New to Chickens - Chicken Chaos!!!

[goatmom7]

HI Everyone!
ok, let me begin with the fact that I KNOW that I have made mistakes with my approach to getting a backyard flock. I am highly frustrated b/c I thought I had it all figured out (read many books, research, talked to farms) before I got the chickens, and everything that could have gone wrong HAS. :-( I have made things very complicated for myself, and think I have too many chickens/wrong pairings, and need advice as to which to re-home. I want to simplify A LOT, and make it EASY and enjoyable. I need some advice from the experts here! Sorry, this is long.

So, the story. About a month ago we started up with our first chickens - two barred plymouth rocks - both a year old and already laying. Got them off CL from a post I created. They are VERY sweet, let you pick them up easily, just great...henrietta and penny. they come running when you call, and follow you around all day talking up a storm. so funny. They are faithful layers, and free range all over our backyard during the day, and up at night in a makeshift coop which is 6x12ft of livestock panels with a panel roof too, tarps - HUGE pain in the a** to hook/unhook, zip ties, etc. (we are working on another coop plan currently with a builder but don't know how big to build it yet). All the chickens were originally in the barn with our pregnant nigerian dwarf goats (just had triplets!) but creating SO much dust that they gave the goats asthma! PLus the vet said they can't live together as it can create health issues for the goats, esp the tiny babies. So out of the barn! This is where it all started to go awry! :-(

To back up a bit, two days before we got these two we purchased seven silkies from the feed store (probably a first mistake)...straight run, so no clue what sex they are. they are about 7 weeks now - any way to tell which sex? some are MUCH larger than others! anyway, they are in a makeshift run during the day as well outside, and in an XL wire dog crate at night in the garage. a LOT of moving things around. I had originally posted on a board about wanting older pullets or 1yr organically raised chickens (how we got henny/penny) and shortly after the silkies got a call about the BR and then days later some 2mo old wyandottes...all organic! these were the ones we originally wanted, and I felt like it was a great opportunity to get them and skip the garage horror or raising chicks...so we came home with seven 2mo pullets - four wyandottes AND 3 cochins. They are over 3 mo old now and get long WELL together. So, now a total of 16 chickens AND three different sets/ages of them!

Here are the problems. Henny & Penny became VERY bossy and dominant, and have been seriously bullying the seven wyan/cochins (they are all together after carefully introducing them in phases in the barnyard). One cochin has been limping for a week, and I am pretty sure it is the BR queens! Today I witnessed them charging into a covered kennel I had in the yard for shade where all seven pullets were, and charging at them, pecking non-stop while the pullets screamed and panicked to get out. The pullets avoid them, are always getting chased away. UGH! So, I had to set up a pasture in our lower backyard for the chickens, pulling Henny/Penny out during the day to free range the entire yard (to give the other some peace!) moving around feeders/waterers, TONS of chicken poop in the makeshift coop (that I can't move...grass floor). I literally spend two hrs in AM and another 2hr in PM moving things around. I tried introducing the silkies and all nine older ones tried to attack them! We do have lots of hawks here, and are on about 12 acres of open meadow so a concern with the little ones. When I got them I had planned for them to live with the goats/dual pastures that run right into the barn WITH trees, so more protection but now they would be pretty vunerable in the open backyard. I don't know what to do with them, and don't think I can put them with the larger breed chickens ever and think they are safe. My husband says ONE coop not TWO (extra for the silkies)!

Our barn was more than big enough to house all 16 chickens, but now that it is not an option and I am feeling very stressed out and completely overwhelmed. these chickens are far more work and mental stress than all my goats combined AND their newborn kids!! LOL! But I think it the combo that we have...and the setup (or lack thereof). We don't need that many eggs truthfully (not planning to sell them now as the organic soy-free food is going FAST and costs as much to ship it here as it does for the bag!!) but I absolutely cannot figure out which chickens to keep and scale things down. My 8yr old daugther LOVES the three cochins...they are SO sweet and sit on your lap (they have names too, so hard to think of selling them!). THe wyandottes are ok, but not very tame. They are beautiful and get along pretty well with the cochins, but do bully them at times a little. In general these seven get along pretty well b/c they were raised together (ding ding!!!). The silkies we have had since a day old, and they are super cute (the smallest one - by far - is named Sweetpea, and the massive one is Zeus (assume rooster! he is aggressive) but we could part with all of them if necessary. especially if not practical and need another coop! My kids love Henny/Penny too b/c they are so comical but I worry about them hurting the others.

What we want are consistent eggs (only need about 2-3dz/wk max) and SWEET docile chickens that are not a nightmare to deal with. What is a good number and recommended pairings with what we have here? I have no idea how to pare things down here to a more manageable group of chickens that GET ALONG, and that the kids love. Our favs are the cochins and Henny/Penny but I know they can't live together (most aggressive + most docile). Also, we are figuring out a coop to build so what size is recommened? 4ft per chicken like the books say or more? Run or no run? Our backyard is completely fenced in (we do have four young barn cats - an issue with silkes too?) so free range? I like the idea of free range (especially since we are in a huge lymes/tick area - VT) and I think it makes sense for us but DON'T want to step in chicken poop everywhere we go. We do have a couple of musocvy ducks in the lower backyard in their own pasture areas as well (for ticks/eggs - my kids still have chicken egg allergies we hope will be gone soon!). They are really messy!

So, sorry this is so long but I jsut don't know what to do. I am in over my head, and when the barn housing fell through AND my two BR turned evil things went south...FAST.

ANY advice is so appreciated!!!!

Thanks -
Valerie

 

[Judy]

Lots of people keep silkies or other crested breeds, as well as other bantams, separate because they tend to get attacked. Silkies / crested breeds have a skull defect so being pecked on the head is even more likel to cause problems. Also, Silkies tend to be very broody, and broodies don't lay eggs, so they are not usually considered a good egg chicken. Cochins tend to be friendlier and more laid back. Barred Rocks often are, too -- but in the end, they are individuals.

There will always be pecking and a pecking order, and more dominant / submissive hens. To some extent you have to accept their pecking each other. Generally it's considered too much if blood is drawn. You can leave them alone and let them work it out, or you can intervene, separate, etc. An approach for changing the behavior of a "bully" is to separate her for about a week, where she can't see the rest, then return her. She will have to re-enter the flock at the bottom of the pecking order, and her behavior will often be more acceptable. Also, it's not unusual for a flock to have "cliques," certain groups that hang out together and mostly stay away from the others. They may even share one roost at night.

If separating and reintroducing doesn't work, and the attacks are beyond your tolerance, you might want to sell or give away some of your problem girls.

Free ranging in your yard and the chicken poop problem really depends on the size of your yard. When I used to free range, it was a large yard; they probably wandered over an acre of land. I had to sidestep a pile of poop on occasion, mostly where they gathered by the porch when i went out, hoping for a treat. Mostly the poop got washed into the soil by rain.

Cats usually don't bother chickens -- mine never did -- the chickens will give them a peck and they learn to stay away. I've read of feral or large or hungry cats harming chickens. Also, I've never had Silkies or other bantams, only large fowl; I don't know how it would go with Silkies. (In case you can't tell, I don't care for Silkies, lol.)

The 4 sw ft per chicken is a fair rule of thumb; it's usually combined with 10 sq ft of run. This is supposed to be a minimum needed to prevent pecking, feather picking and worse. More space makes care easier and gives them more room to forage. I personally wouldn't keep chickens in that small a space. My chicken yard is 70'x70'. I only have 9 now but have had a good deal more. My coop is also oversize. Here is a good writeup on space:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/700308/coop-and-run-size/0_20#post_9504811

You'll just have to work it out to your own satisfaction and tolerance. They can take some getting used to. Good luck!