Aggressive hen behavior

[Pabbott]

So my house chicken is feeling much better so I decided she could spend time with the flock. Knowing that the chance of others picking on her. Boy oh boy was I all backwards. The old arthritic hen was the bully. I called the field trip quits when she started pecking a hen who was in a nesting box trying to lay an egg!
after I returned my house chicken back to her house home, I sat in the chicken pen and observed the majority of the hens being snippy. One had a boo boo on her head. Another comb had been pecked. There was blood spatter on the feeder and when I put them to bed a could see a few drops of blood on the bedding.
is this a normal spring thing?!

 

[Folly's place]

Space available, protein level in feed, having multiple feeders and waterers, and breed type can all be parts of the story. And some individuals are just not nice because that's just who they are.
So, how many birds, what size coop and run, diet, and number of feeding stations? Can the birds find places to be out of sight of each other?
If you have a nasty individual, at least pinless peepers will help. And multiple birds can wear them if necessary.
Here we will move an obnoxious hen on if needed. Peace is a wonderful thing!
Mary

 

[Pabbott]

Space available, protein level in feed, having multiple feeders and waterers, and breed type can all be parts of the story. And some individuals are just not nice because that's just who they are.
So, how many birds, what size coop and run, diet, and number of feeding stations? Can the birds find places to be out of sight of each other?
If you have a nasty individual, at least pinless peepers will help. And multiple birds can wear them if necessary.
Here we will move an obnoxious hen on if needed. Peace is a wonderful thing!
Mary

I have multiple waterers and feeders - the feed is the egg crumble and I broadcast scratch. Not to mention the goody tub that has assortment of goodies- oatmeal, oyster shell, egg shell, raisins, popcorn etc. I have never seen aggression in the flock. When I put them to bed I watched them in the roost for a while and other than getting into THEIR places. They were very peaceful. When I let them out this morning all was at peace again. Since being new to chickens-I’m at my one year anniversary of having chickens, I was wondering if this is a spring thing.

 

[Pabbott]

I have multiple waterers and feeders - the feed is the egg crumble and I broadcast scratch. Not to mention the goody tub that has assortment of goodies- oatmeal, oyster shell, egg shell, raisins, popcorn etc. I have never seen aggression in the flock. When I put them to bed I watched them in the roost for a while and other than getting into THEIR places. They were very peaceful. When I let them out this morning all was at peace again. Since being new to chickens-I’m at my one year anniversary of having chickens, I was wondering if this is a spring thing.

Oh have 11 buff orphs(11 months old) two barred Rock hens about 8 years old and a roo

 

[Folly's place]

So good that things calmed down!
I do think that their diet might be lower protein than ideal; if the layer feed is 16% protein, as many are, it's meant to be fed to medium breed actively laying hens with nothing else in their diet. Bigger growing birds, males, females not actively laying eggs, and youngsters aren't meant to eat that diet. Adding lots of lower protein goodies, like everything you mentioned, lowers that 16% to possibly unacceptable levels, which can also encourage feather pecking. Treats are fine, but too many ain't good.
Mary

 

[Pabbott]

So good that things calmed down!
I do think that their diet might be lower protein than ideal; if the layer feed is 16% protein, as many are, it's meant to be fed to medium breed actively laying hens with nothing else in their diet. Bigger growing birds, males, females not actively laying eggs, and youngsters aren't meant to eat that diet. Adding lots of lower protein goodies, like everything you mentioned, lowers that 16% to possibly unacceptable levels, which can also encourage feather pecking. Treats are fine, but too many ain't good.
Mary

So what would you suggest to boost protein? I have started to feed yogurt and dries worms and live worms.

 

[Folly's place]

You could upgrade their base diet to a 20% all- flock diet, with oyster shell in a separate feeder. This is what we feed here, it works for everyone, easy.
Proteins are the most expensive ingredients, and it's more expensive to add things to their diet, rather than feeding a complete diet in the first place. Also, the dominant flock members will get the goodies, and the lower status birds will get less, every time.
Mary

 

[awalters]

Help! I have two chickens, and only two chickens, one australorp and one orpington. The australorp has become mean all of a sudden since around the last week of march. They have been together since they were chicks, roughly the same size. She might be a little bigger but not by much. She is actually getting on top of the other chicken and pecking her... the chicken try's to run from her. I have since separated them. what would cause the sudden change in behavior? We have not changed anything.