Flock Trouble: Changes in Behavior

[Amazing_chicks27]

Hey, guys. I wish I could say there wasn't a problem, but eventually, there is a big problem going on with my flock. This winter has been a bit tough for my flock and I. As mentioned in the title, I am having issues with my flock. I have noticed that my rooster and hens are acting aggressively on each other. Especially, when it is time to eat. At first, my rooster and some of my hens would peck on each other while eating but not too much. But now, it is getting way out of control. I've got 1 rooster 2 cockerels (one is bigger than the other) and 17 chickens. Now, I am not sure what is causing aggression in the flock. I am not sure if it is the amount of cocks in the flock or if it is because I changed their diet. So, it has been a little over a week since I have changed their diet, I used to give them the Tractor's Supply Pride's 16% layer feed but found out that some feeds like this brand's feed aren't helping chickens lay eggs. Which convinced me that I should change their diet. They aren't laying eggs even before the aggression started. Now, I am giving them lentils, tomatoes, tortillas, peas, corn kernels, and cooked rice amongst other things I may have. But, now I am starting to notice my flock's behavior change which is now: desperate to get food. Every single day, I go up there, my flock runs to the gate. I am at the gate of the coop, I see the rooster first and then the others. When the other hens or cockerel's get close to the rooster, the rooster pecks on them. They all look up to the bowl I have with the food and don't make way so I can get to the feeder. They all want the food so badly and when I put the food in a feeder they immediately start to eat like if they have STARVED FOR DAYS. That is how they act every single time I bring them food. They don't want to share the food and that is when sometimes one of my cockerels fights with another hen. (That hen is a mamma hen which had the youngest cockerel. Momma hen and the oldest cockerel don't get along.) Or sometimes it is a hen vs. another hen. When, I would give them the feed from tractor's supply, they wouldn't even act like "they starved FOR DAYS". I kid you not, they all start to go crazy, they start to make that "annoyed clucking sound", they don't let each other eat peacefully. I'd like to ask for advice as this is stressing me out. It makes me think I am not giving them enough food or if I made a BIG mistake. If you have any tips or have a clue on what it might be plz reach out to me. I'd appreciate it. Sorry for the long passage.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Chickens should have access to food all day. What you are feeding is not a balanced diet and it will cause deficiencies which can manifest as aggression and eventually cannibalism. I would buy an appropriate ration and get them back onto it. I would feed either a good non-medicated chick starter or an all flock ration, with a separate bowl of oyster shells for the calcium needs.

 

[DemeterAD9]

Pretty much any commercial brand of chicken feed will have everything a laying hen needs to be healthy and a healthy chicken will lay eggs. It is more likely that your flock has slowed on egg production because the day light hours are shorter than they were in the summer. The amount of daylight has a huge effect on egg production. Most of us Americans are impatiently waiting for those longer spring days, when our flock gets back to normal laying.

What did you hear that makes you think that particular feed is no good? The only complaint I have about that feed is the low protein levels, I prefer feeding 18-20%. So you aren't giving them any sort of actual chicken feed? There are all sorts of vitamins and minerals added to store bought feed that chickens simply need to have in their diet. As stated above, deficiency will cause problems. Acting ravenous and even food aggressive is likely a sign of this.

Get them back on a good chicken feed and have it available 24/7 and I bet they will go back to normal. The only time I would be restricting feed is during the warmer months to encourage them to free range and forage for themselves to save on feed costs. Right now, since we have a layer of snow in MI my birds are eating three times as much feed as they usually eat because they cannot forage.

 

[Amazing_chicks27]

Chickens should have access to food all day. What you are feeding is not a balanced diet and it will cause deficiencies which can manifest as aggression and eventually cannibalism. I would buy an appropriate ration and get them back onto it. I would feed either a good non-medicated chick starter or an all flock ration, with a separate bowl of oyster shells for the calcium needs.

So, you recommend that I keep feeding them with feed? I just want them to have enough food and be able to lay some eggs cuz during the summer they would lay about 11- 12 eggs which had me satisfied. But, they don't lay a single egg now which makes me think it is the feed. What feed do you give your flock? Or what kind of natural foods should I give them?

 

[Amazing_chicks27]

Pretty much any commercial brand of chicken feed will have everything a laying hen needs to be healthy and a healthy chicken will lay eggs. It is more likely that your flock has slowed on egg production because the day light hours are shorter than they were in the summer. The amount of daylight has a huge effect on egg production. Most of us Americans are impatiently waiting for those longer spring days, when our flock gets back to normal laying.

What did you hear that makes you think that particular feed is no good? The only complaint I have about that feed is the low protein levels, I prefer feeding 18-20%. So you aren't giving them any sort of actual chicken feed? There are all sorts of vitamins and minerals added to store bought feed that chickens simply need to have in their diet. As stated above, deficiency will cause problems. Acting ravenous and even food aggressive is likely a sign of this.

Get them back on a good chicken feed and have it available 24/7 and I bet they will go back to normal. The only time I would be restricting feed is during the warmer months to encourage them to free range and forage for themselves to save on feed costs. Right now, since we have a layer of snow in MI my birds are eating three times as much feed as they usually eat because they cannot forage.

That makes sense. I have heard people talking about the commercial feeds locally and on Youtube videos saying they aren't helping their chickens lay eggs especially the one that I would use, there were no results. But, I guess I have been buying the wrong feed all this time. Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

So, you recommend that I keep feeding them with feed? I just want them to have enough food and be able to lay some eggs cuz during the summer they would lay about 11- 12 eggs which had me satisfied. But, they don't lay a single egg now which makes me think it is the feed. What feed do you give your flock? Or what kind of natural foods should I give them?

A hen doesn't lay consistently throughout the year. Hormone that drive the reproductive cycle react to light. As the daylight increases laying generally increases. As daylight decreases laying slows or stops completely.

Another thing that affects the lay cycle is diet. They need a certain amount of daily protein to produce eggs. They also need free access to clean water as eggs are mostly water.

They also need stress to be low. So things like lower temperatures, or high temperatures can affect laying. So can a lot of disturbances, or crowding of birds into a smaller set up.

Certain breeds lay more than others. Hybrids can lay nearly daily, but other breeds may lay enough for a clutch, 10-20 eggs, than quit for a month or two.

I have seen chickens cannibalize each other due to a protein deficiency. Home made feeds can work if formulated properly. Free range birds can sometimes forage enough if it's warm out, but it's always best to provide a proper ration.

All mine get free access to an 18% protein all flock ration, and also get scraps occasionally, as well as free ranging. Oyster shells are always available.

 

[FrostRanger]

Producer's pride feed does not cause hens to not lay, that is just a myth, rather, what's actually going on is many hens will lay through their first winter (not all, most of mine didn't) and will take a break for the winter every year afterwards. This has nothing to do with feed and is actually due to reduced daylight hours. They should start up again around spring. What they're eating now is not a balanced feed at all. There are homemade chicken feed recipes, however, making your own feed is 1. expensive, 2. often impractical for small flocks as you often have to buy ingredients in bulk (depends on what's available in your area though) and 3. tough to get right. There are many recipes out there and most of them are absolute garbage. There are good recipes out there but you have to dig around for them. You can go this route if you wish to, but I would recommend you stick with a 20% all flock (brand doesn't matter) fed freely. That should calm them down a lot as they are basically starving rn as they aren't getting the nutrition they need.

With that said, I would remove one or 2 males as the more males you have the more likely you are to run into issues. How big are your coop and run in square feet?

 

[Amazing_chicks27]

A hen doesn't lay consistently throughout the year. Hormone that drive the reproductive cycle react to light. As the daylight increases laying generally increases. As daylight decreases laying slows or stops completely.

Another thing that affects the lay cycle is diet. They need a certain amount of daily protein to produce eggs. They also need free access to clean water as eggs are mostly water.

They also need stress to be low. So things like lower temperatures, or high temperatures can affect laying. So can a lot of disturbances, or crowding of birds into a smaller set up.

Certain breeds lay more than others. Hybrids can lay nearly daily, but other breeds may lay enough for a clutch, 10-20 eggs, than quit for a month or two.

I have seen chickens cannibalize each other due to a protein deficiency. Home made feeds can work if formulated properly. Free range birds can sometimes forage enough if it's warm out, but it's always best to provide a proper ration.

All mine get free access to an 18% protein all flock ration, and also get scraps occasionally, as well as free ranging. Oyster shells are always available.

Thanks for the explanation, I appreciate it.

 

[Amazing_chicks27]

Producer's pride feed does not cause hens to not lay, that is just a myth, rather, what's actually going on is many hens will lay through their first winter (not all, most of mine didn't) and will take a break for the winter every year afterwards. This has nothing to do with feed and is actually due to reduced daylight hours. They should start up again around spring. What they're eating now is not a balanced feed at all. There are homemade chicken feed recipes, however, making your own feed is 1. expensive, 2. often impractical for small flocks as you often have to buy ingredients in bulk (depends on what's available in your area though) and 3. tough to get right. There are many recipes out there and most of them are absolute garbage. There are good recipes out there but you have to dig around for them. You can go this route if you wish to, but I would recommend you stick with a 20% all flock (brand doesn't matter) fed freely. That should calm them down a lot as they are basically starving rn as they aren't getting the nutrition they need.

With that said, I would remove one or 2 males as the more males you have the more likely you are to run into issues. How big are your coop and run in square feet?

Oh my goodness, that explains why they act super hungry which puzzles it together. I was reading the other posts from @FrostRanger , @oldhenlikesdogs , @DemeterAD9 including yours and it makes sense why their behavior has changed tremendously. I appreciate the advice given. As for the roos I am not sure who to give them to, I fear that someone might want them for Cockfighting. But, I'll have to look for someone trustworthy who won't dare do that. As for the coop and run I am not sure how many square feet it is but I'd say it is long, not big but not too small either. I'd say it is a decent size.

 

[FrostRanger]

Oh my goodness, that explains why they act super hungry which puzzles it together. I was reading the other posts from @FrostRanger , @oldhenlikesdogs , @DemeterAD9 including yours and it makes sense why their behavior has changed tremendously. I appreciate the advice given. As for the roos I am not sure who to give them to, I fear that someone might want them for Cockfighting. But, I'll have to look for someone trustworthy who won't dare do that. As for the coop and run I am not sure how many square feet it is but I'd say it is long, not big but not too small either. I'd say it is a decent size.

If you can measure the coop and run's dimensions and post pictures that would be helpful. You want at a bare minimum, 4sqft of coop space, 1 sqft of ventilation, 1 sqft of roost space and 10sqft of run space per bird. Too little space is also a reason why birds might fight too. For 20 birds you're going to want 80sqft of coop space, 20sqft of ventilation, 20sqft of roost space and 200 sqft of run space minimum