Will chickens still fight in the dark?

[Honeybee22]

I'm having bedtime fights breaking out between my 3 oldest chickens. Something just clicked and now 2 of them want the 3rd out of their sleeping spot. They are all friends in the day, but at night it's a 2 on 1 scenario... And the hen getting beat up tries to sleep with my other chicken groups (I have 3 groups of chickens that all sleep in their own section of the coop) , but she obviously can't get comfy because she always ends up going back to her old bedmates.

So tonight I hung around and poked the bullies everytime they went after her until they gave up and just laid down.

I usually have a little light on, so I've turned that off tonight.

Do you all think that'll keep them from fighting? I've heard their night vision isn't the greatest, so I'm really hoping this will keep the peace at bedtime.

 

[azygous]

Chickens can no more see in the dark than us humans.

Conflict at roosting time is one of the favorite pastimes of chickens. I'm convinced they look forward to it, and the more bickering they are involved in the more satisfied they are. At least it seems that way at my place.

I have one hen who manages to get settled on a perch, seemingly content. I walk away and finish up chores while the rest file in to roost, and every darned night, this hen starts screeching and raising a big fuss, trying to change her position on the perch. She ends up on the ground because she literally pushes her mates too far and they get fed up and dump her off the perch.

My advice is to be sure there are adequate perches for everyone and leave them to work it out for themselves. If things are getting so toxic that this hen ends up out in the run trying to sleep there because of the conflict, then you will need to take steps to mitigate the problem.

 

[chickens really]

I have a Couple that hate the conflicts of who gets to sleep where..One sleeps on a 2x4 nailed to tree stumps in the corner of the Coop and the other sleeps in a nest Box..The rest all sleep on the Roost as they should...I let them do as they please...Its not me who has to live with them..They are all happy....

 

[theoldchick]

Keep the light off. Roosting privileges are a common cause of conflict. Make sure you have plenty of room in your coop and perches to spare.

 

[jak2002003]

Do you have perches for them to fly up and roost on, or are they sleeping on the ground?

They need thick perches to fly up and roost at night and won't be happy or safe on the ground.

Put several perches in there... all at the same height to prevent fighting for the highest one.

There will always be bickering, pecking and throwing each other off the roosts each evening anyway... its all part of chicken life!

 

[Honeybee22]

This morning all was well when I went to let them out for the day.

A couple nights ago, the fighting had escalated to a bit of a bloody mess. Chubs' (the bullied hen) face was a little swollen at the time and her comb was nipped, but she looked great today when she came out of the coop. No new injuries and completely healed up.

I have 3 perches for 9 chickens. I got my chickens in groups of 3, and those groups have always stuck together. Each group has their own roost, but I think I'll extend the roost that's causing all the problems... Plus I'll be leaving the light off for good measure.

Thanks for all the advice!