Chicken bullying

[Jrlovio]

Hi, I've had chickens for 2 years now. I have 4 hens that have been together since I first got them. Recently one of my RIR had been attacking my buff orpington. They've always been together and never had a problem. Does anybody know why all of a sudden a chicken would start attacking another?

 

[Fishkeeper]

How much space do you have?
Are there any potential stressers such as new predators?

 

[DobieLover]

Hormones.
Definitely need to know your resource setup: how many chickens in how much space with how much perching/hiding locations and how many feeders/waterers. Picture work great for this.

 

[Jrlovio]

Not sure on dimension but it's a pretty big space for them. No new predators.

 

[Jrlovio]

Hormones.
Definitely need to know your resource setup: how many chickens in how much space with how much perching/hiding locations and how many feeders/waterers. Picture work great for this.

I have 4 hens in a coop that is for about 6 or 8 I have 2 feeders for 2 big waterers they also have a kiddy pool. I live in Arizona and work long hours. The coop is pretty open not many hiding spots besides the hen house they usually purchase on the roof of the hen house.

 

[Fishkeeper]

The "coop" is what I think you're calling the hen house. It's the building with the perches in it where the chickens are supposed to sleep at night. You need about 4 square feet per chicken in the coop.
The run is where the chickens spend the day.
How big are those two things? In numbers, please.

Also, those commercial chicken coops are WAY too small for the number of chickens they say you can put in them.

 

[DobieLover]

I have 4 hens in a coop that is for about 6 or 8 I have 2 feeders for 2 big waterers they also have a kiddy pool. I live in Arizona and work long hours. The coop is pretty open not many hiding spots besides the hen house they usually purchase on the roof of the hen house.

Can you please post a picture of this?

When you write "I have 4 hens in a coop that is for about 6 or 8" I think you have a pre-fab and with 4 birds, in AZ, you are almost certainly well over capacity with those 4.

How old are these girls?

You may have a construction project looming in your near future!