Picked on chicken...space issue?

[Flockandfowl46]

Putting coops together may help try adding an extra feed and water station and maybe some branches in the large part of the co-op for her to retreat to other than that the pecking order thing will most likely continue don't think it's a space issue

 

[EggSighted4Life]

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

What I mean is that when chickens go to roost, that is where they stay through the whole night. They can't see well in the dark and won't be up feeding or pecking... as long as it isn't light.

Lower flock members tend to go up earlier or later to get their spot.

Crud always rolls down hill. You can always try a time out on the worst aggressor. My friend hobbled (tied the legs together) their bully for a few days, to sow her down and shorten her stride. Worked for that one to take them down a peg.

Peepers are a possible choice if it was bad enough.

I personally dislike DE... and consider it especially ineffective in humid environments.

Red skin means ya got something, IMHO. Choose what you wanna treat with and do it. I MIGHT consider Ivermectin pour on, since it WILL treat scaly leg might, worms, lice, and others. I believe withdrawal time for eggs is two weeks. The spray I mentioned has NO withdrawal time when used according to direction. The spray can also be used on the roost (or other wood) to treat for mites which only come out to feed at night and are otherwise not generally seen on the bird. Lice can often be detected by parting feathers and looking at the base under the vent area, for clumps that almost look like dirt clumps.

As aart said, roost time after dark is a GREAT time to catch birds. Never chase them again, keep it dark.

Treat everyone.

And if you want... see WHO you like and rehome a couple or few gals keeping the ones YOU like the best... whether to your friend or someone else. That will shake up the order a bit, but fewer birds in that space WILL be more peaceful. I ALWAYS appreciate the lull and so does the flock. It brings them together a little more and also friendlies them up to me. Gives each more of a chance to shine as an individual.

Visual barriers are good. I put up false walls, like even a wire fence open on both ends... so there is no corner to get stuck in, and they can run around it if needed. Or a plant. a chair laying on its' side. Whatever.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Ideally you want at least 4 sq ft per hen inside the coop, so your idea of converting the whole unit into the coop would be an improvement, especially since the hens won't use what you're calling the "screened in downstair" at night. Take out what interior walls you can, run a roost bar lengthwise across the new open space, and cover up any of the mesh walls that face prevailing wind direction.

As far as the bullied bird, maybe giving them more coop space will help matters. At least she's not being injured by the others, so that gives you time to decide what you want to do. Keep in mind if you do give her away that another bird will then be the bottom of the pecking order, and some of the behavior that was originally focused on her may switch to the new bottom bird.

 

[Khalpers]

What I mean is that when chickens go to roost, that is where they stay through the whole night. They can't see well in the dark and won't be up feeding or pecking... as long as it isn't light.

Lower flock members tend to go up earlier or later to get their spot.

Crud always rolls down hill. You can always try a time out on the worst aggressor. My friend hobbled (tied the legs together) their bully for a few days, to sow her down and shorten her stride. Worked for that one to take them down a peg.

Peepers are a possible choice if it was bad enough.

I personally dislike DE... and consider it especially ineffective in humid environments.

Red skin means ya got something, IMHO. Choose what you wanna treat with and do it. I MIGHT consider Ivermectin pour on, since it WILL treat scaly leg might, worms, lice, and others. I believe withdrawal time for eggs is two weeks. The spray I mentioned has NO withdrawal time when used according to direction. The spray can also be used on the roost (or other wood) to treat for mites which only come out to feed at night and are otherwise not generally seen on the bird. Lice can often be detected by parting feathers and looking at the base under the vent area, for clumps that almost look like dirt clumps.

As aart said, roost time after dark is a GREAT time to catch birds. Never chase them again, keep it dark.

Treat everyone.

And if you want... see WHO you like and rehome a couple or few gals keeping the ones YOU like the best... whether to your friend or someone else. That will shake up the order a bit, but fewer birds in that space WILL be more peaceful. I ALWAYS appreciate the lull and so does the flock. It brings them together a little more and also friendlies them up to me. Gives each more of a chance to shine as an individual.

Visual barriers are good. I put up false walls, like even a wire fence open on both ends... so there is no corner to get stuck in, and they can run around it if needed. Or a plant. a chair laying on its' side. Whatever.

Gee, thank you so much for your response. We were just talking about putting visual barriers in the run for enrichment and to give them space from each other. I really am letting them free range as much as I can (I work from home most of the time), so they're getting to stretch out.

Today I completely cleaned the coop, sprayed it with neem oil, replaced the bedding with pine shavings bedding, and I sprayed them with pyrethrins. We'll see how it takes. It's 30 minutes to the nearest Tractor Supply, so I found that at Pet Smart and read online that it is fine for chickens. Tonight I'll put Vaseline on their feet. Also sprayed it on the roost.

I'm going to talk to my husband about enlarging the coop this weekend. He has already done SO MUCH to set us up with the run, and I'm getting to that point where I'm about to max out the free labor.

I haven't been able to perceive the full pecking order just yet. I've seen all five of the chickens chase Ms. Jackson away from food, water, dirt, even weeds when there's a whole lawn for grazing. There are two who seem highest up on the social ladder...

You've been a huge help!

 

[Khalpers]

Putting coops together may help try adding an extra feed and water station and maybe some branches in the large part of the co-op for her to retreat to other than that the pecking order thing will most likely continue don't think it's a space issue

Thanks, Flock! We're working on adding some stuff in the run to give her space to hang out unmolested. She seems to be having a better day today! Rosie let her join in for a dust bath, probably because it's too darn hot to be mean!

 

[Khalpers]

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

Hi Boonie! The actual indoor coop space is 3.5' W 3.5' L, 3' H. With the screened in place underneath (including an outdoor roost bar that they've used a bit), the footprint is 7' by 3.5'.