Chickens are laying less

[ChickenGirl555]

I recently removed 2 chickens from my flock, 1 Naked Neck cockerel, and 1 Black Faverolle Silkie mix pullet. They were integrated sometime in November, but never really seemed to be happy in my flock. I have 6 other chickens, 2 Barred Rocks, 2 Buff Orpingtons, and 2 EEs who currently are the only residents in my coop. They started laying the second week of February, but now I removed the Oddballs last weekend. The pullets started to lay less eggs, I used to get 2-3 but now it’s rare to get 2.

Did the removal of the Oddballs do something to their egg laying? They never were really close.

 

[azygous]

Chickens don't need to be "close" to experience stress from having the social dynamics of the flock interrupted. Each member has a relationship to each other member, and when a couple are removed, that creates a vacuum that needs reshuffling to fill. You may not see it, but they are spending energy dealing with it.

Egg production can suffer for a little while, a week or so, then it will pick up again once the social order settles down.

 

[ChickenGirl555]

Chickens don't need to be "close" to experience stress from having the social dynamics of the flock interrupted. Each member has a relationship to each other member, and when a couple are removed, that creates a vacuum that needs reshuffling to fill. You may not see it, but they are spending energy dealing with it.

Egg production can suffer for a little while, a week or so, then it will pick up again once the social order settles down.

Thank you. I'm just curious though, would it take longer if, say, I had a bigger flock and took away around half of them? Would it be different, longer, the same?

 

[azygous]

It would be different in every way since you would be dealing with more chickens and more individual relationships. Picture yourself in a family of three. Then picture yourself in a family of twelve. In the first family, you just need to deal with relationships with two other people. In the second, you have eleven people to relate to.

With chickens, it's even more complicated because, adding or subtracting chickens in the flock, besides altering the number of different relationships between the individuals, it can also create individual temperament changes when they find themselves needing to fit into new ranks in the social order.

It happens with humans, too, but the social order in a poultry flock is even more dependent on rank and what those individuals on each side of you plan to do about it. This can create a lot of stress and tension while it all works itself out. The more chickens, the longer it takes, and the more chances there are for serious conflicts.

 

[ChickenGirl555]

It would be different in every way since you would be dealing with more chickens and more individual relationships. Picture yourself in a family of three. Then picture yourself in a family of twelve. In the first family, you just need to deal with relationships with two other people. In the second, you have eleven people to relate to.

With chickens, it's even more complicated because, adding or subtracting chickens in the flock, besides altering the number of different relationships between the individuals, it can also create individual temperament changes when they find themselves needing to fit into new ranks in the social order.

It happens with humans, too, but the social order in a poultry flock is even more dependent on rank and what those individuals on each side of you plan to do about it. This can create a lot of stress and tension while it all works itself out. The more chickens, the longer it takes, and the more chances there are for serious conflicts.

Wow, thanks. Yeah, I can totally picture that.

 

[ChickenGirl555]

Wow, I came home and checked out the coop for eggs, not really expecting any, and THERE WAS FOUR!

 

[azygous]