Winters Coming & Im Panicking

[RainyDayChickens]

Winters a couple months away for me, and when you get 4+ feet of snow and your chickens don't want to leave the coop, your stuck with a coop full of bored, feather pecking, cold chickens.
Last year my girls tore each others feathers out, so all year I've had not so pretty hens. And this year I dont want to make that mistake, I dont want ugly hens all spring and summer while I wait for them to molt just so they can pluck themselves all over again.
I dont mind some mild pecking, but when half the flock looks like naked necks or have a back full of missing feathers I start to wonder if I should even keep them.
I've checked for mites, lice, and any pests and I haven't seen any, my girls are all great at hygiene.
My flock consists of 24 chickens, 1 rooster who's a beifelder, a sweet boy who's scared of most anything, we got him last month when his previous owner already had a good rue and didnt need him.
and 23 hens of all kinds. 9 are chicks from this spring, and the rest are a year old or older.
I'm hoping Fabio (the rue) can help with the pecking, but I need more ideas for boredom busters in my coop, there's plenty of space, and I shovel snow so they can go outside, but even then they will peck and peck.
I've tried peepers (pinless) and hated the effects it had on the few hens who I tried it on, they would get dirt and dust clogged up on their noses, and overall had a hard time free-ranging.
So now I plan on loading my hens up on good treats all winter so they can be fat and happy without the need to rip eachothers beards and feathers out (yes, several of my americanas lost their luxury beards that winter)
But anymore help is GREATLY appreciated, fun game ideas for them, easy to make treats, or even ways I can get them to come out into the snow. Thank you!

 

[Folly's place]

Peace! Must have peace in the flock, whatever it takes. Everyone won't always get along, in spite of our wishes. We've removed birds who just didn't fit in, for whatever reason. And then avoided getting more of whatever breed wasn't a good fit.
So, no Polish, Silkies, or red sex links here. No Salmon Favorelles either, sadly. We figure out who we really want to have, and then adjust the flock to be compatible.
Mary

 

[MACCanadianCoop]

For 24 chickens you should have at bare minimum 96 square feet of indoor coop space and 240 square feet of run space. Since you have harsh winters and you know the birds don't like to go outside, you really should have double that amount of indoor space. Over crowding is absolutely the issue. Feeding lots of treats will not fix that; just make them overweight and bring on a whole other bunch of problems.

 

[3KillerBs]

the run use to be maybe 20 square feet,

That's enough run for 2 chickens.

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

 

[4timandlisa]

Could you post pics of your coop and run interiors and exteriors? I’m sure lots of suggestions will follow!

 

[Percheron chick]

What is "plenty of space"? Do they have a run? Is it covered? What is the diet?
You are leaving out important information.

 

[Ridgerunner]

This could be overcrowding. How high is up, how far is over there, how much space in feet is "plenty of space"? I've seen several posts on this forum where someone says they have lots of room but the real problem is overcrowding. I find it a lot easier to make meaningful suggestions if I know what you are working with. Otherwise we are just making wild guesses. How big, in feet, is your coop and run? Photos showing your set-up, inside and outside, could be really helpful. Since this is worse when they are confined to the coop and your shoveled run room has to be considered.

I plan on getting rid of a couple nasty hens who won't stop pecking.

To me this is an excellent move. I don't know if it will solve all of your problems but I agree to solve for the peace and health of your flock. If they are constantly pecking they are a danger to your flock, worse than disrupting their peace. This could lead to cannibalism. Pecking can be a learned behavior so they may be teaching others.

I don't keep individual chickens, I keep a flock that can have moveable parts. I manage them for the benefit of the flock.

I'm hoping Fabio (the rue) can help with the pecking, but I need more ideas for boredom busters in my coop, there's plenty of space, and I shovel snow so they can go outside, but even then they will peck and peck.

I've never seen a rooster take an interest in stopping feather picking. Good luck with that, you never know what might work. And shoveling snow, my back hurts just thinking about it. How much do they go outside after you shovel? Where do you see the worst of the pecking behavior? Is there a specific spot or time?

Snow is not the only thing that can keep them inside. Mine really hate a cold wind. They will be outside when it's below zero Fahrenheit if it calm, but if a cold wind is blowing they are not going to be out there. Wind blocks might reduce the amount of snow you have to shovel plus may increase the time they can be out there.

Some people have some success getting their chickens outside by putting something on top of the snow for them to walk on. That could be wooden pallets, straw, or hay. It's not the snow that mine hate, sometimes they go out foraging in snow for the plants that are sticking up. It doesn't bother them to walk in snow. It's the change that mine don't like. If mine wake up to a white world, that's a big change. If the snow falls during the day and they are already outside, the snow doesn't bother them. I also find it helps if they have a reason to be outside, which probably means food.

To me the best boredom buster is extra room. That's why so many people, including me, talk about it so much. Without knowing what you have already and what you have to work with try adding things they like to do. One thing they do is perch. Can you add some perches? They like to scratch. What scratching opportunities can you provide? Usually they scratch for food so maybe scatter some treats in the bedding.

 

[WIchickMama]

If you are able to roof your run and put plastic around the perimeter, then they would be able to go outside all winter long. This is what we do at our house, there might be a few feet of snow on the ground but their run is the same as summer just colder and they don't seem to mind one bit. They come out all day long, dust bathe and just enjoy the fresh air-and when the sun comes out it is like they are on the beach soaking up that sun.

I don't believe you need to fatten them up, I think they just want/need space.

 

[tripletfeb]

I agree, dimensions of coop and run will help. And pictures, it will help us come up with suggestions for them

 

[sybonbon]

I have one EE who is the lowest in the pecking order. She continues to have no beard or neck feathers. I've tried everything.And snow days have nothing to do with mine. Space or entertainment is not always the problem. It happens sometimes. You can always tell who's higher in the pecking order. They are beautiful and untouched.