First time raising chickens

[eggselant]

We have been wanting to get chickens for quite some time and finally did. We have 7 full grown hens all a little over a year old. Most of them are currently laying eggs and they all seem healthy and happy except for one of them. Her name is Lemon and she is a Buff Brahma. She is very timid and is definitely at the very bottom of the pecking order, so much so that she doesn't even sleep in the coop. Instead she sleeps on the steps right outside the coop door inside the run. The coop is definitely big enough for all the hens, so that is not the issue. Hopefully things work themselves out. If not I will be asking for help real soon.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

I love your avatar!! So cute!

Yes, some hens isolate themselves when they are at the bottom of the pecking order. I would recommend locking her in the coop so she knows that's where to sleep. (If she doesn't sleep in the coop she has a potential to get killed by a predator.) Also, be sure you love on her so she knows she is loved even if the other chickens don't love her!

Feel free to ask any questions; glad you joined!

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

She is probably being bullied. She really needs to sleep in the coop at night with the others. Predators will take her one night. Make sure she has a place on the roost bar or set up another one. Slip her in at dusk onto the bar so she doesn't have to fight for a spot. Make sure you use extra feeding and watering stations. The others can bully her enough she doesn't get enough to eat or drink. So put more of these out. It is not easy being the lowest in the order, so you need to make some time to make sure she is ok within the flock.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! You've gotten some good advice/suggestions above, X3 on be sure there are enough roosting spots in the coop, if you have a couple of hens that are the main bullies you might try pinless peepers on them and see if it helps, there are also a couple of nice articles in the Learning Center on pecking order and bullying you might want to check out https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/maintaining-a-healthy-flock

 

[eggselant]

Thank you for the advice on the door.
I never put one on my coop because it spits the chickens directly out into their run/pen. I built it that way so that they can come and go as they please, but cannot be pestered by anything or let predators get at them when I am not outside. I am currently putting a door on the coop so I can shut them in during the night. I will go out tomorrow to get another feeder and water source for them so Lemon has more chances to drink and eat during the day. I attached a picture of the run with the coop in the back ground and a picture of the inside of the coop. You will have to excuse the lack of paint, the whole set up is new. I believe I gave them enough space, but correct me if I am wrong.
The run is 8ft wide, 16ft long, and 6ft high. The inside of the coop is 70inx40inx40inch and that does not include the nest box space. I only made 4 nest boxes, but they are 17in by 14in, so I will probably change the inside dividers to allow for more nest boxes. I figured all that room for 7 hens was enough for now. There are 2 four foot long roosts inside the coop.
I am going to look into those pinless peepers. I have never seen those before.

 

[gander007]

Thank you for the advice on the door.
I never put one on my coop because it spits the chickens directly out into their run/pen. I built it that way so that they can come and go as they please, but cannot be pestered by anything or let predators get at them when I am not outside. I am currently putting a door on the coop so I can shut them in during the night. I will go out tomorrow to get another feeder and water source for them so Lemon has more chances to drink and eat during the day. I attached a picture of the run with the coop in the back ground and a picture of the inside of the coop. You will have to excuse the lack of paint, the whole set up is new. I believe I gave them enough space, but correct me if I am wrong.
The run is 8ft wide, 16ft long, and 6ft high. The inside of the coop is 70inx40inx40inch and that does not include the nest box space. I only made 4 nest boxes, but they are 17in by 14in, so I will probably change the inside dividers to allow for more nest boxes. I figured all that room for 7 hens was enough for now. There are 2 four foot long roosts inside the coop.
I am going to look into those pinless peepers. I have never seen those before.

Alright

great to have you joining the BYC flock

BYC has a very useful learning center

Good looking coop and run .....


Are you putting anything in the water ???

 

[eggselant]

We live in North Carolina and it gets pretty hot during the day. So the only thing I am putting in the water is ice to keep them cool.

 

[drumstick diva]

The ice is a great idea, and any shade you can add by throwing a sheet or curtain over part of the run to keep the sun off would help. Sometimes chickens like a pan of shallow water to cool their feet. If it really gets hot you might consider a misting hose.

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC! You have a small, but beautiful flock. If you can afford it, I would recommend putting a roof over the run. It will keep both the hot sun off of them, and the rain from wetting the ground inside the run. It's surprising how fast chickens can turn a piece of wet ground into a mud hole. Also I would recommend covering the chicken wire with hardware cloth. There are a lot of predators that can either tear through chicken wire (coons, opossums, foxes, dogs, etc.) or pass through the openings in the mesh (weasels, minks, snakes, rats, etc.). I would also attach a buried hardware cloth skirt to the outside of the run frame to protect against digging predators. I know that it involves some extra expense, but it's cheaper that replacing your flock. You might want to check out our Predator and Pest section at https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center/tag/predators-and-pests/ Good luck with your flock.