably looks worse to us than it is for them. I’ve noticed the ones on the low end of the pecking order are the bullies of the new, younger birds.

Thanks @pinewoodacres. Yes, it probably does look worse to us. It was awful hearing the young bird squeal when getting attacked!

I wonder if the top bully bird backs off once it’s dominant position is established?

 

[Naisha]

I read somewhere that instead of separating the bullied, isolating the bullying works sometimes. Because that way after some time, she will be back not being the leader so she could become a bit more… humble? Human concept I know, but I don’t know which word to use haha. I don’t know if it’s true but it makes sense for me. Maybe that way you don’t have to rehome any chicken.

 

[Naisha]

Aah now I’ve read other comments and also makes sense that maybe she’s not the leader but she’s fighting not to be the lowest. In my flock the ones that are in the lowest peck on each other more often than the leader (except if someone dares to try and take her position!)

 

[Phoebe_here]

I read somewhere that instead of separating the bullied, isolating the bullying works sometimes.

Yes, that might work! Time out for the bully…

 

[3KillerBs]

Thank you @3KillerBs. I am in Brisbane, Australia. It’s winter here at the moment. We have a sub-tropical climate. Temperature ranges from between 50 degrees F in winter to 100 degrees F in summer. It can get very humid in summer.

I'm in a very similar climate, just a little bit cooler.

The good thing about all that heat and humidity is that the birds need very little shelter -- just something to keep the rain off and to block the wind. That makes it easy to expand their living quarters since all they really need is a roof and a 3-sided shelter at the windward end.