New Pullets' Pecking Order

[SprocketTheCat]

Hi! I'm a brand new chicken parent (as of four days ago!). I have four 9 week old pullets who came from a breeder, where they lived in big enclosures with each other and probably two dozen other pullets of similar age. I've got two Barred Rocks and two Silver Laced Wyandottes. The Barred Rocks and one of the wyandottes are all getting along well, but the second wyandotte (who I've named Moxie) is obviously the last in the pecking order. One of the BR is the head pullet right now and I've seen her peck at Moxie and square up to her with a staring contest. Also I've found a few Moxie feathers in the run and coop. When we've shut them up in the coop at night, I've heard consistent squawking and "drama" noises as they settle in, and the first full day when I kept them in the coop to orient them, I noticed that all the others were piling on Moxie when I went to check on them throughout the day. Also noticed tonight that the three would take breaks inside the coop from the attached run but that Moxie was always outside by herself when everyone else was inside. Note that she mostly likely is getting enough to eat (she just avoids the head pullet and rushes in quickly when she thinks the head isn't looking, and the food is out all day). There's no drama at the waterer either. I'm aware I should probably just give them time to sort themselves out, so I'm not super concerned right now, but I just feel bad that Moxie seems dejected and excluded from the other three. Can anyone reassure me that she's going to be a happy fulfilled hen eventually?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Photos of your set up?

Adding clutter to your run would help give lower ranked bird(s) some relief and hiding spots from being picked on. Additional feeder(s) would also help. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

 

[SprocketTheCat]

It's the Omlet Eglu Go Up (and yes, I'm already looking at investing in a larger run and coop for them as they grow!). I also noticed today that Moxie is engaging in a lot of self-grooming, so the number of feathers I found in the coop when cleaning it today might not all be due to the others pecking at her and pulling out feathers, but that was super concerning to find, all the same. I assume the self-grooming is a stress response?

 

[aart]

I assume the self-grooming is a stress response?

Could be stress from the move, the tight new space.
Could also be molting, 9wks is about time for a juvenile molt.


Could also be bugs.
Have you checked them over real well for mites and/or lice?

Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

Good post about mite ID by Lady McCamley:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-has-mites-now-what.1273674/page-2#post-20483008

 

[SprocketTheCat]

Could be stress from the move, the tight new space.
Could also be molting, 9wks is about time for a juvenile molt.


Could also be bugs.
Have you checked them over real well for mites and/or lice?

Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

Good post about mite ID by Lady McCamley:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-has-mites-now-what.1273674/page-2#post-20483008

I haven't checked them over for buggies yet. Thanks for pointing that out! I'll have time to do that tomorrow night. But it does bear mentioning that the coop is plastic and fairly bug resistant (and I bought it partially for that reason). No evidence of smashed red bugs on the underside of sleeping area (I pull both the droppings tray and roosting bars/nesting box out to clean them and replace bedding every day or every other day, depending on how much time the girls have spent in the coop). Unless she came from the breeder with mites, I'm not sure where she would have picked them up, but that's definitely good to keep in mind! Thanks for your response.

 

[rosemarythyme]

x2 possibly a juvenile molt. Space is tight though, I know plenty of folks are happy with these Omlet set ups but there simply isn't room in them for more than a couple of birds, so any behavioral issues gets magnified.

Your girls are still quite young, it probably looks big enough for now, but I'd see about adding some clutter to the run area as previously mentioned. Moxie needs to feel like she has safe spots to retreat to when needed. As they get older and hormones start going, pecking order issues can get quite nasty.

 

[SprocketTheCat]

Definitely going to cut up a wood pallet for an extra food hiding spot as suggested in the coop clutter thread - the perks of having a husband who's obsessed with firewood at the moment is that there's always an extra pallet lying around to be repurposed! Thanks for the reassurance about the molting, definitely going to do a mite check on Moxie tonight just to be safe though.