Tips to prevent boredom and bullying?

[SomeChookLover]

Hi everyone,
There is currently bird flu in my state, and recently it’s gotten too close for comfort. My chickens are normally free range, but they will be locked up until it’s safe to go out.
The problem is I have 14 chickens, including 3 roosters. The spacing is not ideal. They will not have a run (working on it) and will probably get grumpy.
It also doesn’t help that the flock is quite unstable, as the alpha hen doesn’t act like it. One of my hens is also partially blind and experienced bullying in the past (though the main culprit is gone now).
All that to say, does anyone have any tips to keep them entertained so they won’t become start bullying each other?
Any advice is welcome and appreciated.

 

[Debbie292d]

There really isn't much you can do to entertain a chicken that's overcrowded, as the easiest thing for them to do is pick on each other. Plus, if they're already crowded, you wouldn't want to put more things in there taking up any floor space. Each chicken should have 4 sq feet in a coop, and 15 sq feet per bird in a run.

That said, since you're sort of stuck right now, I'd put an extra feeder and waterer at the other end, so there's more than one place for them to get it.

You could also drill a hole through a cabbage or just a bunch of kale and hang a couple of those high enough so they can reach it but not get themselves caught up in whatever you're tying them up with. A wooden ladder wouldn't take up much room or a pallet propped up on one end so they could go on it or under it. That's about all I can think of that takes up the least amount of floor space.

Is there plenty of roosting areas for them all? You could maybe put another one in there.

Good luck and I hope they all behave themselves! I have a partially blind silkie, and luckily, nobody picks on her. I'd hate if that happened!

 

[igorsMistress]

I agree with multiple feed and water locations. You can add clutter so that it breaks line of sight and they can get away from each other. Old chairs, tables, pieces of scrap wood. Give them things to hide behind but try not to create a dead end into a corner, always give more than one way in and out.

I would be concerned about the roosters together in a small space at this time of year. Even in a run, that’s not the same as running around free where they can stay out of each other’s way.

Help them mimic what they do when they’re out. Straw on the ground and a cup of scratch with some dehydrated mealworms or bugs is a simple way to do it. Provide extra places to roost where they can get away from each other. A vertical 2x2 with a few horizontal pieces attached is a good way to add them without taking up too much space.

Good luck to you and your flock, I hope everyone does well.

 

[SomeChookLover]

There really isn't much you can do to entertain a chicken that's overcrowded, as the easiest thing for them to do is pick on each other. Plus, if they're already crowded, you wouldn't want to put more things in there taking up any floor space. Each chicken should have 4 sq feet in a coop, and 15 sq feet per bird in a run.

That said, since you're sort of stuck right now, I'd put an extra feeder and waterer at the other end, so there's more than one place for them to get it.

You could also drill a hole through a cabbage or just a bunch of kale and hang a couple of those high enough so they can reach it but not get themselves caught up in whatever you're tying them up with. A wooden ladder wouldn't take up much room or a pallet propped up on one end so they could go on it or under it. That's about all I can think of that takes up the least amount of floor space.

Is there plenty of roosting areas for them all? You could maybe put another one in there.

Good luck and I hope they all behave themselves! I have a partially blind silkie, and luckily, nobody picks on her. I'd hate if that happened!

Thank you for your reply!
I’ve tried to figure out the area of the shed but I think my maths is a bit wrong since I got 258 square feet which doesn’t seem right. I’m not really familiar with feet though so I don’t know. The shed they are in was initially made for calfs so it is decently spacious. Definitely not enough for foraging and exercise but it’s not the worst.

I’ve already got water everywhere (Australian summer) but i have some makeshift feeders that I can put up as well.I’ll definitely try that with the cabbage and kale, that’s a really good idea.

We recently did a perch renovation so good on that front. They can go under everything except the feeder and food storage.
I’m glad to hear your flocks kind to your silkie! My hens mostly adjusted to living in the flock again which was her choice, but she has little chicken PTSD
Thank you again for your reply.

 

[SomeChookLover]

I agree with multiple feed and water locations. You can add clutter so that it breaks line of sight and they can get away from each other. Old chairs, tables, pieces of scrap wood. Give them things to hide behind but try not to create a dead end into a corner, always give more than one way in and out.

I would be concerned about the roosters together in a small space at this time of year. Even in a run, that’s not the same as running around free where they can stay out of each other’s way.

Help them mimic what they do when they’re out. Straw on the ground and a cup of scratch with some dehydrated mealworms or bugs is a simple way to do it. Provide extra places to roost where they can get away from each other. A vertical 2x2 with a few horizontal pieces attached is a good way to add them without taking up too much space.

Good luck to you and your flock, I hope everyone does well.

Thank you for your response.
I’ve already got plenty of water around and can add two more feeders.
There’s already a few barriers as the shed is broken into two rooms. There’s also a place under some of the nesting boxes and behind the food storage.
I don’t know how much more I’ll be able to add, as sometimes snakes get into the shed, and I need to be able to spot them before I’ve stepped on them. I’ll see what I can do though.

I’m also quite worried about the roosters. The top rooster is quite aggressive to the lower two, and the lower two have been fighting a bit. There is a smaller cage I could put one in.
I can definitely work on replicating outside. We’ve got a lot of hay and grass and it’s pretty easy to get some bugs they like
They’ve got quite a bit of roosting space, but I might check and see if there’s good branches around anyway.
Thank you again for your advice.

 

[igorsMistress]

Thank you for your response.
I’ve already got plenty of water around and can add two more feeders.
There’s already a few barriers as the shed is broken into two rooms. There’s also a place under some of the nesting boxes and behind the food storage.
I don’t know how much more I’ll be able to add, as sometimes snakes get into the shed, and I need to be able to spot them before I’ve stepped on them. I’ll see what I can do though.

I’m also quite worried about the roosters. The top rooster is quite aggressive to the lower two, and the lower two have been fighting a bit. There is a smaller cage I could put one in.
I can definitely work on replicating outside. We’ve got a lot of hay and grass and it’s pretty easy to get some bugs they like
They’ve got quite a bit of roosting space, but I might check and see if there’s good branches around anyway.
Thank you again for your advice.

Wishing you the best with everything, it’s rough dealing with this flu business.

 

[aart]

I’ve tried to figure out the area of the shed but I think my maths is a bit wrong since I got 258 square feet which doesn’t seem right. I’m not really familiar with feet though so I don’t know.

How big is coop in meters by meters?
That and pics would help here.

There is currently bird flu in my state

What state is that?

 

[Daisy June]

Hi everyone,
There is currently bird flu in my state, and recently it’s gotten too close for comfort. My chickens are normally free range, but they will be locked up until it’s safe to go out.
The problem is I have 14 chickens, including 3 roosters. The spacing is not ideal. They will not have a run (working on it) and will probably get grumpy.
It also doesn’t help that the flock is quite unstable, as the alpha hen doesn’t act like it. One of my hens is also partially blind and experienced bullying in the past (though the main culprit is gone now).
All that to say, does anyone have any tips to keep them entertained so they won’t become start bullying each other?
Any advice is welcome and appreciated.

That's a tough situation. If you don't have perches, try putting some up. I use old broomstick handles. If you do, add another one. You could also try to find a sturdy and interesting fallen tree branches and set one on the ground.

 

[LaFleche]

With only 14 hens I would choose just one rooster to stay and get rid of the other two.
This will lower the stress level considerably.