Cannibalism?

[Revdefense]

Hi everyone,

Two of my chickens (both are Jersey Giants) are picking on the other girls (2 EE and 2 Speckled Sussex) and are literally picking their flesh open and and won’t leave it alone. I treated the wounded chickens and separated the assholes. Should I rehome them? Put them in time out? Eat them for dinner? I’m worried it could be the size difference, the JG’s are almost double the size of my other girls. All my flock are the same age and we’re brooded together and nothing has changed other than my EE’s started laying last week. They have a 4x6 coop and an 11x9 run. Help!

 

[BlueBaby]

Are they getting enough protein in their diet?

 

[Revdefense]

Are they getting enough protein in their diet?

Definitely! They eat layer feed and I also give them scratch with some oyster shells and worms.

 

[Obsessed With Silkies]

Did the smaller ones get properly introduced into the existing flock or did this behavior start all of a sudden?

 

[3KillerBs]

I have no personal experience with cannibalism so I'm just relaying information I've read from others.

You have 6 hens in 24 square feet of coop? With 100 square feet of run?

That meets the usual minimums -- even more so for the run -- so while they *could* be feeling overcrowded it's not as likely as if you had a tiny coop.

Can you post photos to show your coop and run? It might need more "clutter" to offer the birds entertainment other than just picking on each other.

Definitely! They eat layer feed and I also give them scratch with some oyster shells and worms.

Layer feed is often minimal protein which is being diluted by the scratch. Try an all-flock type feed with 18-20% protein, offer the oystershell 24/7, and cut out the scratch completely.

To help with possible boredom you could put in a straw bale with one tie cut or a big pile of dead leaves/pine straw/dry grass clippings/etc. for them to scratch through.

 

[Revdefense]

Did the smaller ones get properly introduced into the existing flock or did this behavior start all of a sudden?

They were all raised together as babies and are my only birds.

 

[Revdefense]

I have no personal experience with cannibalism so I'm just relaying information I've read from others.

You have 6 hens in 24 square feet of coop? With 100 square feet of run?

That meets the usual minimums -- even more so for the run -- so while they *could* be feeling overcrowded it's not as likely as if you had a tiny coop.

Can you post photos to show your coop and run? It might need more "clutter" to offer the birds entertainment other than just picking on each other.



Layer feed is often minimal protein which is being diluted by the scratch. Try an all-flock type feed with 18-20% protein, offer the oystershell 24/7, and cut out the scratch completely.

To help with possible boredom you could put in a straw bale with one tie cut or a big pile of dead leaves/pine straw/dry grass clippings/etc. for them to scratch through.

Thank you! Going to try all flock and see if that helps.