Laying hens now fighting?

[thytay&chickenmomma]

I have 22 chickens. 2 just started laying last week. Since then, the 2 laying hens are now ganging up and fighting/picking on the 3 chickens on the lowest pecking order. I had noticed the 3 on the lowest pecking order had been staying inside the coop during the day by themselves and not coming outside for the past 2 days and was not sure why. So yesterday I sat watching them and the 2 laying hens would chase 1 of the 3 on the lowest pecking order and pin her down, standing on her back, and just pecking the fire out of her. When she'd get free and run, the 2 laying hens would chase her and do it again. I had to finally step in and remove her and her crest was bleeding pretty good.I have removed the 3 on the lowest pecking order from the other chickens but why is this happening? These chickens have grown up together since they were chicks and there have never been issues. It's just the 2 laying hens doing this, and started right after they started laying. I had a rooster in with them but after watching he seemed to be making the situation worse. Any idea what's going on? Will other chickens do this when they start laying? Should I keep the 3 separated? 1st time chicken owner, learning as I go.

 

[rjohns39]

I don't have an answer for you--but thought I'd hang around for a bit in hopes of learning something new.

 

[keesmom]

What are the dimensions of your coop and run? Are they all the same age?

 

[lazy gardener]

I believe that Keesmom is hitting the nail on the head. I'm venturing a guess that you have a crowding issue going on. Size of coop and run, exact dimensions, including height of coop will help to pin down your problem.

 

[thytay&chickenmomma]

I believe that Keesmom is hitting the nail on the head. I'm venturing a guess that you have a crowding issue going on. Size of coop and run, exact dimensions, including height of coop will help to pin down your problem.

Coop house is 10ft(L)x10ft(W)x12ft(H) with 8-2ftx3ft nesting boxes built on the side and run is 12ft(L)x12ft(W)x10ft(H). Is this too small? I have plenty of roosts for them, logs, I give them things like whole cabbages hanging from the top of the run, and we interact with them daily.

Are they all the same age?

I got the 1st set of girls when day(s) old chicks, RIR and Isa Browns. 2 weeks later got the 2nd set of day(s) old chicks,
3 columbia rocks-3 that I am not sure what they are exactly, RK said Araucanas but from what I read I think they are Ameraucanas- 3 african black- & 3 black sexlink and they all grew up together. Never had any issues until the 2 hens started laying. No fighting or anything. I have kept the 3 Ameraucanas separated from the group now, they were the 3 on the lowest pecking order and getting picked on so badly. I got some blu-kote and the 1 hens crest is healing now that was injured. The hens are not doing this to any of the others, other than their natural pecking order stuff they do, everyone else is getting along so far. I hate having the 3 separated though, they were always the timid ones, scared of everything and everyone even from when they were chicks and the 3 always stick together, they also are the smallest of all the other chickens due to the breed of chicken they are, but they seem to not be doing as well since being separated from the main group & I have no idea what to do though or why this is actually happening.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Hormone changes can cause a shift in dynamics. Things may settle down in the next several weeks, monitor for serious injury, add extra feed/ water stations and see what happens.

 

[lazy gardener]

Your run is a bit tight, but overall, your total space looks adequate. If you have not done so, give them lots of multi height opportunities in coop AND run. Hay bales stacked pyramid fashion with a tunnel between the 2 bottom bales (I put a piece of plywood so there's no worry about a bale collapse.) An old card table, 2 pallets A framed together make good stress buster options. Also, break open a bale of hay for them, turn their run into a deep composting litter if you have not yet done so, give them a mountain of leaves or weeds to shuffle and munch their way through. Busy chickens don't have as much time to be aggressive.

 

[aart]

So 12 birds total?
Would you post a pic of your coop(inside and out) and your run?

 

[rjohns39]

Folks, I'm very interested in your thoughts on this... My birds free range and the Head hen was cornered in one of their shelters and brutally attacked by the other hens. She's also my Roo's favorite hen and he did nothing to protect her. Treating her wounds now and not sure if she will survive.

 

[thytay&chickenmomma]

So 12 birds total?
Would you post a pic of your coop(inside and out) and your run?

No, 22 chickens total. I had 24 but 2 turned out to be roosters and they are not in with the girls now so 22 in the main coop. I will get a picture and post tomorrow if I am able.

Your run is a bit tight, but overall, your total space looks adequate. If you have not done so, give them lots of multi height opportunities in coop AND run. Hay bales stacked pyramid fashion with a tunnel between the 2 bottom bales (I put a piece of plywood so there's no worry about a bale collapse.) An old card table, 2 pallets A framed together make good stress buster options. Also, break open a bale of hay for them, turn their run into a deep composting litter if you have not yet done so, give them a mountain of leaves or weeds to shuffle and munch their way through. Busy chickens don't have as much time to be aggressive.

I will definitely be doing many of the things that you suggested, thank you.

I have more bad news. After posting my earlier reply, I decided to go back and check on the girls because I have been worrying about this situation. I found all 6 of the black chickens now have about a 1"x 1" area of their feathers pecked out at the lowest part of their back just before where the tail feathers start and 4 of them have good size holes and were bleeding pretty good!! The holes are pretty bad, but I am sure they would heal if left alone. But I could not believe it, this happened since yesterday and I had never noticed the black chickens being picked on. Could it be since I removed the 3 Ameraucanas that were on the lowest pecking order and were getting picked on, they decided to start with the next ones in line? It is still just the laying hens doing it, I caught them doing it when I was up there and they even had blood on their beaks and feathers. Seems once the chickens getting pecked on started bleeding they were then pecked by the other chickens but not aggressively, more like the way chickens will do when they see anything, but it is mainly the 2 laying hens and the 2 laying hens are not top of the pecking order themselves, they won't mess with the RIRs that are. I spent the entire evening trying to separate these chickens. I applied blu-kote to all the wounds and put the 6 black chickens in a temporary separate place together for now and then THEY started pecking at each others wounds even with the blu-kote and I coated them very well, the blu-kote completely blended in with their black feathers but they still were pecking at each others backs. So now I have the 3 Ameraucanas in their own temp. place, I have had to remove both roosters and put them each in their own places, and now have the 6 black chickens in their own temp. place. All of the chickens I am separating are very stressed now and not happy while all that is left in the main coop are the RIRs, Isa Browns, and the 3 columbia rock and they seem more content. After removing all these chickens, the laying hens were not really attacking any of the other chickens, of course this might change tomorrow since removing the black chickens, but the laying hens have been leaving the other RIRs,ISA, and columbia rocks alone for the most part, but they weren't messing with the black chickens either until I removed the 3 Ameraucanas. I am CLUELESS as I have never owned chickens before and up until this, I have had an easy experience with these chickens.

I was enjoying getting our first eggs from the 2 laying hens last week and this week, no other chickens are laying yet, we were so excited that finally after all our hard work building them a nice coop and taking care of them, to finally reap the reward we were looking forward to, but this is crazy. I can't make any more temp. places for these chickens now and will have to as soon as possible build a new coop, but how many since I can't put all of these chickens I am separating together? These chickens are friendly to us, not aggressive to us, comes to us, and like I said, up until last week when the 2 hens started laying we had no issues at all with them with each other either, ever. Advice or help?? At this point, I am afraid that even if I separated the 2 laying hens, if more of the girls start laying the same thing will continue too.