Resource guarding keeps derailing my flocks. Can't crack the code!

[thecatumbrella]

You have one of the Omlet coops that just have a floor with slats to kind of "roost" on, rather than an actual raised roost bar, right? Some people add vertical dividers along roosts when birds aren't getting along - I'm sure you could bodge something similar in your coop. I'd be tempted to try just shoving some cardboard in to make a wall from one side/back out to the centre, folded into as many layers as it needed to make it rigid enough to stay wedged between the floor and the ceiling. Or is it one with a divider and a separate nest area already?

Exactly. This is the inside of my coop. I do like the divider idea, but I'm not positive how to pull it off in such a tight space. We don't have time to build a coop before winter, but I've been looking at a larger prefab that might allow that option. It would also have vertical roosts, rather than just something lying on the floor.

Younger chickens or new additions will often learn to go and roost later on, once the others are starting to sleep and it's getting too dark to see enough to bother the latecomers.

This is part of the problem. My bottom bird has made it a habit to go to bed 30 minutes before everyone else. More seasoned chicken keepers (like yourself) would probably let them work it out, but I'm a huge softie that finds it hard to watch (so stop watching, right?). Also, I should clarify that it's not actual feather picking. More of an escalation on being "asked to leave".

Is the coop door open all night if it's in a secure run, or do you close the coop itself too?

It's open very late because of the tight space. I want to give her a chance to escape and reset once it's darker, but she's pretty stubborn about her geriatric bedtime.

I'm definitely torn between trying to make a few changes and just giving up. Winter is bearing down on us, and I want to give them time to get settled in a rehome before the temps drop. The group will be splitting up. Both are going to homes with a rooster to help mediate disputes.

I appreciate all the different ideas. Even if I don't use them now, it will be more tools in my toolbox should we decide to try again with another flock. Admittedly, I have no idea what that flock would look like. The Pekins were supposed to be a slam dunk in the docile department. Ha!

 

[thecatumbrella]

For anyone interested, this video demonstrates the sort of FOMO + pecking order behavior that drove Hornet to madness. This is inside of their basement coop (story for another thread, aka Bad Luck Bantams). I've since added an additional feed/water station. The dynamics in the run play out similarly, with Hornet "forgetting" she can eat from a different feeder and becoming frustrated when she can't share with Poppy.

Now, here's the result of Hornet becoming more protective around food. She's dragged her misplaced animosity into the coop at night. Keep in mind, the 3 of them had been settled in this position for FIVE MINUTES before Hornet started searching around in the dark for Clover.

To complicate the drama further, the two of them are now buddy-buddy snuggling on a roost bar in the run this afternoon. Now if only they could just sleep outside when it's -20F, I'd be golden!