Has my pet chicken turned mean???

[azygous]

I think chickens require around ten square feet of run space each, and three square feet of coop space. If you have a combined coop and run, then at 60 square feet, you're just coming in under the wire for five chickens. The fact that two are bantams doesn't really alter this requirement, I believe.

Watching the pecking order get sorted out can be nerve-racking, but keep an eye on them for the first day, and it should set your mind at ease that they all will adjust easier than you think.

 

[PrairieChickens]

It's really hard to give a good number on square footage. What is plenty of space for one flock isn't nearly enough for another, and how much space an individual bird needs can vary widely. The general idea however is that your young birds should be able to break the line of sight between themselves and any pursuing elder. This means being able to run around a corner, behind a log, leap onto a perch, or dart into a cubby only they can fit into. When I was integrating my chicks this past spring, they were having a tough time with some of my more aggressive adults, so I constructed a space only the young birds could fit into. It amounted to a bunch of cinder blocks arranged to form a mini-pen with a board laid over the top for a roof and gaps between the bricks just wide enough for the chicks to pop through. I put their food and water in there so the big chickens couldn't get into it, and it didn't take the babies long to figure out that that was their safe place to run to if they were being harassed.

 

[azygous]

PrairieChicken is right on about giving the youngsters an escape route and some kind of refuge. I provide a special pen with portals only chicks can fit through so they can run to safety when chased.

But by the time they're four months old, they're almost the same size as the adults, so this device no longer works. However, I've heard of people simply tossing a tree branch complete with leaves into the pen as a refuge for the youngsters.

Since your coop is on the small side, you suggested providing escape upward. That's a great idea since youngsters are much better at hopping up high than their elders. You wouldn't need something permanent. If you could hang a small platform from the rafters hanging down around four or feet from the floor, it might be enough of a safe retreat. Maybe something as simple as a card table would do the job. You could put food and water on it, and the youngsters would have their own "club house".

 

[TheLastBungalow]

I know this chain is old, but how did it go with your aggressive hen?

I have a Buff Brahma named Bobbi who has always been the sweetest and most apt to show me friendly attention. Her breed is a docile breed (they're called the friendly giants!). Her and my other two hens (a speckled sussex named Nancy and a Buff Orpington named Marge) just turned 6months old and started laying. This is my first flock so it has been a very exciting week! Not for sweet Bobbi though. She has suddenly become aggressive. When I come to open the coup in the morning she stalks me and bites me. This morning I brought my plastic chicken poo rake in with me so I could block her from pecking me, it only deters her slightly as she keeps trying to walk around it to get to me.
She then turned to Marge (who's usually the dominant) and started biting her comb repeatedly! It took a few tries to get ahold of her and separate them.

Is she upset that I've been taking her eggs? Is it because the temperature has started getting colder at night? Is it hormones from laying? Is the rake a bad idea? Will she hate me forever now? I separated her from the others and put her back in the coup/run while the others are in the yard. Will this punishment make her more mad?

I hate that I'm so scared to be in the run now that I need protection. She used to be my favorite and was the only one who would jump on my lap. I wouldn't even think of getting that close now!

I'd love to regain my relationship again and feel safe being in there with them.