Chicken Jail

[Tedd444]

I am not sure your coop and run will be enough room for your birds when they get older.

It’s 10’x23’ and we have 10 birds. How much room are we supposed to have?

Thanks.

 

[nao57]

I am not sure your coop and run will be enough room for your birds when they get older.

It’s 10’x23’ and we have 10 birds. How much room are we supposed to have?

Thanks.

Well according to that other guy, you need enough room to play raccoon tower defense. XD

 

[jspeese]

The only cases of aggression against other birds I've had are more than one rooster or more than one Muscovy drake (as they get older, one inevitably becomes the bully) and Chinese geese. I don't like Chinese geese; I hatched some under a Muscovy foster mother and even when they were still goslings, they brutally attacked the ducklings of other ducks in the flock. I've often hatched goslings of other breeds under foster mother ducks and if there were other ducklings in the flock, I never had a problem. Most roosters mate aggressively and you may have bare backed hens. In such cases you may need to confine that rooster to another coop except in breeding season. I've never had a hen wounded or injured by a rooster, though.

 

[ChickenCurt]

I use a product called Hot Peck (there are other brands that are just as good); put it on the tail section or anywhere else that might be getting picked on. It is an unpleasant taste for the ones doing the pecking. If this doesn't deter them, especially with Rhode Island's, raise the individual separately for a stew or barbecue. Some breeds tend to be more cannibalistic and you don't want to breed that trait or tolerate it. If only one chick is getting picked on by the troublemaker then remove that one that's weak. These tend to be sweethearts and make great pets but poor flock members. In the wild, those are usually eliminated by natural selection. Similar to what I said previously, you don't want to breed these traits either, as they are undesirable for flock integration.

 

[Tedd444]

If this doesn't deter them, especially with Rhode Island's, raise the individual separately for a stew or barbecue.

Will do the above if we can’t deter the pecking and feather pulling. Thanks.

 

[reluctant farmer]

So...reading back on this it sounds like the Road Island Red breed is more prone to bullying than others? Am I understanding this right?

Then is it better to use other breeds? Or are other breeds also likely to bully also?

We have Black Star bullies, I think it's about a leader of the yard thing

 

[reluctant farmer]

We have Black Star bullies, I think it's about a leader of the yard thing

Pecking order

 

[Mrs. K]

Bad habits can be hard to break. I would try the chicken blinders, called pines peepers. But if that didn't work, I would let this one go too. Sometimes you get birds that don't work in your set up. Can be frustrating.

Mrs K

 

[Ridgerunner]

Bad habits can be hard to break. I would try the chicken blinders, called pines peepers.

Pinless peepers. I wonder if spell check got you.

I see two sides to this. Sometimes you get chickens that just do not fit. Some just have abrasive or abusive personalities. They happen and you don't need to put up with them. But if you constantly consistently have these issues with different chickens, maybe it's more about how you are keeping or managing them.

Food for thought.

 

[Tedd444]

Pinless peepers. I wonder if spell check got you.

I see two sides to this. Sometimes you get chickens that just do not fit. Some just have abrasive or abusive personalities. They happen and you don't need to put up with them. But if you constantly consistently have these issues with different chickens, maybe it's more about how you are keeping or managing them.

Food for thought.

I was worried it was something we were managing wrong as well. It has just been the RIRs that have shown the relentless plucking and pecking. The others have not shown this aggressiveness. There is pecking of course, but it’s just one offs and never any feather pulling. Will try the isolation for another week or so andthen see what happens when we put her back with the flock. If if it starts up again, will raise her separate for the grill.

thanks for the input everyone.