Hello. Long post, sorry.
To preface: we have 2 adult roosters (one bantam, one standard, both 5 years old and get along and don't mate often these days), 10 adult hens (2 EE, 8 RLRs), 2 young mixed cockerels (one MAY be a pullet) at 8 weeks old, and 7 mixed chicks at 4 weeks old. The 4 week old chicks are with their broody mom and have been with the flock since they hatched with few problems.
So, 12 adult birds, 2 young birds and 7 chicks in a coop that once housed 30 adult birds without much of an issue.
I do not believe this is a space issue but I'll explain our coop/space and typical layout of hens:
The enclosure is huge and there are almost no problems during the day except around food, and even then, barely anything. Their coop is an older style camper-turned-chicken coop with two separate roosting areas, with 4 perches per side, and a large middle area with feed and water. Wild estimation because I can't find a tape measure - a total space from roost A to roost B of 20-24 feet. Each roosting area is probably 8-10 feet wide and 6 feet long, and 8 feet high. The middle area is about 4 feet wide and 4 feet long and same height.
There are usually only 2-3 chickens per roost. They like to spread out. Bantam rooster (king rooster, actually) prefers one side with only one hen, and standard rooster prefers the other. He typically has one hen with him on his roost, and 1-2 hens on the perch beneath them.
Directly across from him the two EEs (top hens) roost, sometimes allowing one RLR up with them but it's random. Behind them, three RLRs and the 2 8 week olds like to lay on the top of the nesting boxes. One or two hens will randomly perch at will.
Broody hen lays on the floor of the bantam rooster's side with her chicks, in the corner, where she has been since they hatched.
---- Tonight, problem's started
One hen chased the broody out of the coop and pecked at and chased all the chicks out as well. Another hen would help her because once one starts, another always has to join in... second hen eventually went and perched. The first hen stood in the entrance constantly attacking the mama hen every time she tried to enter, chasing her out and attacking her chicks. At one point the broody got in and she chased her everywhere, mauling her viciously and pecking at the chicks while they ran around in panic.
Our two 8 week olds were still outside, they're always the last ones in. Neither of our roosters did anything to help. They don't interfere with coop dynamics which is disappointing.
I go in to play enforcer, because I'll tolerate some pecking order nonsense, but not chick-attacking. I grab the hen with the same gentle loving care she showed the chicks and their mom (I didn't hurt her, I just grabbed her by a handful of feathers) and carried her outside. I 'pecked' her with a pinch on her comb and carried her around the yard for a bit while the two 8 week olds entered the coop and the broody mom and her chicks finally settled. I showed her the machete. I tossed her back in the coop. She immediately went to a perch and sat down and did not move again.
I think a repeat event will result in the soup pot. I'm not going to tolerate an adult hen mauling chicks. Fortunately the chicks weren't injured aside from one with a small amount of blood on her comb which I cleaned.
There is a little bit of pecking at the 8 week olds, but since one is 100% clearly a rooster (and boy, was he freaking out when I grabbed that hen. He was already practicing his rooster-panicked screech. I bet he'll be crowing in another week), everyone settles down quickly. I haven't seen this vicious behavior towards them. This seemed out of the blue. While there was previously some pecking order pecks on the broody mom prior to now, once she was settled with her chicks, no one bothered her.
What would you recommend? I know separation of a bully can be helpful, and I'd rather separate the bully than have to reintegrate chicks with the flock in a few weeks.
To preface: we have 2 adult roosters (one bantam, one standard, both 5 years old and get along and don't mate often these days), 10 adult hens (2 EE, 8 RLRs), 2 young mixed cockerels (one MAY be a pullet) at 8 weeks old, and 7 mixed chicks at 4 weeks old. The 4 week old chicks are with their broody mom and have been with the flock since they hatched with few problems.
So, 12 adult birds, 2 young birds and 7 chicks in a coop that once housed 30 adult birds without much of an issue.
I do not believe this is a space issue but I'll explain our coop/space and typical layout of hens:
The enclosure is huge and there are almost no problems during the day except around food, and even then, barely anything. Their coop is an older style camper-turned-chicken coop with two separate roosting areas, with 4 perches per side, and a large middle area with feed and water. Wild estimation because I can't find a tape measure - a total space from roost A to roost B of 20-24 feet. Each roosting area is probably 8-10 feet wide and 6 feet long, and 8 feet high. The middle area is about 4 feet wide and 4 feet long and same height.
There are usually only 2-3 chickens per roost. They like to spread out. Bantam rooster (king rooster, actually) prefers one side with only one hen, and standard rooster prefers the other. He typically has one hen with him on his roost, and 1-2 hens on the perch beneath them.
Directly across from him the two EEs (top hens) roost, sometimes allowing one RLR up with them but it's random. Behind them, three RLRs and the 2 8 week olds like to lay on the top of the nesting boxes. One or two hens will randomly perch at will.
Broody hen lays on the floor of the bantam rooster's side with her chicks, in the corner, where she has been since they hatched.
---- Tonight, problem's started
One hen chased the broody out of the coop and pecked at and chased all the chicks out as well. Another hen would help her because once one starts, another always has to join in... second hen eventually went and perched. The first hen stood in the entrance constantly attacking the mama hen every time she tried to enter, chasing her out and attacking her chicks. At one point the broody got in and she chased her everywhere, mauling her viciously and pecking at the chicks while they ran around in panic.
Our two 8 week olds were still outside, they're always the last ones in. Neither of our roosters did anything to help. They don't interfere with coop dynamics which is disappointing.
I go in to play enforcer, because I'll tolerate some pecking order nonsense, but not chick-attacking. I grab the hen with the same gentle loving care she showed the chicks and their mom (I didn't hurt her, I just grabbed her by a handful of feathers) and carried her outside. I 'pecked' her with a pinch on her comb and carried her around the yard for a bit while the two 8 week olds entered the coop and the broody mom and her chicks finally settled. I showed her the machete. I tossed her back in the coop. She immediately went to a perch and sat down and did not move again.
I think a repeat event will result in the soup pot. I'm not going to tolerate an adult hen mauling chicks. Fortunately the chicks weren't injured aside from one with a small amount of blood on her comb which I cleaned.
There is a little bit of pecking at the 8 week olds, but since one is 100% clearly a rooster (and boy, was he freaking out when I grabbed that hen. He was already practicing his rooster-panicked screech. I bet he'll be crowing in another week), everyone settles down quickly. I haven't seen this vicious behavior towards them. This seemed out of the blue. While there was previously some pecking order pecks on the broody mom prior to now, once she was settled with her chicks, no one bothered her.
What would you recommend? I know separation of a bully can be helpful, and I'd rather separate the bully than have to reintegrate chicks with the flock in a few weeks.
