Bullying help

[PenguPen]

I’ve got 7x 8week old chickens that came from a friend, an 4x 7week old chickens that I hatched... when they are outside (we free range on about 10 acres) they stay in their respective group and don’t have much trouble with each other, but when they go to the coop at night for dinner time feed and lockup the elders bully my 4 hatchers... how to I stop this? I have another 4 chicks that are only a week old that I will need to intergrate at some point as well as the 2 doz eggs currently in the incubator (only on day 2)

can anyone help me? They bully Even if there is no food present.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

That's normal behaviors when bringing separate groups together like that. There's not much you can do about except to keep everyone separate. As long as there's no blood being drawn, and you have enough room I would leave them be.

 

[PenguPen]

I have plenty of room for them to roam during the day but only one smallish coop. They are fine until bedtime lockup that’s when the trouble begins. Or over food. Some of them are cocks that will be freezer meat when they are old enough... but the pallets in the group are bullying them as well

 

[rosemarythyme]

Sounds like a bigger coop is needed, especially since you have even more birds to add in. Or maybe keep your cockerels separately in a 2nd coop?

 

[aart]

I have plenty of room for them to roam during the day but only one smallish coop. They are fine until bedtime lockup that’s when the trouble begins.

This is a prefect example of why free ranging does NOT fix a 'too small' coop scenario.

How big is "smallish" coop in feet by feet?
Does it have a run?
Dimensions and pics would help immensely here.

 

[Ridgerunner]

All that sounds pretty normal to me though a one week age difference isn't a lot. Until my different-aged chicks reach maturity (usually about the time they start to lay for pullets) mine tend to stay in separate sub-flocks. They avoid each other during the day. My main coop is big enough that they can avoid each other at night too. I also have a separate shelter for them when I need to use it. And I have several widely scattered feeding and watering stations so they don't have to compete for food or water.

So what can you do? I hate to get too specific without knowing better what you have to work with but my first thought is start building another coop or at least a separate shelter where they can spend the night. You say your problem is when you crowd them close together at night. Stop crowding them close together. That may mean a bigger coop and a separate shelter.

I don't know what your plans are for all those other chicks. You may have more stress in front of you. I'd suggest you consider stopping hatching or getting more chicks until you get more experience in how to deal with them. There is always next year.