** rushing to post before losing power yet again, so I apologize if this information is too late, or no longer relevant to your situation ***
You're gonna wanna google 'cloacal cannibalism' for a better understanding of what's goin' on here.
I wanna make a clear distinction here, 'cause I knew as soon as I saw this thread that it'd attract some strong opinions: Those of us that name our chickens measure in square footage, whereas those that successfully raise commercial flocks measure stock density in square inches ... your own flock was at 414 square inches, which is a bit more than broilers of this size require to simply stretch both wings, and with over a 30% mortality rate, it would seem that there's now plenty of room. However, I've seen the research notes from a study which clearly indicates that the behavior is adopted by others that have seen it, and thinking logically? Those most responsible are almost certainly still in there.
Had a detailed, and well documented, report literally ready to submit when the storms knocked out the power; was gonna give the 'cliffs notes' version, only to lose power again. SoOo ... this is a *really* short version ... I'd be glad to locate the documentation that supports my comments/suggestions, and provide you with those links I'd planned to before.
At this moment? Preventing the remaining flock from continuing this behavior is the primary concern. To do that, I think you should first remove any injured birds, and then divide that 144 sq. ft. into as many smaller areas as is practical ... that way, you'll have the ability to weed out those responsible (which, by now, may be the majority )-;~
You're gonna wanna google 'cloacal cannibalism' for a better understanding of what's goin' on here.
I wanna make a clear distinction here, 'cause I knew as soon as I saw this thread that it'd attract some strong opinions: Those of us that name our chickens measure in square footage, whereas those that successfully raise commercial flocks measure stock density in square inches ... your own flock was at 414 square inches, which is a bit more than broilers of this size require to simply stretch both wings, and with over a 30% mortality rate, it would seem that there's now plenty of room. However, I've seen the research notes from a study which clearly indicates that the behavior is adopted by others that have seen it, and thinking logically? Those most responsible are almost certainly still in there.
Had a detailed, and well documented, report literally ready to submit when the storms knocked out the power; was gonna give the 'cliffs notes' version, only to lose power again. SoOo ... this is a *really* short version ... I'd be glad to locate the documentation that supports my comments/suggestions, and provide you with those links I'd planned to before.
At this moment? Preventing the remaining flock from continuing this behavior is the primary concern. To do that, I think you should first remove any injured birds, and then divide that 144 sq. ft. into as many smaller areas as is practical ... that way, you'll have the ability to weed out those responsible (which, by now, may be the majority )-;~