How intense is your pecking order?

[No Coop No Problem]

The size looks good! I definitely think with lots more clutter they'll feel more secure and won't pick on each other as much. If you have any lawn chairs you don't use, dog crates/houses, buckets, large pots, branches, ladders/step stools, stuff like that, use them! They can be used to escape under and behind and on, but also to hide enrichment items, food and water.

This is good advice. There's a lot of places in this world where people are comfortable with one another only because they can't see one another- because of walls, trees, fences, etc. However if those visual blockades weren't there then conflict would happen

I personally have around 50 chickens of all ages outside right now and they're not violent with one another. There's no chasing, feather pulling, fighting or injuring each other at all. Violence is not natural behavior for chickens other than mature males competing over resources. It sounds like your chickens are having stress-induced behavioral issues

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Most of my flocks have had minor issues that went away once everyone started laying. If they didn’t go away or got consistently worse, I removed the worst offender. Sometimes just giving the whole flock a break from a mean girl for a day or two can reset the pecking order.

 

[Kurczaklover]

Compare it to teenagers finding out where they fit in in the big scheme of things. From my experience, unless someone is getting injured, it is best to let them work it out. My hen who is the lowest in the pecking order is also the only hen to sit and hatch eggs, so she is respected more now, not for her ability to stand up for herself, but for her fierce momma skills. We do have 3 roos to 32 hens, and they do help, they will put an overly bossy hen in her place.

 

[5Australorpasaures]

With only 4 birds it seems to be a pretty laid back crew, but there is one who is the head mistress who keeps things in order, the other 3 in line. No real squabbling.

 

[thecatumbrella]

Your set up surprised me, I really expected a much smaller set up. You could add roosts out there - but do bantam's roost?

They've got a pretty nice roost setup on the far end that they use quite a bit.

 

[thecatumbrella]

It sounds like your chickens are having stress-induced behavioral issues

I 100% agree with you. What I can't figure out is why...

Their pen isn't amazing, but it's certainly sufficient. I see someone else with 30 bantams in a 10x30 that's filled with sterile sand, and they maybe have a branch to jump on. All the birds seem happy as clams. I'd say mine have it pretty good in comparison.

These are some of the most anxious birds I've dealt with. They exhibited stress behaviors right out of the shipping box (which was delayed by a day). We got cochin bantams because many claimed they were docile and easy to handle, but that has not been our experience. 2 out of 6 are pretty good, and - surprise, surprise - the ones that are not are the same ones causing drama.

Most of my flocks have had minor issues that went away once everyone started laying. If they didn’t go away or got consistently worse, I removed the worst offender.

This is our plan for now. We removed a bird that was just out of her gourd with rage. The others are dramatic, but no one's getting hurt.

From my experience, unless someone is getting injured, it is best to let them work it out.

It's disappointing to watch, but that's what we're going to do. I mentioned in an earlier post that one of the mean girls squatted for me yesterday. She's only 16 weeks old and is the furthest thing from a production breed! Hormones are clearly high.

 

[thecatumbrella]

With only 4 birds it seems to be a pretty laid back crew, but there is one who is the head mistress who keeps things in order, the other 3 in line. No real squabbling.

I would give anything to have this dynamic!
Are they free ranged?

 

[EdgesideHomesteadTX]

I have kinda had alot of different breeds over the last 6 years slowing down a bit the last 2 honing in on what was important to our needs. And most of what we have now are milder tempered. I had some Delaware that I couldn't put any new hens with they would beat them to death or bloody them really bad, even doing a slow introduction, keeping a pen in a pen for a couple months and still wouldn't let anyone new into the flock. Needless to say they were rehomed or plucked. I believe it has alot to do with breeding selection at the hatcheries. That is now what I try to incorporate into my qualifications for breeding stock of my own

 

[Altairsky]

Pecking order issues happens more frequently with confined roosterless flocks.
My flock can free range, dominant hens cannot guard anything because all resources are spread out.
If there is any major bully hen, the rooster will always break the fight.
Las time there was this pullet literally hunting for recently weaned chicks. The chicks were hiding in a bush and the older pullet was hunting them like a dog would hunt a hidden critter. She grabbed a chick eventually and as soon as the chick started screaming, the rooster immediately run with a mating charge and drove her away from the chicks, and gave her something else to entertain with.
When it's time to roost, the older dominant hens will enter the coop first and settle. Once they're settled, the lowest ranking chicks get in and find a roost for themselves.
My flock is peaceful because they free range. If I confined them in a coop & run, I'm 100% sure they would destroy each other.

 

[thecatumbrella]

I believe it has alot to do with breeding selection at the hatcheries.

This is what I think. The breeding stock is just garbage. Two of my cochin bantams even came with neurological problems. What breeds are you keeping now?

Pecking order issues happens more frequently with confined roosterless flocks.

If I confined them in a coop & run, I'm 100% sure they would destroy each other.

We almost thought we had an accidental rooster, which I was a bit excited about for this reason. But no. Just a very red pullet. I'm fortunate that there's no real violence (they're literally cuddling in a pile right now), but perhaps I should lower my expectations on how peaceful a confined flock can be.