New aggression in flock

[shirechickens]

About three months ago I introduced two new pullets to my two existing (now quite elderly) hens. The pullets were definitely the underdogs but they integrated without any significant problems.

About three weeks ago we had an escalation of aggressive behaviour from all the hens to the ones below them in the pecking order - there's no obvious single bully. We're talking standing on top of other hens and pulling feathers out which I haven't seen before, and when one starts the others join in.

Nothing in their set-up changed to provoke this that I could think of, and to try to help it I have:
- Introduced a new feeding station (I have three feeding and watering stations now for four hens at different levels, and two nestboxes in different places)
- Added some flower pots in to break the line of sight
- Allowed the hens to free range in my large garden for an hour or two a day, which they don't normally do

Nothing has helped, and yesterday the hen at the bottom of the pecking order was attacked so badly she was left bleeding and with a partly bald head.

I've split the run into two and isolated the hen at the top of the pecking order, and things seem a little better. The hen who is second in command is still being aggressive but less so.

In terms of set-up, overnight between 8pm and 8am the hens are housed in a covered fox-proof run about 3m by 2m. They're not shut away in a coop during the summer as they prefer to roost on the various bars I have set up in the run. During the day the run is left open and they have access to an additional outside area about four to five times larger than the run itself (so I guess about 30 square metres or around 300 square feet in total). The run has lots of different levels, roosting bars and places to hide.

What else can I do?

 

[DobieLover]

What else can I do?

Pinless peepers on the older birds.

Please post pictures of your setup.

How old are the older birds? Have the pullets started to lay yet?

 

[shirechickens]

Thanks for your reply! Here are a few pictures.

The older hens are nearly four. The pullets are both beginning to lay but not regularly yet.

 

[Mrs. K]

Basically you have doubled your flock. I think what they are telling you is there is not enough room for 4 adult birds in your setup. This frequently happens when the younger birds become full size. What was enough space then they were chicks, is not enough space for full size birds.

Neither of the coops are big enough for four of them together. I think it is the number of birds and lack of space in your coop that is causing them to roost outside.

As for adding the pots to break line of sight, they really don't, they are not tall enough. A large box, 3x3 feet or 1 m x 1m would be better. Or a large piece of cardboard hanging from the top, to the floor will make a mini wall that birds can get behind and out of sight.

I am glad that you have roosts, and multiple feeders, that has helped. I would think strongly about selling a bird, or culling an older bird. I think three might fit much better in there.

Before I did that, I too would try the pin less peepers. That might be enough to get you back to peace. Generally speaking when the pullets begin laying, they rise to a more equal station, but as time goes on, older birds start to loose their higher pecking order.

Mrs K