Bad tempers

[Wormhunter]

Can anyone help, I have a flock of 7 those island reds and they are now about 9 months old
Over the last few weeks I’ve noticed that a couple are really bad tempered, pecking others even chasing them to peck them and one has taken to jumping on the backs of other members of the flock
It’s usually about food, either when one of the others finds a tasty morsel or when I put out any ‘treats’ e.g sweetcorn / melon run/ pumpkin sections, although their main food is corn scattered in their pen. Layer pellets freely available in a dish there is always
A basket of veg on the side of the pen
And regular( twice weekly) additional compostable green leaves or leaf matter to scratch around in
Currently they free range from daylight to dark should I reduce the number in my little flock?
Any ideas it’s horrible to watch !

 

[MarkJr]

How big is their coop and run. Feet x feet for both.

You sure they’re all pullets?? Snap a picture and share. People here can generally sex a chicken within minutes. Knowing what you’re working with will help greatly in management.

 

[Wormhunter]

Their coop is 10ft x 6 ft and their pen is 15 ft x 10 ft
We were told they were 15 weeks old when we got them in April so approx 9 months old now
Sorry photos to follow

 

[rosemarythyme]

RIRs can be more aggressive as a breed. The coop and run are very good size and if they're free ranging most of the time space isn't going to be the issue. Are they eating the feathers of the flockmates? If so, you might need to more protein in their diets since it sounds a little veggie heavy.

 

[Wormhunter]

They aren’t eating the feath, do layer pellets continue aim all the protein they need? How do I give them moreover protein? What quantities?

 

[black_cat]

They aren’t eating the feath, do layer pellets continue aim all the protein they need? How do I give them moreover protein? What quantities?

Layer feed has all the protein they need, but not any extra. However, they won't be getting enough protein if that is not their main diet. I would recommend increasing the amount of feed and decreasing the amount of corn/treats. If that doesn't work, all flock generally has more protein, but you need to make sure that the hens have oyster shell available for calcium all the time.

 

[AllenK RGV]

I use either an all flock meatbird mix or 24% starter grower crumble and free range otherwise. The one mounting the others sounds like a cockerel do you ever hear crowing? I do offer them oyster shell but they are never interested. They find plenty of grass and bugs and berries otherwise and love anything I plant in the garden. The 3500 sq foot run is of no use to them unless they are just filling their crops dawdling before bed.

 

[black_cat]

Pictures of these birds would be nice, you may have sneaky cockerels that you didn't know about. @AllenK RGV is right that the one mounting your other birds seems to be a cockerel.

 

[rosemarythyme]

They aren’t eating the feath, do layer pellets continue aim all the protein they need? How do I give them moreover protein? What quantities?

You can switch to grower or all flock or even starter (or combine it with your current pellets) to up the overall % of protein. The nutrition tag on the feed bag will show what the protein % of the feed is. 16% is bare minimum, 18-20% is often recommended on here. I only feed 16.5% to layers but I don't have picking issues so for my flock that seems sufficient.

 

[thepick4uchicks]

They aren’t eating the feath, do layer pellets continue aim all the protein they need? How do I give them moreover protein? What quantities?

The way you give them more focused protein is pull back on the corn and veggie material and make sure they eat more of the layer feed as their primary food and give less corn and greens. Just give corn when it gets colder before turning in at night for extra energy and calories to keep them warmer if it’s really cold or as a little treat. Give greens every other day maybe or some in moderation say in the hot afternoons in some cold water or electrolyte water like in a two inch pan and let them Bob for it to get cooled off and get extra hydration. Not extra calories through carbs.