Chickens killing each other?

[polychip]

I have a large coop. 40'X40'. I have a brooder in the coop which I use for new baby introduction. The babies stay in a brooder in the house until they are a month or more old. Then I move them to the brooder in the coop where they stay for another month or so before being introduced to the flock. Even then I leave the door ajar and blocked with a brick so the chicks can get in but the big chickens can't follow. This is the first year I've had any trouble. I had about a dozen adult birds including two EE cockerels in the mix. I let the chicks out and several days later found 2 dead. I put them back in the brooder for a few more days and let them out again and watched to see what would happen. The two cockerels went after the chicks immediately. I removed them and put them in a separate coop. Then there were 3 Cochins, 4 FBCMs, 4 EE's and a polish (all adult hens) in the coop with the remaining 8 babies. I watched closely for several days and everyone got along fine. Then this evening I went out and the polish chicken is dead and partially eaten. I can't tell of she died and then they ate her or if she was killed. When a chicken kill another do the other chickens learn to kill and then keep doing it? Just some additional info. These chickens had food. They free range most of the day. Today they didn't because of the weather but it's not unusual for them to stay in a week at a time if the weather is bad. They had forrage and water. I can't understand what could be happening. I will try to attach some pics of the coop. Anyone have any ideas?

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[polychip]

Okay. I will try this picture thing again. It didn't like the other two in the same thread. Grrr

 

[Ceeej123]

I think the chicks are still too young. They have to be able to run away quickly and I've noticed the smaller ones I have moved earlier are not as quick to run and may stumble easier.

 

[Eggcessive]

Chicks should be kept separate from larger chickens until they are similar in age, when they should be slowly introduced as you have. The only time I allow chicks in with the rest of the flock is when they are raised by a broody hen, and she normally protects them. Sorry for your loss.

 

[polychip]

Chicks should be kept separate from larger chickens until they are similar in age, when they should be slowly introduced as you have. The only time I allow chicks in with the rest of the flock is when they are raised by a broody hen, and she normally protects them. Sorry for your loss.

Hi. Thanks so much for your help! I'm stumped! I should have been more clear. The last chicken that died was an adult hen. I've been doing this for 10+years and have never had an adult chicken killed. Do you think it was a coincidence? Do you think she may have gotten sick and died and then they ate her? Can hens learn to kill and then continue killing? The chicks aren't in the big coop right now and I shudder to think what I will find when I go to let the adult hens out this morning. These hens have never killed chicks or even picked on each other (they're older 5+ years). I'm trying to make sense of the death of the adult hen. Any ideas?