Picked on chicken...space issue?

[Khalpers]

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. (Note, we'll be covering the run this weekend, half roof, half welded wire.)

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 it 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 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.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

They won't access anything at night. It's dark and they stay where they are.

It sound like pecking order stuff. Some are bullies no matter how much space you have.

Leg mites are invisible and you can only see the evidence of them. People use Vaseline or Crisco with great success for scaly leg mite. It suffocates them.

To treat other mites or lice I prefer Permethrin spray...

Effective, affordable, easy to use, and labeled for chickens. Under $8 in the equine section.

Yes I would consider rehoming the GLW... IF I thought the new flock would be less brutal. So it would depend on the age and breed of the other flock.

Alternatively, I might re home the bully's! I've got zero tolerance for attitudes. A flock can have an established pecking order without being giant Stew Pidasso's.

 

[aart]

I definitely have to work on the mite situation for all.

What kind of mites?

I might be able to extend the top floor indoor place.

Yes, turning the coop/run into all coop is a good idea!

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.

This may be a good idea, she'll always be low hen-maybe even at new place, depends on how badly she is harassed.

 

[Khalpers]

They won't access anything at night. It's dark and they stay where they are.

It sound like pecking order stuff. Some are bullies no matter how much space you have.

Leg mites are invisible and you can only see the evidence of them. People use Vaseline or Crisco with great success for scaly leg mite. It suffocates them.

To treat other mites or lice I prefer Permethrin spray...

Effective, affordable, easy to use, and labeled for chickens. Under $8 in the equine section.

Yes I would consider rehoming the GLW... IF I thought the new flock would be less brutal. So it would depend on the age and breed of the other flock.

Alternatively, I might re home the bully's! I've got zero tolerance for attitudes. A flock can have an established pecking order without being giant Stew Pidasso's.

Thanks for the tips! Can you clarify what you mean by "they won't access anything at night"? Do you mean it's not worth extending their coop?

She's got the upward turned scales on her legs. I'm going to try oil later today. She's tough to catch because she's so skittish, but I can usually grab her while in the run. I've been reading about bathing them, and I think she'd freak out. It's probably better not to stress her and spray something instead, right?

 

[Boonie Stomper]

Aww.. The coop looks mahveloos!
You need to spray the chicken to delouse/demite her, and treat / reploce bedding. DE (diatomacious earth) can subdue latent parasites. The girls doing the pecking may back down some with some special attention such as your intervention of their actions and reward any good behavior.

 

[aart]

She's got the upward turned scales on her legs. I'm going to try oil later today. She's tough to catch because she's so skittish, but I can usually grab her while in the run. I've been reading about bathing them, and I think she'd freak out. It's probably better not to stress her and spray something instead, right?

Oil or vaseline/bag balm is good for treating the scaly leg mites.
No need to bathe, just slather it on pushing it up an under that scales.
Do an application a week for 2-3 weeks, then wait, it can take a long time for the scales to return to 'normal' depending on how bad the infestation is.
I treat all birds off roost at night, they are easier to 'catch', but I have a walk-in coop.

 

[Khalpers]

What kind of mites?

Yes, turning the coop/run into all coop is a good idea!

This may be a good idea, she'll always be low hen-maybe even at new place, depends on how badly she is harassed.

Thanks! I'm not sure about the mites. Several have missing feathers on their bellies, and one I've noticed has agitated pink skin where feathers are missing. (Possibly from stress and pulling out their own feathers?) I don't see any mites on the birds. Ms. Jackson has what looks like leg mites because her scales are turned up and flaky. I have been cleaning the poop in the coop every day and see tiny black bugs scattering.

I think if I add that level to the coop/run, it would give them another 6.5 sq feet of space, totaling 31 sq feet inside. Would that be more sufficient for five birds, if I give Ms. Jackson to my friend? 6.2 sq. feet per chicken?

My friend is looking to get three birds, probably pullets. I guess I need to research how Ms. Jackson would do with two pullets in her flock, and how the pullets would do. Any advice there? Thanks so much!

 

[Khalpers]

Aww.. The coop looks mahveloos!
You need to spray the chicken to delouse/demite her, and treat / reploce bedding. DE (diatomacious earth) can subdue latent parasites. The girls doing the pecking may back down some with some special attention such as your intervention of their actions and reward any good behavior.

Thank you! I picked up some DE yesterday and sprinkled it where they've been taking baths. Am trying to give Ms. Jackson time alone so she can bathe. Caught her doing today, but not where I sprinkled the DE, lol. I'm going to clean out the coop and replace bedding today!

 

[Boonie Stomper]

It wouldn't bevery nice to give your friend an addition to her 1st flock that wasn't just a mature member, would it? Let her not spread a problem. Your coop is big enough.

 

[Boonie Stomper]

What is the total cubic feet your coop has (base length x width × height(s))?