odd question?

[GrammaGryphon]

I put peepers on 6 of my 7 hens, one pullet, all well and good. The main issue was one was pecking EVERYONE, she's fine with the peepers, the issue now seems to be that literally all the layers peck on the pullet (she gets her own in but it escalates to flying feathers and blood waaaay too quickly). She's 18 weeks as of yesterday the others are 22 weeks. I don't mind her being in solitary but she doesn't have any socialization at all other than her people type. Sweet baby tho. Any clue?
On the egglaying front, people keep telling me that hens take 25 hours to make an egg, I'm getting over 42-49 eggs a week out of 6 layers. Lots of double yolkers on their off days. Due to the way our setup is I know whos laying what pretty much. No complaining tho. We're really ejoying them and the chookies are so funny!
Anne

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Chickens can't lay more than an egg a day so you should re-count every day. Maybe a phantom chicken is contributing eggs.

I don't know your setup or what you feed but picking is often either from shortage of protein or too closely confined.

 

[Bullitt]

I put peepers on 6 of my 7 hens, one pullet, akk wekk and good. The main issue was one was pecking EVERYONE, she's fine with the peepers, the issue now seems to be that literally all the layers peck on the pullet (she gets her own in but it escalates to flying feathers and blood waaaay too quickly). She's 18 weeks as of yesterday the others are 22 weeks. I don't mind her being in solitary but she doesn't have any socialization at all other than her people type. Sweet baby tho. Any clue?
On the egglaying front, people keep telling me that hens take 25 hours to make an egg, I'm getting over 42-49 eggs a week out of 6 layers. Lots of double yolkers on their off days. Due to the way our setup is I know whos laying what pretty much. No complaining tho. We're really ejoying them and the chookies are so funny!
Anne

If you have 6 laying hens times 7 days in the week, that would be 42 eggs. Don't expect that every week, though.

You mentioned that "I put peepers on 6 of my 7 hens, one pullet." Is that 7 hens and one pullet? That means there is a possibility that you have 8 chickens laying eggs. I just thought I would point that out.

According to this website: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/there-is-more-to-an-egg-than-meets-the-eye-interesting-egg-facts

"- The record for the most eggs laid in one day by one hen is 7."

"- In 1979 a white Leghorn hen set the world record for egg laying by producing 371 eggs in one year." I have seen other places that it was in 364 days. (one day shy of a full year.)


It is possible that a chicken can lay more than one egg per day, but it is uncommon.

 

[GrammaGryphon]

I have 3 reds (Paprika, Saffron and Ginger), 3 blacks (Skill, Grace and Accuracy) and one Barred rock (Greta). Greta hasn't started laying and is kept apart from the 6 layers. Their (the 6 layers) run is 4x10x4 foot, pvc pipe covered in chicken fencing, makes a box type run. Very effective and I can move it anywhere I need it to be. 'The Barred Rock is in a 2x3 foot dog crate thing, no idea what its called. During the day it's bottomless and she gets to eat bugs n grass n lizards to her hearts content, they all can. Given the amount of space they have I don't see any evidence of overcrowding.
There's no chance I could miss an egg and count yesterdays egg on todays count. It's too open. I check the run every half hour to so and the run is emptied every single day and fresh "play hay" is put in in the morning. I gathered 8 eggs today and 7 yesterday, 9 on Saturday. That's 24 eggs out of 6 laying hens in 3 days and prety normal for this bunch. Out of the 25 3 were double yolks. Yeah they'll skip a day here or there but the next they're right back at it. That's usually when the double yolkers happen. I'm trying to put a picture up. There are 31 eggs in the picture that were laid recently. We seriously can't eat them all. At least 3 of the eggs in the pic are doubles and we had doubles for breakfast on Sunday.
This is eggs since Thursday morning excluding the ones we ate.
Anne

 

[donrae]

I have 3 reds (Paprika, Saffron and Ginger), 3 blacks (Skill, Grace and Accuracy) and one Barred rock (Greta). Greta hasn't started laying and is kept apart from the 6 layers. Their (the 6 layers) run is 4x10x4 foot, pvc pipe covered in chicken fencing, makes a box type run. Very effective and I can move it anywhere I need it to be. 'The Barred Rock is in a 2x3 foot dog crate thing, no idea what its called. During the day it's bottomless and she gets to eat bugs n grass n lizards to her hearts content, they all can. Given the amount of space they have I don't see any evidence of overcrowding.
There's no chance I could miss an egg and count yesterdays egg on todays count. It's too open. I check the run every half hour to so and the run is emptied every single day and fresh "play hay" is put in in the morning. I gathered 8 eggs today and 7 yesterday, 9 on Saturday. That's 24 eggs out of 6 laying hens in 3 days and prety normal for this bunch. Out of the 25 3 were double yolks. Yeah they'll skip a day here or there but the next they're right back at it. That's usually when the double yolkers happen. I'm trying to put a picture up. There are 31 eggs in the picture that were laid recently. We seriously can't eat them all. At least 3 of the eggs in the pic are doubles and we had doubles for breakfast on Sunday.
This is eggs since Thursday morning excluding the ones we ate.
Anne

I strongly disagree. Overcrowding was my first thought when you said you put peepers on your entire flock. Those hens are telling you loud and clear they don't have enough space.

 

[GrammaGryphon]

Sigh, let me try again. The problem isn't overcrowding. The issues are- I can't have Greta in the run since they all attack her the second she gets put in and I can't put Paprika in the run since she attacks the other hens. Thus the peepers. My thought is/was-if they all have peepers on, there may be less of an issue. Paprika and the other hens are fine in there together with the peepers and it STILL doesn't matter if they have peepers or not insofar as Greta goes. I've tried putting her in there with each and ever one of the hens as singles. No go. I'm thinking they can smell her or something. Maybe it's because she's not laying yet and smells different? I've literally put Greta in the run, added one hen and had instant attack. Poor Greta over in the corner cowering and being pecked and clawed. I am just going to keep her solo til she starts laying and then try again after a few weeks of her laying.
Anne

 

[fiddlebanshee]

Sorry, but I disagree. 6 birds in a 10x4 ft run is overcrowded. They need 10 sq ft per bird, in addition to space in a coop, which you don't say that you have. So if you have only the run, your birds are seriously overcrowded.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Also, once they start to squabble, they seem to enjoy doing so. Like the habit of gossiping.
They may have marked her as an outsider and a threat to the flock so won't let her integrate.
The best way to deal with it is to let the 2 birds that get along have the coop and after 4 or 5 days, return the bullies one every day or 2. They become the outsiders and the coop is her home territory.
Some are just docile and destined to be at the bottom of the totem pole.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You’ve had some good people try to help you but you don’t seem to want to listen. I’ll make one effort.

One way chickens have learned to live together in a flock is that the weaker runs way from the stronger when there is a conflict or just avoid them to start with. If there is a little chasing involved, how much room to run away and get away is there in a 4’ x 10’ area?

A mature chicken outranks an immature chicken in the pecking order. That’s why you often see younger chicks form their own separate flock when you integrate if they have enough room to avoid the older hens. Often a pullet will mature enough to make her way in the pecking order when she starts to lay. Sometimes it takes even longer.

Some can be pretty brutal in enforcing those pecking order rights. Some don’t seem to care. Each chicken has its own personality. Sounds like you have one that is a real brute and bully. Often when one gets another trapped against a fence or in a tight place, some others will join in the frenzy of attacking that weak one.

Sometimes it helps when one is a bully to totally separate her for a week or more to knock her out of her pecking order rank. When you reunite them, she has to rework her position in the pecking order. Often she does not wind up in the same place. Sometimes this doesn’t work at all.

You’ve reinforced my belief that most of the problems reported on here with broody hens or during integration is due to overcrowding. You have classic case of overcrowding.

 

[mandelyn]

If your run is 4x10, you have enough space for 4 chickens. Add more space, or sell some birds, or keep on battling this as it is indefinitely. Ridgerunner got pretty detailed with the social specifics of the flock so I don't need to repeat all that.

Not an odd question at all, just a matter of over crowding. Chickens aren't that big, but their attitudes can be. The smaller the space, the bigger their drama.