Hi

Hi and welcome to BYC - thanks for joining us. You do seem to have an issue on your plate, for sure. This link may help - http://articles.extension.org/pages...nibalism-in-small-and-backyard-poultry-flocks

I'd say that if you research has brought you to the same conclusions, then you need to address the causes. It's likely that one intervention will not fix the issue, but more likely a suite of interventions. If your flock has become habituated to this kind of behaviour, then breaking the cycle may not be easy.

Good luck
CT

 

G’Day from down under Goose loose Welcome!

Sorry that I am not going to be of much assistance but I just wondered if you had actually seen the chickens doing this? I ask because I read a thread here on BYC where the OP thought that her rooster had killed one of her hens and she was all beaten up in the run in broad daylight and he was covered in blood. A couple of days later he turned up dead, having also been beaten up. It was not her rooster doing the killing but something getting into the run and attacking the chickens; sorry, I can't remember what it was. Anyways, just wondering if that is a possibility. Also, if you throw in that they behaved all winter but have now started again, whatever is doing the killing may have been in hibernation and has now come back to it's old hunting grounds?

 

If the hens killed your rooster, did you find blood on any of them? Then they killed a second rooster?. Seems to be either the roosters were very young or outnumbered by your hens. OR they possibly tried to protect the hens and got killed by a predator.

You need to spend time observing your birds from a position where they can't see YOU. Or set up a game cam so it can record what is really going on.

 

Predators can sometimes find their way into coops and runs. Roosters and hens get hurt or killed even if they aren't free ranging. Since it is only happening at night and you say the chickens "behaved" during winter. I am guessing something is getting into your coop at night that might have been hibernating in winter. Either way, I agree with observing your chickens. Might need to pull an all-nighter and keep watch. I hope you find the answer!

 

Greetings and ! Pleased you joined our flock! I am also wondering if something is getting in after dark. Chickens get pretty docile in the dark so I don't think they would be beating up on each other in the dark. Sure hop you find the culprit. Best wishes and thanks for joining BYC!!

 

Hi there and ! We're glad you could join the flock!

Oh no! Looks like you have something a little bit more stealthy than a chicken lurking around the coop. Hmm...I have heard of and seen chickens plucking out each other's tail feathers - and it's a sad sight. But hens killing multiple roosters? Unless they are very outnumbered, that would be very unlikely. That makes me very suspicious of a coon or something smart enough to get in without leaving any mark. If it is just the chickens, I've heard giving them toys and room to play with will relieve boredom, therefore relieving cannibalism. Anyways, I'd recommend you set up a game camera to get to the bottom of this culprit. Hope this helps!