Pecking order

[Ashchicken]

I have recently sold 3 of my chickens to a friend due to them being at the bottom of the pecking order. They had lost almost all of their wing feathers, and had a 2 inch bald spot on the back of their necks. My question is, will 2/3 more chickens just fall into their place at the bottom of the pecking order? I have 30 chickens, and they all have at least 10 square feet of run area and more than enough room in their coop for perching etc. Thanks!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

If you are having picking and bullying your birds are telling you there isn't enough room. If they were picking on birds they already knew, adding complete strangers will go even worse.

How big in feet is your coop and run? People often follow the rule of 4 square feet for a coop and 10 for the run per bird but many times it isn't enough. I recommend doubling or tripling those recommendations for a peaceful flock.

 

[Ashchicken]

My run is 640 square feet, however my coop is only 49 square foot!! I have a perch in there that is huge but not all chickens chose to sleep on it, so its usually only 1/2 full, the rest perch on nesting boxes and a table that is in there. Now that I realize my coop is much to small, how do you suggest I combat this issue? I feel I have the run space for a flock this large, is that correct?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You will need to greatly increase your coop space. You need multiple roosts to allow members to get away from each other. @aart is really good with coops and space. Hopefully she will answer.

 

[aart]

My question is, will 2/3 more chickens just fall into their place at the bottom of the pecking order?

Yep, they'll be at the very bottom, and will be 'intruders' to boot so will probably suffer the same injuries(or worse) as the ones you gave away did. Do not add more birds into this scenario.

how do you suggest I combat this issue?

It's pretty simple....a bigger coop, or fewer birds.

Knowing more about your goals for keeping chickens might help us help you,
as would pics of your coop, inside and out.

And also...
Where in this world are you located?
Climate is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, then it's always there!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm not a fan of that 4 and 10 square feet rule. For some people it is overkill, for some it is not enough. There are so any different variables. Flock make-up, individual chicken personalities, climate, quality of space, how you manage them, when that space is actually available, number of chickens, and who knows how many other things. We are all unique. The 4 and 10 is not a bad starting point for someone keeping a handful of all mature hens in a suburban back yard in many climates, but for others it just doesn't fit. With 30 chickens you don't need as many square feet per chicken as someone with just 3 hens, but that kind of behavior is clear sign they are too crowded.

It's not just the coop in isolation or the run in isolation either, it's a combination of your total space but also when that total space is available. If you lock them in the coop at night against predators and leave them locked up when they are awake, that run space does you no good. If the weather keeps them in the coop the run does not help. That could be in the winter with snow and a cold wind or during the summer if you are blazing hot and there is no real shade in the run.

If you integrate new chickens, either with broody hens raising chicks, brooder raised chicks, or adding older chickens you need more space than if they are already integrated. I don't know your goals or why you want that many chickens, but things like this have a lot to do with space requirements.

That sounds like a 7x7 coop. I have trouble seeing how you can get enough roosting space in there and have any room for you to do anything in there. Plus you probably have a lot of poop in there you have to deal with. The extra room does not just benefit the chickens, it makes your life easier.

I don't know what the right answer is for you. I'm a proponent of more room, partly for the chickens' benefit but to a major extend it makes your life easier. You don't have to deal with as many behavioral problems, you don't have to work as hard, and you have more flexibility to deal with issues as they pop up. If you can knock a wall out and double the size of that coop I think you will be in pretty good shape, depending on climate and other things. I don't know how many your current set-up will support, probably a few more than that 4 in the coop rule would suggest.

Good luck! I imagine you feel pretty frustrated right now.

 

[Khalpers]

Thanks for asking @Ashchicken. I'm having a similar problem to a lesser degree. I inherited 6 chickens and a coop from friends who were moving out of town. They have 12 sq. feet of indoor coop space with a screened in downstairs (24.5 sq ft) they can access at night, which includes another roost that they sometimes use. (We have a welded wire apron to protect them diggers.) I wake up at 6:00-7:00 to let them into their run, which is 175 sq. feet. In the afternoon when I'm home, I let them out to free range for about 3 hours.

Five of them get along great. But the sixth, a Golden Laced Wyandotte named Ms. Jackson, was introduced to the flock by my friends earlier this year, and a year after the others. I'm not sure how they introduced her...but she's picked on. She's not missing too many feathers...no bald spots, sores, or blood. I make a point to get her food apart from the others, and sometimes I let her free range alone so she can bathe because I noticed that they don't let her bathe in the run or out of it. I also discovered that she seems to have leg mites, perhaps because of this fact. The others don't. Perhaps they make her roost in a vulnerable spot. Is this normal bottom-of-the-pecking-order stuff, or should I be concerned?

I definitely have to work on the mite situation for all. We'd like to build a better coop, as this is a prefab one from Tractor Supply that is pretty flimsy. We're hoping to can last a year. I'm thinking of doing one of the following:
A) Expand the coop. This would be tough at this point. It was a big expense to build the run. I might be able to extend the indoor space cheaply by extending the top floor indoor place. (Please see pictures. One is with the attached run. One is just the coop before connecting it.) The expansion would be adjacent to the indoor space now.)
B) Give my pretty Golden Laced to a friend who is getting a small flock of 3 hens, in hopes that Ms. Jackson would not suffer the same treatment.
C) Both?

I live in Nashville. Summers are HOT and humid, and winters are cold with usually one or two deep freezes that thaw.

Thanks so much for reading. I appreciate all the help I can get.

 

[aart]

I'm having a similar problem to a lesser degree.

Yep, you have a crowding problem too.

I appreciate all the help I can get

It would be best to start a new thread to address your particular situation.
You can cut and paste your post here to your new thread.

 

[Khalpers]

Yep, you have a crowding problem too.
It would be best to start a new thread to address your particular situation.
You can cut and paste your post here to your new thread.

Thanks! Will do.

 

[rita2paul]

can you extend the run and maybe add another house for the chickens. if not i would sell quite a few so that the others have space.