I have just got 2 Rhode Island reds. , we've named tem , bluebell and lavender , lavender is very dominant, to the point , she keeps moving the poor bluebell on, every time she finds something nice to scrat, will this get better, Will. They eventually be kind of friends, my hubby is a farmer , and has chickens for commercial eggs, but I am totally new to this, they've stopped laying as well, I'm sure I'm doing somthing wrong, hubby reckons I'm giving too many treats, and they are too full to eat there layers pellets, Nice to meet you all, please give a little newbie novice , some advice, xxx
Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help. Hens can stop laying for a number of reasons. They aren't receiving the right nutrition, they are stressed, it's very cold or hot, they are molting or they are just taking a break. But, yes, too many treats can cause them to slow down. Treats should only take up 10% of their diet. Make sure they have calcium and layer feed. Be sure to check out our learning center. https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center Glad you joined best wishes with your flock. Love their names!
Hello and Welcome To BYC! If you just got them recently, chickens don't like change, and stress like moving to a new home will very often stop them laying for a time, if everything else is OK, they will usually start up again in a couple of weeks or a month or so (if they don't go into a molt). Here is a nice thread with discussions on various reasons chickens aren't laying https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/423023/why-arent-my-chickens-laying-here-are-your-answers Chickens will always have a pecking order, and it just sounds like Lavender is your dominant hen, as long as she isn't being mean to the point of drawing blood on BlueBell and is letting her eat/drink and roost at night, at this point you probably just want to leave them work it out. Good luck with your flock, hope you do get some eggs soon!
Welcome to BYC! Glad you decided to join our flock. You've given your hens some cute names. You've also received some good advice and links from Mountain Peeps and Kelsie2290. Please feel free to ask any more questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck with your flock.
Hello there and welcome to BYC! Definitely slow down on the treats as not only will this stop them from laying, but laying is very draining on the system of a chicken. All the building blocks of life are contained in an egg and if a hen is not getting it from her food, she takes it from her body. Chickens require the best diet they can possibly have to be healthy. So make sure they are eating enough of their layer feed. Treats once or twice a day only. As for the pecking order, make sure you have enough feeders and waterers out so the lowest birds get enough to eat and drink. Make sure they have plenty of room for personal space and to escape each other. If the bully persists, you may need to use pinless peepers on her or even give her some time outs in a cage once in a while. I am doing this with my flock leader as I just mixed in some chicks and at certain times of day, she is a handful and the chicks are not being allowed to be chicks with her attitude. So she gets a time out in the cage for a couple hours a day. Good luck with your flock and welcome to ours!
Welcome to BYC Glad you joined us! Treats and extras should never be more than 10% of the chicken's total food intake, no matter how nicely they ask
Thank you for the welcome everyone, I have given a lot less treats, just a few grapes anda handful of mealworm, ( boy do they love mealworm) things are a lot better, lavender has started to lay again, yippeeeeee and instead of giving poor bluebell nasty pecks and gaurding food, she just gives her : the stare: then let's her eat when she,s finished, I am learning so much from them, and loving it xx:cd