Major behavior issues within flock (lots of fighting)

[Lyris]

I have essentially three flocks of chickens. Usually it's just fighting among the flocks, but since molting they've all been crazy and I'm not sure who to start with to correct the behaviors. Usually I can target a bully hen who needs correction, but this time I'm stumped and could use advice.

My three groups are

The Core Girls: my original chickens. There is a Rhode Island Red, a Wyandotte, a black sex link, and two bantam wyandotte (one rooster, one hen who are unusually bonded)
The Rescues: a flock I rescued when they were abandoned. They ended up being sick and I've been unable to rehome them. They are a barnyard mix, but two are barred rocks (one larger, one smaller) a cinnamon rhode Island Red, and an Easter egger.
The Babies: my bantams raised chicks this spring since mama is a fierce broody. There are two black sex links, a d'Uccle rooster, and a welsummer.

Each flock won't accept new chickens (except maybe the Babies. They like everyone) no matter what I do. It's been... fine-ish. Until they molted. The Rescues have Doll, a barred rock with a major attitude. She regularly beats up everyone who isn't in her group. In fact every time I've had a temporary rooster she's tried to get into the cage and beat him up. She's the leader of the Rescues. Or was. She's *incredibly* dense physically and can't jump. She also had a very hard molt and lost all of her wing feathers. She began sleeping on a lower perch from her flock and it's messed them up. Now that she's all feathered out again her flock pecks at her regularly. I tried setting her on their perch tonight and they both pecked her off the perch. During the day she pecks at my other chickens and has them terrified of her. I'd start with her, except...
She's been cranky because my rooster has been going after her. He's been incredibly naughty with all the fighting. He's too passive and the hens bully HIM when he's in their way. He will peck at Doll and her flock when they're eating, chase them to try to mount (then gives up because he's a bantam and they're not) and makes it his mission to make sure their food time is uncomfortable. It's really stressing out the Rescues. My rooster is also getting greedy for treats and pecking at the hens to take it instead of making noises for everyone. He acts like he's high on something. I'd start with him, except...
The babies are trying to mingle with the Big Girls now that they're grown up. They will try to steal food/treats from the other hens (even when I throw food all over the yard) and get pecked on. That upsets Mama and Papa Roo who then peck at everyone, including the Babies. The Babies in turn are trying to provoke the other flocks. They're too passive to peck at anyone, but they won't "go away" and it's stressing out the other chickens. My baby rooster gets the snot beaten out of him by literally everyone and now he's incredibly stressed and hides up high where they can't get to him.
Oh, and for a fun added problem... They've now begun attacking my cat. I'm talking hackles raised, lunging feet first attacking. My cat is now stressed about it and is attacking my other cats. That's caused my incredibly sensitive and insecure cat to pee outside of his litterbox and now my house stinks.

My Wyandotte from the Core group is absolutely terrified of the Rescues. Heck, my entire Core group is terrified of the rescues. The Wyandotte is especially struggling though. She's incredibly passive. My bully hen from the Rescues is getting chased by my naughty rooster and is being kicked out of her own flock. Mama hen still thinks the Babies are Babies (they lay eggs and the rooster crows) and is upset that they get attacked. My baby rooster gets beaten up of him by literally everyone. Nobody will let anybody else join their clique and they just want to fight. (Except the clueless cinnamon one who is fine) If I toss them treats I have to set a separate dish where the Rescues can't find it so my wyandotte can eat without literally running in terror. If I set up six feed areas in different parts of the yard they will shuffle from area to area and bully the others.


I'm about to scream. With my cats I can usually target who needs to be corrected the most and the rest falls in line. Everyone in my flocks are equal problems and I don't know where (or how) to start. I would rehome some of them except they all came to me with the sniffles and nobody wants to take a chance with a sick chicken. (Yes, even the Babies came from an infected flock)

Please tell me there is something I can do to get them co-existing again! They don't have to LIKE each other, they just need to stop terrorizing each other.

 

[azygous]

I can't decide whether you live in a zoo or a soap opera.

Are all of these chickens in a single run and coop? What are the dimensions of coop and of the run? I suspect you may have a space issue. When we see such conflict, it's often due to over crowding.

Shape of the run can also have an effect on behavior. A rectangular run with no "furniture" can be not only boring, but without perches and other places to flee a bully, there is little choice but to fight it out.

An odd shaped run with partitions and wings can offer variety as well as places to avoid the aggressive chickens. You may need to rethink your facilities.

 

[Bawkbok]

Wow, it sounds like chicken mayhem at your place. You initially started the thread by saying you have three flocks of chickens. It sounds like you're trying to integrate them all as one big happy flock? Perhaps I've gotten confused along the way.
I would suggest you continue to manage them as three different flocks until spring time after the molting season is over and days begin to lengthen and you have more peace. Then it might be easier to discern who the outliers are and who the instigators are.
As Azygous mentioned, the facilities play an important part of flock happiness and contentment. Insufficient space leads to quarrels, picking, pecking, chasing and bullying.

Pictures and dimensions would be helpful.

 

[Lyris]

I can't decide whether you live in a zoo or a soap opera.

Are all of these chickens in a single run and coop? What are the dimensions of coop and of the run? I suspect you may have a space issue. When we see such conflict, it's often due to over crowding.

Shape of the run can also have an effect on behavior. A rectangular run with no "furniture" can be not only boring, but without perches and other places to flee a bully, there is little choice but to fight it out.

An odd shaped run with partitions and wings can offer variety as well as places to avoid the aggressive chickens. You may need to rethink your facilities.

These chickens legit have a cult following for their antics. It's always something with them. One of them has taught herself to use the cat door and lets herself inside to eat my cockatiel food. She also only lays eggs in my dryer or in a frying pan. They free-range in my huge yard. I live in a house built in the 70s when yards were still a thing. Half the yard is covered with tree netting for protection from hawks/owls, and the other half is open so they can bask in the sun properly. (Because somehow the netting prevents proper sunbathing) I've been noticing they look a bit bored, but I honestly don't know what to do for them. They don't like typical "toys" for chickens since they've never been around them, and teaching a flock of chickens who are all trying to climb into your lap/keep others out of your lap is hard. They sleep in a large shed with plenty of space for everyone.

Wow, it sounds like chicken mayhem at your place. You initially started the thread by saying you have three flocks of chickens. It sounds like you're trying to integrate them all as one big happy flock? Perhaps I've gotten confused along the way.
I would suggest you continue to manage them as three different flocks until spring time after the molting season is over and days begin to lengthen and you have more peace. Then it might be easier to discern who the outliers are and who the instigators are.
As Azygous mentioned, the facilities play an important part of flock happiness and contentment. Insufficient space leads to quarrels, picking, pecking, chasing and bullying.

Pictures and dimensions would be helpful.

My bad! There are three cliques, but they all share a large yard. This is roughly half of the yard. (Pic was taken when I was cleaning out the shed so ignore the mess) If you squint you can see my absolute failure of a rooster standing on a brick to supervise the black one. (He will happily abandon hens and go flee to the coop when there's danger. I love him anyway) The rest are in a dirt pile against the fence. The back of the yard has garden boxes they like to perch on, and the other side has more dirt piles, feed, and the shed they sleep in. It also has trees for them to hide under.

They have to share the shed, but during the day they can go wherever.

 

[azygous]

Your flock reminds me of my fifth grade class when a substitute teacher had us for the day. By afternoon, the poor woman was reduced to tears and literally ran away. Are you sure these aren't fifth graders disguised as chickens?

 

[Lyris]

Your flock reminds me of my fifth grade class when a substitute teacher had us for the day. By afternoon, the poor woman was reduced to tears and literally ran away. Are you sure these aren't fifth graders disguised as chickens?

I genuinely wonder sometimes. My chickens are a mess. We have the RR who was Top Chicken for the longest time. When my rooster was being naughty she would drift towards him and move him. Anytime he bullied a hen they would go run to the RR and the rooster would freeze and go "???" My RR would often move him to a corner if he was misbehaving. I only realized what she was doing when I was paying incredibly close attention to see if her leg was hurt. She recognizes my car and honks (it's not a call - it's a honk) to say hello. She shows up at the sliding door to demand treats. She's obsessed with the sliding door and whenever she hears it she's running to try and get inside to the birdcage.
My rooster can't mount the hens and doesn't know that he has to chase them to make them submit. After two steps he gives up. He doesn't crow right. (He's three years old and still sounds like he's a baby) He gets overly excited about ANY running water (spill your drink? He's there) and lets everyone know. He goes into literal shock when his hen shows up with chicks and then tries to steal them and raise them himself. If two chickens are fighting he will run up all Manly, then dance from one foot to the other going "?????" and not do anything. He DID go after Doll and won though, so there's that. They fought for a solid twenty minutes before she decided to ignore him.
One of the bully hens is just happy to be alive and is pretty brainless. I'm guessing she was scalped by a rooster and now has funky head feathers. Another one broke her leg sometimes in her past and now walks funky. When she stands just right she looks like her legs are on sideways. If she gets too excited she hops to walk faster. She is also growing spurs which makes no sense since she's so passive. Her and my RR fight over who gets to peck at my clothes if I sit down. Speaking of, the RR is obsessed with my lap and beats up anyone else who tries to get into my lap. She guards me violently. She's more dog than chicken.
My other rooster likes to build nests for his sisters. In the middle of the yard. With twigs. Where it's pokey and exposed. Then he shoos his sisters out of the nest so he can proudly sit in it instead. He also likes standing on one foot to think. We've checked him for injuries. He just likes to think on one foot. It's fine. He's also incredibly jumpy and tends to get into chest bumping with his sister because she dared to get a drink at the same time and got water up her nose. Poor guy has never won a fight, but he tries, even if the other hen has no idea why they're fighting.
Mama Hen refuses to accept that her babies are full grown adults. She still mothers them around. They still act like her babies sometimes. After her last chicks were taken out by raccoons she laid exactly two eggs before going broody again. She's a witch when she's broody and attacks the other chickens for fun, which upsets my rooster and HE attacks them. You basically have to give her chicks or else. You can't separate those two because they're unusually bonded and if I upset the hen he WILL attack me with his one spur. (The other never grew. Again, a failure of a rooster.) He's often torn between walking the hens to their nests and his female. The female always wins. She knows what she's doing. Other people have seen her and have commented on how she has him wrapped around her finger.
One of the black sex links thinks my cat is a play toy. She's a runt and has been about two months slow in developing compared to her sister from the same clutch. She's still a baby at heart and wants to play chase. The cat is not amused. She was at first, but it's escalated with all the chickens going after her.

They're incredibly difficult to manage on a good day. There's so much drama going on that I have a literal Facebook page dedicated to their antics. (I only share it with friends, but still) Them fighting - and bringing the cat into their mess - isn't the best thing ever. I also work full time now so I can't sit outside and supervise like I used to. I do wonder if they're just bored now that I'm thinking about it. I'm praying it's something easy like that.

If I can get them settled then I can work on the felines and get them co-existing again. The one cat is an absolute diva who you have to compromise with instead of training, and the other is a paranoid wreck who will likely go on anxiety medication next year. The third cat is fine. I have no issues with her.

To get back on topic, do you have to train a chicken to play with toys like you do a cat/dog, or are there things you can give them that will be entertaining enough? They've never had toys or anything and don't really understand them. I'm not sure how I'd teach them with them all fighting. I also have to keep the yard neat-ish since they want to rent out the basement, but I can do a few things to make it more chicken friendly. I do go out regularly and turn over some dirt for them to dig in. They love that, but eventually we'll get snow and the ground will freeze. Come to think of it, I haven't seen them dust bathing lately. They don't forage much either. They tend to just sleep on a garden box or fight. I know their sneezing is flaring up again, but I can't imagine illness would make them all want to kill each other. They've struggled with it for years and still somehow got along.

 

[McChooky]

Size and picture of the shed would helpful.Regardless how much room they have during the day being locked up together can be stressful if they don't have enough space, ventilation or perches.Your rooster doesn't appear to be a good leader either

 

[Lyris]

Size and picture of the shed would helpful.Regardless how much room they have during the day being locked up together can be stressful if they don't have enough space, ventilation or perches.Your rooster doesn't appear to be a good leader either

They share a shed with a few garden tools. After a raccoon attack I had to improvise quickly. I've since moved out the garden supplies and am going to add sand or something to help keep down any smells. They all prefer to sleep on the bookshelves with the wonky perches. I've tried a dozen other perches and that's what they want. The bratty chickens sleep on the wonky perch in the back happily. Doll used to sleep there (she had to jump onto the bucket to get up) but now she sleeps by herself on the bottom shelf by the nesting boxes.

My rooster was never meant to be a rooster. I live in a city where they're not allowed. I was at a chicken show and wanted the other two chickens with him and felt bad if I left him all by himself. I brought him home thinking I'd rehome him eventually. That was over two years ago. Luckily he's tiny and doesn't crow loudly, and my neighbors are cool with it. He's absolutely a pet and not a protector, but I wish he would step up and keep his ladies in line. (Can you teach them to be in charge?)

 

[azygous]

A couple things you may not realize about chickens. One is that hens signal to the rooster they wish to be mated by crouching in the split second before he reaches her. It happens so quickly, the human brain usually won't make the connection that it's her choice, not the roo's. If she doesn't show willingness, a good roo will back off and respect her wishes. A bad rooster will continue to pursue a hen against her wishes, and this can result in serious injuries such as a hen being scalped as you mentioned one of yours was.

The other is that many chicken keepers don't realize that a hen or rooster, doesn't matter the sex, will be the peace keeper and will discipline trouble makers. To us it appears as bullying. But the skirmish is usually over within seconds, and if it weren't for this dominant chicken, the fighting amongst the flock would be much greater. By the way, some hens have spurs, and it doesn't mean anything. They just have spurs.

You have three obvious sub-flocks within your flock, so it would be natural for each to have their dominant chicken. This makes it appear that more conflict is occurring than there really is.

A tip for keeping chickens happy and entertained is to rig a hanging cabbage or apples. I take it you have no run, but you can find a branch to hang a rope from with a "S" hook at the end. Take an eye screw and screw it into the core of the apple or cabbage or carrot and attach it to the "S" hook, then watch the fun.

I can tell that you really, really enjoy your chickens. Observing their behavior is more entertaining than any TV. With the information I just provided, perhaps you will begin to see that you have a vigorous and contented flock with its share of captivating personalities. It may seem chaotic to us, but our chickens actually know what they're doing in taking care of their chicken business.

 

[azygous]

You can do better in providing a proper coop for your chickens. Cleaning it up is a good start.