Trouble with Chickens Getting Along

[chickennewbie38]

Hello there. As you can see by my username, we are chicken newbies and would like some advice. We acquired our first chickens several months ago, an Americauna, a Buff Orpington, Easter Egger, and Production Red. The Buff and Red have since passed mysteriously and the Easter Egger had a mite problem and we are trying to nurse her back to health. Anyhow, a few weeks ago we picked up four chicks to replenish: A Cochin, a Silkie, another Americauna, and a Rhode Island Red. They had all been living in the same wide tote, but somewhere along the line I noticed the others were pecking at a bald spot on the Red's backside. So I removed her and put her in a different tote. Sometime later I observed the Silkie bullying the Americauna by almost tearing out some of her tail feathers, so the Silkie found a new home in a different tote. That left the Americauna and Cochin in the same tote, and I didn't observe any problems with them until today when the Cochin tried to tear out some of Americauna's tail feathers. So all four chicks have their own totes at the moment. We're working on putting together a new small coop we got for them, but now I'm wondering if they'll even get along when we put them all in it. We don't even know if the Cochin and Silkie are hens since they were straight run. And they're not big enough to put in the main coop with the adult-ish Americauna as we're apprehensive she may peck them to death. Am I am just being overprotective/paranoid over all this, and should I just let them figure it all out(the four chicks that is, not the big girl yet)?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Some photos of your set up would help - it sounds like you're lacking in space with the totes and that combined with boredom is causing behavioral issues. How old are the chicks now? How large is the tote you started with (floor space, not gallons)? Having them all separated is not ideal as they're not being able to interact with one another.

Also what are you feeding the chicks, specifically, the protein %?

You also mentioned you're adding a "new small coop" for the chicks which is sort of a warning sign to me that you don't actually have space for safely integrating these birds in with the adults, regardless of how old they are. Photos of your overall set up?

 

[chickennewbie38]

 

[chickennewbie38]

They're around 7 to 8 weeks I believe.

 

[rosemarythyme]

The babies are well old enough to not be in a brooder, which is why they're showing behavior issues - they're too crowded and bored.

Also hate to break it to you but you're probably going to have integration issues as well... both coops are tiny and though the run may be big enough, it's completely lacking any hiding spaces to combat bullying/pecking issues and to give the chickens something to do other than pick on each other. This is a great thread explaining how "clutter" works in a run: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

The minimum recommended space on here is 4 sq ft per bird in the coop (that's the enclosed part, not the mini run that's included in the prefab) and 10 sq ft in the run - and many on here recommend going over the minimum as that is often not enough to stop problems from happening. So you'll need to get out your measuring tape and figure out exactly how much space you have.

 

[aart]

Neither one of those coops will hold 6 birds...both might work if run is improved.
..or you might think about making one coop/run combo in to all coop.

Here's some tips about...
Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.

Oh, and Welcome to BYC! @chickennewbie38
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!

 

[chickennewbie38]

The babies are well old enough to not be in a brooder, which is why they're showing behavior issues - they're too crowded and bored.

Also hate to break it to you but you're probably going to have integration issues as well... both coops are tiny and though the run may be big enough, it's completely lacking any hiding spaces to combat bullying/pecking issues and to give the chickens something to do other than pick on each other. This is a great thread explaining how "clutter" works in a run: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

The minimum recommended space on here is 4 sq ft per bird in the coop (that's the enclosed part, not the mini run that's included in the prefab) and 10 sq ft in the run - and many on here recommend going over the minimum as that is often not enough to stop problems from happening. So you'll need to get out your measuring tape and figure out exactly how much space you have.

Neither one of those coops will hold 6 birds...both might work if run is improved.
..or you might think about making one coop/run combo in to all coop.

Here's some tips about...
Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.

Oh, and Welcome to BYC! @chickennewbie38
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!
View attachment 1932582

Thanks for the advice, it's plain to see we were not at all ready to begin raising chickens yet. We are planning to extend the fence around the coop at some point to give them more space to roam around, and I'll plan to place some clutter(pallet and other things they can get up on) so they can have things to hop up on to get away. Not sure about getting any new larger coops as of yet, but something to think about.

 

[aart]

Thanks for the advice, it's plain to see we were not at all ready to begin raising chickens yet. We are planning to extend the fence around the coop at some point to give them more space to roam around, and I'll plan to place some clutter(pallet and other things they can get up on) so they can have things to hop up on to get away. Not sure about getting any new larger coops as of yet, but something to think about.

Your are not the first, so don't feel bad. At least you are in TX instead of MN.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Not sure about getting any new larger coops as of yet, but something to think about.

What you can try with the coops that you have is to convert them so the entire space can be used as a coop, rather than the existing enclosed area. A quick summary would be to remove existing inside walls, add new walls if needed over the existing wire mesh on sides that face prevailing winds/rains, then run a new roost bar lengthwise in the unit. Nest boxes may need to be moved down or removed/replaced. Since you're in TX you probably only need enough exterior wall to keep most rain and winds out and the rest can remain open to provide ventilation.