Winters Coming & Im Panicking

[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.

 

[RainyDayChickens]

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.


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'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.

Thank you so much for all the suggestions and tips! They have approx 12ft X 6ft of an indoor coop, and the run use to be maybe 20 square feet, but I've added a whole new section for them that's doubled the space.
I've just added tons of new perches for them to explore includingan old ladder and about 7 diffrent roosts at diffrent height levels, which has Definitely helped, but one hen still goes out of her way to chase and attack so she's definitely leaving this fall.
I normally shovel out a path so they can go out and perch on a couple logs I have in the run, but like you said, they don't like any sudden snow overnight, but if its coming down on them they seem to spend more time out.
I'll try putting up some things to block the snow, and im hoping the lilac I planted will get big enough to make some wind blockage.
I've tried hay, but its so expensive in my state due to drought, so im thinking about trying to place panels on top of the snow to create some escape for them. I want to put in a chicken swing and a Teepee for them to climb and play on.
They get lots of scratch, and I bring them warm oatmeal on colder days as a treat, some hens rather peck feathers than scratch so im gonna try more activities like hanging cored apples and making them some extra protein treats like scrambled eggs and tuna.
I'm hoping it's not overcrowding, I still plan to get rid of about 4-5 this year, maybe more if I still don't notice change.
Again, thank you so so much! I'm only on my 4th year of keeping chickens, I used to only have 4 before I moved, so as my flock grows my work grows and im Learning so much

 

[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.

 

[Mrs. K]

One really can’t keep everything. One cannot wish them happy. The pecking is telling you there is too many. Laying hens are easy to sell. While it is hard to part with them, the ones that are left will be so much happier and relaxed.

You have tried the clutter, I am positive you are feeding them. So really your next option is to reduce the numbers. I see you added chicks this year, and a rooster, but I don’t see any subtraction. It is good to add each year, but one needs to subtract. Chicken math has to work both ways because the coop and run don’t change size.

If you had trouble last year, and you basically doubled your flock, it is going to be a very ugly winter regardless if you hang apples or not. Food will not solve this.

Sell more than 10. The number you had last fall was too much, hence the feather picking. Your total number needs to be less than last year.

Mrs k

 

[3KillerBs]

For 24 chickens you should have at bare minimum 96 square feet of indoor coop space and 240 square feet of run space.

96 square feet is 8x 12 -- and only unobstructed floor space counts so if nests, feeders, etc, are occupying floor space you have to subtract that. That's the size of a small bedroom.

240 square feet is 12x20. That's the size of a single car carport.

If you want to keep a flock that large, think of a small bedroom next to a carport in terms of the space you have to have. If you can't provide that kind of space you're going to need to reduce your flock to suit the space you have or you will continue to have problems.

If you're going to push margins you at least need to go with breeds that are listed as "tolerates confinement" -- that is, bred for commercial production under caged layer conditions. Any breed that is listed as "active forager" or "good for ranging" is not going to handle tight spaces well.

 

[Folly's place]

Also, adding a real roof to a larger area, as the run, makes it all a coop, so winter snow is no longer an issue for them. Expensive, yes, but consider it a project that helps in keeping a larger flock.
For now, everyone has it right about overcrowding. Move some of your birds on elsewhere!
Mary

 

[RainyDayChickens]

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.

I think I dont know how to properly measure square feet, because I know for a fact I have enough run space for 24 chickens, it would mostly he indoor space i

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.

I think I missed typed and miss counted because I feel like I have atleast enough room for 10 hens

 

[RainyDayChickens]

I terribly miss counted, my coop and run are much bigger than 20 sq feet

 

[Folly's place]

Good! Still move your difficult hen on to someone else, with full disclosure.
Mary