Bullied chicken now being bullied... help!

[NightFury06]

I have a Wellbar, she is laying and was quite happy, then one day I saw feathers lying around. She was second out of three in the pecking order, then the top hen got ill and she was promoted. She started pecking out the others feathers, and the hen at the bottom has a huge bare patch. I removed her for a few days, out of sight as suggested, but when I put her back they BOTH attacked her. I let them for a while, thinking they were just establishing the pecking order and would be fine, but they wouldn't stop and she refused to go anywhere near them. I thought that at night they would settle, but they were ALL pecking each other and the Wellbar was getting the worst of it. I am not an experienced chicken owner and would be grateful for any help you can give. P.S. I took the Wellbar out for her safety. They were pecking too close to her eyes for my liking.

 

[Friendly_Lurker]

Yes, separate her. If you could isolate the bullies that would be even better.

 

[Mrs. K]

How old are your girls? How many do you have? What I am wondering is if you really have enough space for two birds, but when you add a third bird, the tensions rises, and you get ugly behavior. This often happens when birds get to full size. What was more than enough space for chicks, becomes not enough space as the birds get bigger.

So what are your coop measurements? Often times the darling pre-fab coops are just too small, and nowhere near the size need for the 6-8 birds they say.

Mrs K

 

[aart]

How old are your girls?
How many do you have?
So what are your coop measurements?

Very important questions!
Please post dimensions and pics of your coop.

Oh, and...Welcome to BYC @NightFury06 sorry you're having troubles.
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[NightFury06]

How old are your girls? How many do you have? What I am wondering is if you really have enough space for two birds, but when you add a third bird, the tensions rises, and you get ugly behavior. This often happens when birds get to full size. What was more than enough space for chicks, becomes not enough space as the birds get bigger.

So what are your coop measurements? Often times the darling pre-fab coops are just too small, and nowhere near the size need for the 6-8 birds they say.

Mrs K

They are all bantams, and are all the same age. We have just upgraded their run to one 2 by 4 metres, and the house is 1/2 by 2 metres I think. We were told it was big enough for them when we got it. Thanks for the help!

 

[Mrs. K]

Maybe my math is not right, but is the coop ver long and very narrow? A picture might help.

What does the run look like? Is it an open area? Can a bird see all the other birds and them see her no matter where she is? Maybe hideouts would help, and multiple feed bowls.

 

[aart]

They are all bantams, and are all the same age. We have just upgraded their run to one 2 by 4 metres, and the house is 1/2 by 2 metres I think. We were told it was big enough for them when we got it. Thanks for the help!

How many birds?
That's a pretty small coop....even if they are bantams.
Who told you it was big enough, the person selling it?
The bullying suggests it is not big enough.
Really pics would help here...if you want help.

 

[NightFury06]

How many birds?
That's a pretty small coop....even if they are bantams.
Who told you it was big enough, the person selling it?
The bullying suggests it is not big enough.
Really pics would help here...if you want help.

Ok I’ll take pics. They usually hang out in their run, and the coop is quite a common one I think.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

You really need to have 2-3 square feet per bird, and more than that for larger breeds. Chicken coops radically over estimate the amount of birds that can be safely and ethically kept within the coop. For example, my "emergency coop" Is a small A-frame coop which totaling interior and exterior is roughly 55 sq feet. I wouldn't dream of putting anymore than four full-grown standard size chickens in there. Maybe 5 if I could move the coop every few days but it is very heavy.

 

[NightFury06]

Good news! They have accepted her again, and she is now happily living with them! Thanks for the help!!!