Hen-Pecking

[saoirse89]

Hi, All! I am reaching out on behalf of my in-laws' chickens. They have twenty-one hens and one rooster--we think that's the problem. Anyways, they've recently started attacking certain hens, which we've had to separate from the flock. We've tried several methods of reintroducing them, but they've all been unsuccessful. At first, it was just one hen that was getting bullied; now, it's three. I have a feeling there are too many hens for one rooster to handle, but does anyone have any suggestions for solving the problem? Do we get rid of some of the hens? Is there some other way to help them get along better? For clarification, they are pasture-ranged during the day, so the pecking only occurs at night when they're inside the coop. They're still laying, also--was about twenty eggs a days; now it's slowed down to around sixteen. The hens are all about a year and a half old. I'd appreciate any suggestions. Thank you!

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Hi, All! I am reaching out on behalf of my in-laws' chickens. They have twenty-one hens and one rooster--we think that's the problem. Anyways, they've recently started attacking certain hens, which we've had to separate from the flock. We've tried several methods of reintroducing them, but they've all been unsuccessful. At first, it was just one hen that was getting bullied; now, it's three. I have a feeling there are too many hens for one rooster to handle, but does anyone have any suggestions for solving the problem? Do we get rid of some of the hens? Is there some other way to help them get along better? For clarification, they are pasture-ranged during the day, so the pecking only occurs at night when they're inside the coop. They're still laying, also--was about twenty eggs a days; now it's slowed down to around sixteen. The hens are all about a year and a half old. I'd appreciate any suggestions. Thank you!

My first question would be: how big is the coop? (not including the area occupied by nesting boxes.) How long are the roosts, and how many?

22 full-grown chickens need a LOT of space to reduce quarrelsomeness.