Snowingamanda
Songster
- Apr 14, 2019
- 141
- 224
- 112
Hi, I’m new to this forum. I had young chickens last year and had no problems with them until in the winter predators stole all of them. A few weeks ago someone gave me 2 chickens and another 2 weeks later someone gave me 4 chickens. These new chickens always crowd in the coop in one corner of the nesting box. I didn’t worry about it much until yesterday I found one of my chickens smothered in the corner of the coop, dead as a door nail. So I separated the nesting box from the rest of the cooo with a wire door to force them to stay at night in the coop. Now they all crowd and trample each other in one corner of the coop. Why do they do that and how do I stop them? I don’t want any more casualties.
PS - the coop is small, and the roosting beam is low to the ground, but they have a chicken run to be outside during the day, and only sleep in the coop at night. Thy also didn’t lay any eggs until recently, but do lay now (getting 3 eggs a day from 5 chickens). But even during the day most of them stay underneath the coop and don’t walk around much. We are in a California but it’s not hot yet - a very comfortable weather during the days and not too cold at nights either. I didn’t see any gangs around, just in case it matters, but I’ll spray some diatomaceous earth tomorrow just to make sure it’s not that... thank you!
PS - the coop is small, and the roosting beam is low to the ground, but they have a chicken run to be outside during the day, and only sleep in the coop at night. Thy also didn’t lay any eggs until recently, but do lay now (getting 3 eggs a day from 5 chickens). But even during the day most of them stay underneath the coop and don’t walk around much. We are in a California but it’s not hot yet - a very comfortable weather during the days and not too cold at nights either. I didn’t see any gangs around, just in case it matters, but I’ll spray some diatomaceous earth tomorrow just to make sure it’s not that... thank you!
