First Time Chick Parents, Spring 2016

[AmandaMBG]

They will for a while then a couple will start to roost and the others will follow suit. Once I had some doing it I put the others up for the night after it got dark and they have roosted on the bars since.

haha!! I check on them 1 million times a day I swear. They keep sleeping all huddled in one corner or another, I thought they slept on the perches as well.

 

[whatthecluckman]

HELP!! How do I stop my chickens from bullying this one poor chicken? I know this question has been asked on BYC before but I thought I'd ask it in case anyone has any new ideas.

We have 7 chickens (4 barred rock and 3 wyandotte) - they all grew up together as chicks since we got them a day old in April -they are now 5 months old and have started laying eggs. They have a 8 X 16 ft enclosed run but we keep the door open in the daytime, and they are free to graze in a large yard during the day until near bedtime when we lock up the run.

It seemed that growing up, one of the Wyandottes (Eyeliner) would be higher up on the pecking order because she had a sassy personality and was very friendly to us. But we noticed over the past month, that while all the other chickens had a growth spurt and are much bigger with bigger combs and waddles, she still looks rather petite for her age.

Now it seems like all the Barred rocks are bullying her, pecking and chasing her so she can't even get to the treats or the food! We have 2 feeders and she gets chased away by everyone. The other two wyandottes don't bully her as much as the barred's, but they snap at her too and chase her sometimes. It's hard to watch because she's our little buddy!

1. Should we squirt the bullying chicken(s) with a toy water gun when they start pecking her? Does that actually deter this behaviour or make it worse?
2. I saw that they make this anti-pecking spray but read on forums that it smell gawd-awful. Won't this stuff make her even more isolated and seen as not part of the flock? Plus we haven't been very good about picking up our chickens so I'm afraid she'll scream bloody murder.
3. We're going out today to get a third feeder/waterer to put in the back of the run so she has another option to go to. Also ordered a lettuce cage as I heard that having things to peck at helps.

Does anyone have any other ideas that I may have missed? This is kind of a dumb question, but is there some way we can give her a "leg up" to improve her ranking in the peck order?

 

[mamatink7]

HELP!! How do I stop my chickens from bullying this one poor chicken? I know this question has been asked on BYC before but I thought I'd ask it in case anyone has any new ideas.

We have 7 chickens (4 barred rock and 3 wyandotte) - they all grew up together as chicks since we got them a day old in April -they are now 5 months old and have started laying eggs. They have a 8 X 16 ft enclosed run but we keep the door open in the daytime, and they are free to graze in a large yard during the day until near bedtime when we lock up the run.

It seemed that growing up, one of the Wyandottes (Eyeliner) would be higher up on the pecking order because she had a sassy personality and was very friendly to us. But we noticed over the past month, that while all the other chickens had a growth spurt and are much bigger with bigger combs and waddles, she still looks rather petite for her age.

Now it seems like all the Barred rocks are bullying her, pecking and chasing her so she can't even get to the treats or the food! We have 2 feeders and she gets chased away by everyone. The other two wyandottes don't bully her as much as the barred's, but they snap at her too and chase her sometimes. It's hard to watch because she's our little buddy! 

1. Should we squirt the bullying chicken(s) with a toy water gun when they start pecking her? Does that actually deter this behaviour or make it worse?
2. I saw that they make this anti-pecking spray but read on forums that it smell gawd-awful. Won't this stuff make her even more isolated and seen as not part of the flock? Plus we haven't been very good about picking up our chickens so I'm afraid she'll scream bloody murder.
3. We're going out today to get a third feeder/waterer to put in the back of the run so she has another option to go to. Also ordered a lettuce cage as I heard that having things to peck at helps.

Does anyone have any other ideas that I may have missed?  This is kind of a dumb question, but is there some way we can give her a "leg up" to improve her ranking in the peck order?

I am so sorry this is happening! Our GLW is also being bullied when all 20 are together. They physically get her in a corner to keep her away from feed and water. I'm at a loss too. This is why I can't put the youngest 4 with the older 16 yet. (15wk and 18 wks)

 

[AmandaMBG]

There will always be a low guy on the totem poll. My bantams don't get to touch the food until everyone else has their fill. As long as they aren't drawing blood from what I've read everywhere don't intervene.

HELP!! How do I stop my chickens from bullying this one poor chicken? I know this question has been asked on BYC before but I thought I'd ask it in case anyone has any new ideas.

We have 7 chickens (4 barred rock and 3 wyandotte) - they all grew up together as chicks since we got them a day old in April -they are now 5 months old and have started laying eggs. They have a 8 X 16 ft enclosed run but we keep the door open in the daytime, and they are free to graze in a large yard during the day until near bedtime when we lock up the run.

It seemed that growing up, one of the Wyandottes (Eyeliner) would be higher up on the pecking order because she had a sassy personality and was very friendly to us. But we noticed over the past month, that while all the other chickens had a growth spurt and are much bigger with bigger combs and waddles, she still looks rather petite for her age.

Now it seems like all the Barred rocks are bullying her, pecking and chasing her so she can't even get to the treats or the food! We have 2 feeders and she gets chased away by everyone. The other two wyandottes don't bully her as much as the barred's, but they snap at her too and chase her sometimes. It's hard to watch because she's our little buddy! 

1. Should we squirt the bullying chicken(s) with a toy water gun when they start pecking her? Does that actually deter this behaviour or make it worse?
2. I saw that they make this anti-pecking spray but read on forums that it smell gawd-awful. Won't this stuff make her even more isolated and seen as not part of the flock? Plus we haven't been very good about picking up our chickens so I'm afraid she'll scream bloody murder.
3. We're going out today to get a third feeder/waterer to put in the back of the run so she has another option to go to. Also ordered a lettuce cage as I heard that having things to peck at helps.

Does anyone have any other ideas that I may have missed?  This is kind of a dumb question, but is there some way we can give her a "leg up" to improve her ranking in the peck order?

 

[whatthecluckman]

There will always be a low guy on the totem poll. My bantams don't get to touch the food until everyone else has their fill. As long as they aren't drawing blood from what I've read everywhere don't intervene.

Thanks, I had thought it wouldn't be so bad since they all grew up together but I guess I was wrong. I don't see any blood or bald spots but I'll just have to keep an eye on her...

 

[whatthecluckman]

I am so sorry this is happening! Our GLW is also being bullied when all 20 are together. They physically get her in a corner to keep her away from feed and water. I'm at a loss too. This is why I can't put the youngest 4 with the older 16 yet. (15wk and 18 wks)

That's what our chickens are doing too, she has to jump on the storage bin in the corner, terrified, while everyone else eats - I just hope she's getting enough to eat! Chicken politics is rougher than I expected!

 

[AmandaMBG]

My guess is eventually she will stop trying to eat with them and just hang back out of the way until they are done. Mine that are the low rankers will literally fly up to the perches I have in the run until the madness has subsided. As long as their is still food available after it should be fine. It's not likely they will go after her when their crop is full and they are busy dust bathing just because she starts eating.

That's what our chickens are doing too, she has to jump on the storage bin in the corner, terrified, while everyone else eats - I just hope she's getting enough to eat! Chicken politics is rougher than I expected!

 

[whatthecluckman]

My guess is eventually she will stop trying to eat with them and just hang back out of the way until they are done. Mine that are the low rankers will literally fly up to the perches I have in the run until the madness has subsided. As long as their is still food available after it should be fine. It's not likely they will go after her when their crop is full and they are busy dust bathing just because she starts eating.

That's good to know, thanks! I hope that's what she'll do also, before she gets hurt. This reminds me that I should probably put up some perches in the back - the ones I have are near the feeding area where the drama ensues.

 

[AmandaMBG]

Ya that might help. I wouldn't overly worry. It is good though that you are keeping any eye on things we all should be looking out for them after all.

That's good to know, thanks! I hope that's what she'll do also, before she gets hurt. This reminds me that I should probably put up some perches in the back - the ones I have are near the feeding area where the drama ensues.  

 

[spazy67]

Can you put a chick with a pullat that has not had any eggs yet but probably pretty close? Will she have any kind of mother's instincts and take over.