Mean Buffs

[HollowOfWisps]

Everyone covered basically everything, but did your dogs at any point antagonize, chase or go up and start barking at your chickens? Even just once?

 

[K0k0shka]

I agree with others who have said that your coop is too small. Sounds like the actual coop part is just 4x5, which fits 5 birds max, fewer would be better. They may be cranky because they're overcrowded. Don't fall for the "tiny coops are fine, the chickens ONLY lay and sleep there". Because that "only" is the problem. Laying and sleeping are very drama-prone times in a chicken's life, as they squabble over who lays where and who sleeps where. So if those times add stress to their lives, then the stress would probably carry over outside as well. Get rid of the rooster and the meanest hens, keep the original Buff and the Brahma and a couple of the least-aggressive new hens. And switch to 20% all flock feed. Those changes should give you results.

As for the original red ones that all died - my guess is they were Rhode Island Reds. They have a shorter lifespan than other breeds and tend to have a lot of health problems and die early, so that part's not surprising. They were bred to be egg laying machines that produce mind-blowing numbers of eggs for a short period of time, then they burn out and fall apart.

 

[Turklet]

Everyone covered basically everything, but did your dogs at any point antagonize, chase or go up and start barking at your chickens? Even just once?

Yes. When they were tiny chicks one dog was very interested in them. Always jumped up on the side of the brooder to try to see them. She has always been interested in babies of any kind. Another dog was a puppy and did bark at them as well as everything else. The third dog was never interested in them. This is the dog they have cornered and pecked at. They are all mini dachshunds, weighing under 12 pounds each, and are all afraid of the cat. The chickens are now close to the same size as the dogs.
All 3 dogs were pecked in the nose early on and have learned to leave the chickens alone since. But the chickens can't leave the dogs alone. We promoted the interaction as we did hope they could all share the backyard together.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Yes. When they were tiny chicks one dog was very interested in them. Always jumped up on the side of the brooder to try to see them. She has always been interested in babies of any kind. Another dog was a puppy and did bark at them as well as everything else. The third dog was never interested in them. This is the dog they have cornered and pecked at. They are all mini dachshunds, weighing under 12 pounds each, and are all afraid of the cat. The chickens are now close to the same size as the dogs.
All 3 dogs were pecked in the nose early on and have learned to leave the chickens alone since. But the chickens can't leave the dogs alone. We promoted the interaction as we did hope they could all share the backyard together.

That is exactly why the chickens are chasing your dogs then. Chickens are prey and now that they are the same size they are making sure that they do not end up dinner because in their eyes they see it as necessary for survival. That is not the chickens fault and I would not blame them one bit.

 

[Turklet]

I agree with others who have said that your coop is too small. Sounds like the actual coop part is just 4x5, which fits 5 birds max, fewer would be better. They may be cranky because they're overcrowded. Don't fall for the "tiny coops are fine, the chickens ONLY lay and sleep there". Because that "only" is the problem. Laying and sleeping are very drama-prone times in a chicken's life, as they squabble over who lays where and who sleeps where. So if those times add stress to their lives, then the stress would probably carry over outside as well. Get rid of the rooster and the meanest hens, keep the original Buff and the Brahma and a couple of the least-aggressive new hens. And switch to 20% all flock feed. Those changes should give you results.

As for the original red ones that all died - my guess is they were Rhode Island Reds. They have a shorter lifespan than other breeds and tend to have a lot of health problems and die early, so that part's not surprising. They were bred to be egg laying machines that produce mind-blowing numbers of eggs for a short period of time, then they burn out and fall apart.

Thank you. The original reds were not what I ordered but when they are day old chicks they are all yellow. The postal worker admitted to combining the chicks until he realized he had made a huge mistake. He just grabbed some chicks back and put them in my box. The post office offered to make it right but not to exceed the cost of the birds despite the fact their worker opened my clearly marked whats inside mail. I took a chance and kept them. As the red ones started dying it was horrible. You are right about great egg layers but they died off quick. It started after 2 years. One day they were fine, the next lethargic and the next day they would flail around and die in my hands.

 

[Turklet]

That is exactly why the chickens are chasing your dogs then. Chickens are prey and now that they are the same size they are making sure that they do not end up dinner because in their eyes they see it as necessary for survival. That is not the chickens fault and I would not blame them one bit.

I don't blame the chickens for chasing the dogs. We just hoped they would grow up together and be able to share the same yard. I just don't like being attacked myself. I am female. My boyfriend does not get the same response. The chickens and rooster have no issues with him.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I don't blame the chickens for chasing the dogs. We just hoped they would grow up together and be able to share the same yard. I just don't like being attacked myself. I am female. My boyfriend does not get the same response. The chickens and rooster have no issues with him.

I think the basis of your problem stems from the chickens being put in fight or flight with the dogs. They might see you as weaker which is why they go after you not him. From my experience if chickens feel terrorized and put in an “kill or be killed” position from a young age it can create a lasting aggression that’s stems from their survival instincts kicking in.

 

[FrostRanger]

But I did always wonder what to feed the rooster and how to separate his feed.

Feeding birds kept together different feeds is a hopeless cause as they'll eat out of whatever feeder they want and not care about which is supposed to be theirs

 

[Love Donkeys]

This is not my first round of chickens. I ordered 6 Buff Orpingtons during Covid. No joke, they were mixed up at the post office with someone else's and I ended up getting 1 Buff Orpington and 5 red ones. I ordered Buffs with vaccines. All 5 red ones have died. So this spring I ordered another batch of seven females. However one ended up being a rooster, 5 female Buff Orpingtons and the free chick ended up being a female Buff Brahma. They were all super friendly chicks. Of course the friendliest turned out to be a rooster. The rooster is very mean and pushy. The ladies have also turned mean (except the original Buff). Once they were big enough they "free ranged" in my fenced in back yard. They have since made my 3 dogs and 1 cat scared to even go into the backyard. They will relentlessly chase my dogs and cat and even peck at them through the glass door. I have bite marks all over from the rooster and if I try to be friendly with the ladies, some of them will bite my arms and break the skin.
They have just started to lay eggs sporadically and have been banned from the backyard to a large fenced area. I spend a lot of time with them but am getting discouraged from being bitten and attacked. Will the ladies start to be nicer with age, or once they start to lay eggs consistently, or will the presence of the rooster always keep them mean? I am willing to separate the rooster if needed. They always run over to me but if I try to hand feed them, they just bite my fingers or arms and try to rip my clothes. They are not really nice to the Brahma either. She already had to be treated for an open sore from the others pecking her. Any ideas, advice would be greatly appreciated. They are treated like a part of the family and I don't want nasty chickens for the next 8 to 10 years. Thanks

Get rid of the mean ones, keep the nice one!