Existing chickens are mean to new ones

[4chicksmom]

Main issue seems to be space at this point. What are the dimesions of the coop? Hopefully you don't have inclimate weather and they will always be able to free range. It may eventually work out, but if your established hens are too agressive it may not be worth it.

Also you found out they don't like change, they creatures of routine. I understand the thinking behind reranging, I do it myself as necessary, but it does upset their balance so I try to make sure everyone has exactly what they need available.

The coop is small, i just made it bigger. It's 76in in length by 36in width. It was from TS, and as recommended here on a different thread, I modified it, to make it bigger, by removing the run underneath.
I live in an area that doesn't get too cold, rarely below 30F, never snows. But it does get very hot, last year we had i think 11 days in a row of over 100. So the amount of time that the girls spend in their coop is minimal, sleep and egg laying.
Last night it seemed to have gone a lot better. although I did supervise and had to put a few on the roost by hand. After that they settled down.
This morning there was another egg under the roost from the same girl, Brownie.
She figured out on day 3 after I brought her home where to lay her 1st egg, but now 2 days in a row off the roost. Both broken eggs. Do I just stick her in the nesting box tonight and let her sleep there? I didn't see her trying to lay an egg all day yesterday, which would make sense since she laid one off the roost. But 2 days in a row?

 

[AGeese]

The coop is small, i just made it bigger. It's 76in in length by 36in width. It was from TS, and as recommended here on a different thread, I modified it, to make it bigger, by removing the run underneath.
I live in an area that doesn't get too cold, rarely below 30F, never snows. But it does get very hot, last year we had i think 11 days in a row of over 100. So the amount of time that the girls spend in their coop is minimal, sleep and egg laying.
Last night it seemed to have gone a lot better. although I did supervise and had to put a few on the roost by hand. After that they settled down.
This morning there was another egg under the roost from the same girl, Brownie.
She figured out on day 3 after I brought her home where to lay her 1st egg, but now 2 days in a row off the roost. Both broken eggs. Do I just stick her in the nesting box tonight and let her sleep there? I didn't see her trying to lay an egg all day yesterday, which would make sense since she laid one off the roost. But 2 days in a row?

How many nesting boxes do you have?

 

[rosemarythyme]

She figured out on day 3 after I brought her home where to lay her 1st egg, but now 2 days in a row off the roost. Both broken eggs. Do I just stick her in the nesting box tonight and let her sleep there? I didn't see her trying to lay an egg all day yesterday, which would make sense since she laid one off the roost. But 2 days in a row?

No, do NOT lock her in a nest overnight to make her lay - more likely you'll only teach her to sleep in it overnight.

Laying off the roost makes a lot of sense if she's a new layer and still figuring out the signals to indicate laying. Are the eggshells thick and in good shape? If so, if you add more bedding under the roost the eggs might be salvaged even if she lays off the roost.

 

[4chicksmom]

How many nesting boxes do you have?

There's 3 that are up the ladder from the original design. They seem a bit small now, 12x12. And i had put 2 baskets on the floor directly under the other 3, just in case for variety.

 

[AGeese]

There's 3 that are up the ladder from the original design. They seem a bit small now, 12x12. And i had put 2 baskets on the floor directly under the other 3, just in case for variety.

Seems to me they're not in sync with each other so that's why that's happening. I still have issues with laying here and there, if one is busy and another wants in the same box. The tend to like privacy from what I've seen.

 

[Mrs. K]

Pin less peepers would go on the old gals. Just for a couple of weeks, it keeps them from attacking something in front of them. A couple of weeks, and they generally will get along, if you do have enough space.

Also, you can tape a large piece across the roost, put the old girls on one side, and the new ones on the other. It won't be forever, just until they settle down. Out of sight, out of mind for chickens.

Mrs K

 

[4chicksmom]

Things seem to have calmed down a bit. Although they still don't like the new girls, and still peck them, it's not as often and not so mean.
My main concern is that one of the new girls Brownie, is still laying off the roost at night. She is at the bottom of the pecking order from what I can tell. I don't ever see her trying to get into the nesting boxes during the day. She has laid an egg every day for a week and all but 2 have been broken.
Before I moved the coop to a new location, which is across my backyard she has laid in the nesting box.

 

[AGeese]

How many nesting boxes?

 

[4chicksmom]

How many nesting boxes?

I have 3. Which for 5 hens should be plenty. I know they all favor 1 because there were 2 days where they all laid in the same one. So I know she knows where to lay. I had also put in 1 big metal bin and a plastic basket on the floor( the 3 are raised ), that i took out today because no one was using them and it was taking up space.
She's laying during the night time, and I'm usually home and can see the coop from my window and I haven't seen her go in the coop at all this past week.
The only time I saw her, was the day we moved the coop, and she was trying to go in and one of my older hens wasn't letting her, so that's when she started to just drop eggs from the roost. I tried for her to stay off the roost at night but she jumped back on it and sure enough there was a broken egg on the floor again.
Today's egg looked like it was pecked instead of broken from falling.
The only thing that I can think of, is that she's laying super early in the AM before the auto door opens( at 10% light) and the others aren't letting her into the nesting boxes.

 

[Amphitecna]

4chicks mom- how is it going? I kept my new girls locked up under the henhouse for a week. The big girls (2 bleu de france/cendrée and one sussex) didn't care about them, so we started roosting together and giving the new girls access to the whole run and consequently the yard (turns out there are no acceptable substitutes for nesting boxes ) It seems OK. Bedtime is a HUGE and violent drama though. Are things going OK for you?