It all started when I noticed my favorite EE hen(the most friendly of my girls) was missing half of her beard.I thought it was one of my Golden Comets(I have 4) as they are the only ones I have ever witnessed peck at another hen. My girls free-range on an acre all day and right about dusk, they put themselves into the coop and I go lock it up. I decided to hang out awhile in the coop with them to observe. I saw a few pecks, here and there but that was about it. Our coop is about 8X9 walk in style, with one large roost across the entire width, and then one across the length..but they all choose to sleep together even though it is heated when cold.
I thought maybe it was an isolated incident and a couple weeks passed. Now I noticed some of the goldens have "ruffled" feathers here and there, and almost all of my EE hens are missing one half of their beards...poor Lucy is missing both sides. The only hen that is not missing her beard is Falcon, the drag hen as we call her..she looks like a Roo, and sometimes acts like one and gets along with all of the hens.
We have the 8X9(or 10) walk in coop with 15 hens, all around 1 year of age, give or take a cpl months. The EE were the last brooded/raised and integrated later and have always been on the "low end", but while they are out daily they all get along.
I went in the coop last night again and saw a lot more pecking...one of the EE hens was pecking, and the goldens. I stuck my hand up to them and told them to stop, then one of the comets pecked me.
I am wondering why all of a sudden we have this problem...Is 15 too many for the size coop we have? We are building a second, larger coop soon for the babies in the brooder now and was planning on having my production-type birds in one and my friendlier breeds in the other...Is there anything I can do now to help manage this?
My hens are spoiled..they get tons of treats, get to free range daily and always have fresh water and feed. I don't know what else to do, but do not want my EE's getting pecked like this
Sorry this is long and winded, I am exhausted!
I thought maybe it was an isolated incident and a couple weeks passed. Now I noticed some of the goldens have "ruffled" feathers here and there, and almost all of my EE hens are missing one half of their beards...poor Lucy is missing both sides. The only hen that is not missing her beard is Falcon, the drag hen as we call her..she looks like a Roo, and sometimes acts like one and gets along with all of the hens.
We have the 8X9(or 10) walk in coop with 15 hens, all around 1 year of age, give or take a cpl months. The EE were the last brooded/raised and integrated later and have always been on the "low end", but while they are out daily they all get along.
I went in the coop last night again and saw a lot more pecking...one of the EE hens was pecking, and the goldens. I stuck my hand up to them and told them to stop, then one of the comets pecked me.
I am wondering why all of a sudden we have this problem...Is 15 too many for the size coop we have? We are building a second, larger coop soon for the babies in the brooder now and was planning on having my production-type birds in one and my friendlier breeds in the other...Is there anything I can do now to help manage this?
My hens are spoiled..they get tons of treats, get to free range daily and always have fresh water and feed. I don't know what else to do, but do not want my EE's getting pecked like this
Sorry this is long and winded, I am exhausted!
