Chicken cannibalism

[lazy gardener]

What are the dimensions of the coop, how old are these birds, how many birds in the coop, how many linear feet of perch space? What is covering the windows? Are they just shut in at night? What is the night time temp in the coop? what are you feeding them? Mill date of the feed?

 

[PD-Riverman]

What are the dimensions of the coop, how old are these birds, how many birds in the coop, how many linear feet of perch space? What is covering the windows? Are they just shut in at night? What is the night time temp in the coop? what are you feeding them? Mill date of the feed?

I want to add a couple more questions to these---plus the ones I already asked on the above post,
How long are they staying in that coop after daylight?
Do you have a light burning in the coop at night? Or is the inside of the coop lite up at night from some other light?

 

[PD-Riverman]

I would invest in a monitor quick and listen to what is happening at night---even a camera is cheap if they are not far from your home.

 

[cacknballs]

time for some fried leghorn and cold beer!!

sorry you lost some birds.

bullies and murderers get eaten at my dinner table. fixes the problem every single time.

 

[PD-Riverman]

time for some fried leghorn and cold beer!!

sorry you lost some birds.

bullies and murderers get eaten at my dinner table. fixes the problem every single time.

I have raised leghorns for a long time-----I just never had this to happen---I am real interested in more info!

 

[Chickassan]

We would get leghorns every year when I was a kid for freezer chickens. It was weird some years sweet docile chickens., other years complete psychos.I don't know if the feed store dropped them on their heads or what. Dad had to setup a separate place to house freezer chickens because we just never knew. You haven't lived until you've seen your future dinner choking down the foot of his brother.

 

[PD-Riverman]

We would get leghorns every year when I was a kid for freezer chickens.

Now you have give me a question I would like to know----Leghorns are a smaller breed/chicken----why those for a freezer chicken?

 

[Chickassan]

Small feed store with extremely limited choices.RIR, leghorns and black sexlinks. Leghorns were the cheapest we were pretty poor so hence leghorns for the freezer.

 

[Abriana]

A group of birds will easily kill a small hen like a frizzle. Chickens love blood and if one gets a small injury they will all jump in like a buffet. That's why production birds in houses have their beaks burnt off.[/QUOTE
I have a Dutch Bantam who is super tiny and she has never been picked on or hurt by the full size hens. Infact, she pulls out feathers when they don't do what she says and is pretty high on the pecking order. watching her boss them around makes me laugh. And i have heard many people say their Bantam rooster is boss over their big roosters!

 

[MeridianChick]

time for some fried leghorn and cold beer!!

sorry you lost some birds.

bullies and murderers get eaten at my dinner table. fixes the problem every single time.

If you bird is being bullied, giving them some time to grow their feathers and heal is a great idea. This cannibalism problem may just be that the flock isn't getting enough protein, therefore eating the protein filled feathers and skin. Just hard-boil an egg, mash it up and feed it to them every day as a treat. Works great!