My chickens are all fighting! Why?

[aevans9]

I have 10 chickens that have got along great since I introduced them 4 months ago. Now they are all fighting. I have 4 that are about 10 months old and 6 that are younger and just started laying. Even the 6 month old chickens are fighting amongst each other! They have been so happy together for months and the only fighting I witnessed was at the beginning when I first introduced them. The older ones would peck at and chase the younger ones away. But this is very violent! Now they are all fluffing up, yelling and grabbing each others faces. I'm afraid they are going to really hurt each other. I would separate them but they all seam to be fighting each other and I can't put them all in separate housing! Why would they start doing this? Is there something I can do?

 

[Pork Pie]

I'd suggest taking a look at that this link - https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1148824/topic-of-the-week-feather-pecking-eating/10#post_17958887

 

[aevans9]

They are not pulling or eating feathers. They are grabbing and hanging onto each others wattles and combs

 

[Ducks4us]

I would imagine it has something to do with the new ones who have just begun laying.
When our younger ones started laying last spring, its seemed to put everyone in an uproar for a while. It settled down after a bit.
How much space do your have?
I didnt see where your from or what your weather is but its winter where we are and lack of yard to run in because of snow has made for cramped quarters compared to what they are used to . I try to give them plenty to do to distract them.
Straw to dig in. Hanging feeder/ planter with snacks .
Multiple feeding areas. Busy chickens dont usually fight or pick on each other it seems

 

[Pork Pie]

What size coop / run do you have? Space maybe an issue. What bedding do you use? The reason that i included the link in my last post is that the causes of their behaviour could be similar to those included in that thread. Any displacement behaviour is caused by stressors, either one, or more likely a combination.

I agree that pullets about to lay seem to act subtly differently, and this can upset the balance of things, but it should not last more than a day or so, from my observations.

 

[aart]

I would imagine it has something to do with the new ones who have just begun laying.
When our younger ones started laying last spring, its seemed to put everyone in an uproar for a while. It settled down after a bit.
How much space do your have?
I didnt see where your from or what your weather is but its winter where we are and lack of yard to run in because of snow has made for cramped quarters compared to what they are used to . I try to give them plenty to do to distract them.
Straw to dig in. Hanging feeder/ planter with snacks .
Multiple feeding areas. Busy chickens dont usually fight or pick on each other it seems

Agrees, hormones are flowing and pecking orders are changing with new birds now laying.
Space and climate questions are important and should be answered.

 

[1cock2hens]

what kind of chickens are they?

 

[Poultry4Life]

Has it rained? Most chickens fight for the first time after or during their first experience of rain. They might of also just matured and are fighting over hens. What is your hen to rooster count, if you have more roosters than hens then it can create and abundance of problems.