is chicken capable of killing another chicken

[byap]

one of my chicken was peck to death by the others.the head is gone and only left was body.did they eat the head?
also most of my hens is bare back, is this because of one rooster in the flock,or are they pecking
each other until they are bald?please help with answers as to why and how can i stop it.

 

[centrarchid]

Reads like cannibalism. What are you feeding birds?

 

[miss hen]

A guy I know had a RI hen kill his flock so out of urgency he got me started in chickens by placing her in my new coop he quickly set up and then he got new chickens for me. She was nice to all and I could even carry her. We never knew why she acted like that Prior

 

[mandelyn]

Usually cannibalism stems from being hungry, specifically for additional protein. You can try feeding a game bird feed or grower with 20% or more protein in it. As well as initially offering a little bit of catfood each day (35% protein on average) to get them over the cravings.

It could also be cramped conditions, be sure each bird has at least 4 sq ft to itself in the coop, with at least 10 sq ft of outside space. They get cranky when they're crowded, and it can get worse from there as time goes on.

Was that hen new? If so, they could have just not accepted her into the flock.

It is likely that when new feathers try to grow back on their backs, they're plucking them out. Bump their protein intake, and spray their backs with blue kote. It masks the color, reduces the visual of fresh feather growth, helps them heal. You can get it online or at most farm stores. If the rooster has a specific favorite, you can put a hen saddle on her to protect her back and let the feathers grow back.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Usually cannibalism stems from being hungry, specifically for additional protein. You can try feeding a game bird feed or grower with 20% or more protein in it. As well as initially offering a little bit of catfood each day (35% protein on average) to get them over the cravings.

I would have to disagree with this pretty strenuously. Cannibalism has nothing to do with hunger--it has everything to do with stress. Stressed chickens peck each other, and if they draw blood, chickens are predisposed to peck at the color red. They keep pecking at the red place, then the red place gets bigger... soon you have a dead chicken. You can have this happen no matter how much food is in front of them.

To reduce stress, give your chickens more room. Crowding is the most common source of stress. Either give them a bigger coop, or have fewer chickens. Another source of stress is over-lighting. I have read some people on BYC advocating leaving a white light on 24 hours a day, and that can cause cannibalism. You should make sure they have at least eight hours of dark a day. Another source of stress could be a changing pecking order, or even low protein as stated above.

That being said, I'm not convinced this is cannibalism. If only the head of the chicken is gone, I'd look for a predator. Weasels will take off only the head.

The bald spot on your chickens' backs is probably from the rooster over-mating. They sell chicken saddles to prevent this.

 

[byap]

thank you for all the insights. my coop size is 8x8 and the run is 10x13,so i think they have enough room for 15 chickens
should i remove the rooster to give them time to have feathers grow back

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

thank you for all the insights. my coop size is 8x8 and the run is 10x13,so i think they have enough room for 15 chickens
should i remove the rooster to give them time to have feathers grow back

You're right at the minimum for space for your chickens--you have 64 square feet for 15 hens, and the recommended minimum is 4 square feet per bird. For the run, you want a minimum of eight square feet per chicken, so your run is a little tight. I wouldn't put more birds in there than what you already have.

If I were you, I'd go over your coop with a fine-toothed comb looking for places predators can get in. Weasels can get through a space that's 1" square. Any holes should be covered with hardware cloth--not chicken wire, which predators go right through.

As far as diet-related cannibalism--what are you feeding your flock? If it's a commercial layer ration, I wouldn't worry about it.

As far as your rooster, it's up to you. Having the back feathers worn off looks bad, but it isn't truly harmful to the bird. If you remove him and then put him back, he'll just wear the feathers off again. Your options are:
1. Remove the rooster, let the feathers grow back, understand that he will wear them off again when you re-introduce
2. Leave the rooster in, buy some chicken saddles to keep the hens' backs intact
3. Get rid of the rooster entirely
4. Do nothing and not worry about it, even though it's ugly.

We do #4 at our place.

 

[tinah]

thank you for all the insights. my coop size is 8x8 and the run is 10x13,so i think they have enough room for 15 chickens
should i remove the rooster to give them time to have feathers grow back

I wouldn't have more than about 6 chickens in an area that size.

 

[roostersandhens]

Maybe free-range would help so if one starts pecking another he/she can get away.