Mean Girls: Chicken Edition

[rgmarch_]

hey, y’all! Brand new chicken Mama here. My husband and I bought a new house in South Carolina and inherited chickens with the purchase of the house. For the first few weeks, we were getting 1-3 eggs per day from four hens. We decided to expand our flock and add four new chickens. We waited until the chicks were about 5 months old before we added them to the older chickens. With more time passing, we discovered that all four of our new chicks were actually roosters. We got rid of three of them, but kept one for protection and because I had gotten especially close to this one rooster. Once we added the rooster to the older flock, we never got another egg. Since then, we have added two younger hens (for real this time. They’re hens). The new hens are about seven months old, but still no eggs from anyone. Not the old flock or the new girls. On top of that, the new girls won’t sleep in the coop with the older girls. Is there anything that I can do to get my girls to get along and also to get some eggs out of these little boogers?

I did attach a picture of my small flock. The two lavenders are the newest.

Thank you so much!

 

[Chickassan]

Not alot you can do to make them play nice,they kind of have to work it out on their own chicken terms. Eggs most likely got put on hold due to the flock not being settled. Just give them time. Is there any way you can give your new girls a little place in the coop where the older hens can't harass them? Maybe block off a little bit for them temporarily?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Do you know how old the older hens are? Hens over a year will quit laying this time of year to molt. Many hens will take breaks from laying.

Is it possible your hens have hidden nests?

The lavender on the left might be a rooster, I think I see saddle feathers.

Chickens live by a pecking order and don't welcome new members as they see them as competition for the territory. It isn't them being mean, it's just the way chickens are.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

Hi, whatcha feeding them ?

 

[Chickassan]

Ohh,you're right i see the feathers too.

Do you know how old the older hens are? Hens over a year will quit laying this time of year to molt. Many hens will take breaks from laying.

Is it possible your hens have hidden nests?

The lavender on the left might be a rooster, I think I see saddle feathers.

Chickens live by a pecking order and don't welcome new members as they see them as competition for the territory. It isn't them being mean, it's just the way chickens are.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

x3 on the roo. They sure are pretty.

 

[staceyj]

X4 on that lavender.
He's a hottie though.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I am a x5 on the lavender boy.
Good catch @oldhenlikesdogs.

 

[Chickassan]

They are lovely, but the fact you have two boys might have something to do with the egg shortage. I know when the springtime cockrel explosion happened here this year the girls closed up shop and that was three of the buggers. Got it whittled down to one eggs started back and promptly everybody molted I've got horrendous luck.

 

[21hens-incharge]

That extra male sure upsets the apple cart. It does not yet look like either male is causing feather damage....yet. Spring will be a huge challenge if it does not hit earlier.

I would strongly recommend a second coop and 15 more females if you are going to try and keep both males.
Things can get really bloody between males.

Your females are likely feeling the stress already. That combined with molting season has a lot to do with the lack of eggs.