Two against one

[RNPAULIE69]

I have three girls a buff orpington a welsummer and a speckled Sussex that I have had since May of 2017. They have always gotten along beautifully to the point that I had no idea who was boss the whole entire last year. I do have a small Coop it's only about four feet by three and a half feet I have one Roost bar that's about 40 in and since they came home they have not used more than half of that Roost bar they are always huddled together, even in the warm weather. They have ample space that is protected and covered and secure. besides the coop they have an 11 by 4 run that's covered attached to the coop , they have a five- by 5 addition off that and then they have a 7 by 14 addition off that. They just went through a very hard first molt and I noticed that they were very crabby with me and each other understandably. I have observed a few chest bumps here and there.. first ones in a year and a half and an indent in the coop shavings every morning. I went out to the coop one night to see who was making the indent in the shavings and it was my speckled Sussex sleeping alone underneath the roost. when I opened the door I think she felt safe enough to jump up on the roost because I was there and the other two immediately started pecking her feet to make her jump off. There are no drafts in my coop. I keep the door open into the Run and they are free to come out when they are ready in the morning. I don't notice any bullying when they are out in their pen just in the coop. Should I be concerned it is getting very cold and the speckled Sussex seems to be okay every morning but I'm worried that she's being forced to sleep by herself. I could add another Roost but she would still be sleeping by herself . is this normal after they go through a molt they have the Dynamics change a little bit?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

It does sometimes happens. Everyone is cranky and uncomfortable during a hard molt. Also sometimes they are more comfortable sitting in a nest box or on the floor during a molt. I occasionally get one who starts that during the molt, than I have to break that bad habit afterwards.

I think as long as you aren't seeing any blood I would stay out of it. Make sure you are feeding a higher protein ration, 18-20% during the molt so they don't become protein deficient, which can also cause aggression.