Pecking order

[Plj3682]

I have 4 Red hens and during their first molting one hen started getting harassed. Now she stays in the coop except when she gets water in the run. She stays in a box at night while the other 3 are on the roost. They appear to be finished molting. Is there something I should be doing or just wait until they resolve it?

 

[sourland]

Do they have adequate space, and is she managing to eat?

 

[Plj3682]

Do they have adequate space, and is she managing to eat?

She has plenty of food in the coop. The chicken tractor design has a 4x4 coop above the run with the 4 ft roost across and above the boxes.
There was a suggestion on here to block the boxes to keep her from staying in there. It will be difficult because two hens are currently laying eggs. But I could figure it out.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Molting can make birds ornery or sensitive and skittish, so not unusual to see off behavior when they begin molt through the time they're growing everything back in.

How big is the run? Do they stay in the tractor full time?

As far as blocking boxes, if it's just at night, block them right before dusk, and unblock once it's dark, that way the boxes will be available to layers during all daylight hours.

 

[Plj3682]

Molting can make birds ornery or sensitive and skittish, so not unusual to see off behavior when they begin molt through the time they're growing everything back in.

How big is the run? Do they stay in the tractor full time?

As far as blocking boxes, if it's just at night, block them right before dusk, and unblock once it's dark, that way the boxes will be available to layers during all daylight hours.

The run is roughly 4x8 feet and they are always in the run. I blocked the boxes for the first time tonight. They had a fuss when going in for the night but they seem to be staying in the coop. I will go back shortly to remove the guard and check on them.

 

[rosemarythyme]

The run is roughly 4x8 feet and they are always in the run. I blocked the boxes for the first time tonight. They had a fuss when going in for the night but they seem to be staying in the coop. I will go back shortly to remove the guard and check on them.

Let us know how it goes with the nest blocking.

The tough thing with a tractor-only set up is the birds can never really get away from one another, nor can you add clutter to provide relief for birds getting harassed. Four birds in 32 sq ft is a tight squeeze even if you're regularly moving to fresh pasture. Hopefully once they're all done molting things will settle down.