[equinelover]

good evening. this may be a question better suited for the back yard chicken board but i thought i would ask here. the last three years i have had chickens. just a few not too many. the young batch of chickens i bought earlier this year are pecking at each other. to the point that they remove the back of the skin from the other young birds their age. the older birds were separate from the younger birds. the last of them was killed by something last weekend. no more older birds. no more egg layers. it is bad enough to be concerned about predators but them killing each other. this is the only batch that does this. something wrong with this batch ? there is plenty of food and water.

the pen is pretty much varmint resistant but whatever still can open the top board and take a few. i do not have the money i need to fix this yet. a better coop is what i want. but the problem of them pulling the skin off of each other problem may still exist. current pen is 2x4x2 . wood top with wire mesh on sides and wood floor.

 

[PrincessKraken]

How many chickens do you have in the 2x4x2 area?

 

[equinelover]

good evening. i have six young chickens in the pen. this is where i keep them at night. during the day depending on the weather they free range. when they free range i am usually with them or near by. they are brought in at night. the first two groups were easy to catch. this third group is not easy to catch. they are a mix of red black and white birds. the first two groups were all hens and i think this group is all hens too. they are supposed to be egg layers. thank you.

 

[robbiec]

I've had my chickens attacking and eating my baby turkeys... but never other chickens. What breed do you keep?

 

[equinelover]

the first and second year the group of chickens was leghorns and red and black sexlinks. the third group this year is white leghorns. a back and white feather bird that may be cornish. the red ones are comits i think.

 

[PrincessKraken]

That is too many chickens in too small a hen house.

You want 2-3 sq feet in the house PER bird.

 

[Rosesandtea]

Use gentian violet on the sore backsides. It's both an antiseptic and the violet blue color does not attract further pecking like red does.

If you don't have gentian violet handy blue food coloring will work to mask any bloody or sore areas and deter pecking.

 

[Jax]

I agree with PrincessKraken above. Make sure you have enough room for them to roost off the ground too. Good luck!

 

[equinelover]

i will look in to that gentian violet. i am in the process of building another pen. what i want is a 8x8x6 walk in type coop. not able to afford it now. was going to sell their eggs and use the money for that. so much for plans. when they start to grow their comb is when i put them out side in a larger pen. the first and second group would get out by flying over the fence. two foot tall fence made of wire. because of the predators recently i have been keeping them in the smaller pen with the wood roof.

appreciate the advice.

 

[Ramona M. Faunce]

Your chickens are board. When they get board they peck on each other. If blood is drawn, that's like claning the bell for dinner and they all come to the table hungery.

Put some torn news paper bits in the pen for them to beck at. If one bird gets a sore, place a bit of tar on that sore and remove them from the pen till it heals.

Chickens peck at specks. I have freckles on my legs. Chickens think it is something they need to peck at. I now wear long pants in their pens.

 

[letsgetreal]

Yes, chickens are cannibals.......if chickens breaks an egg, they will eat every egg.....if they get too hungry, they will eat each other......pigs are the same way.

 

[grandma]

BYC recommends 4sq. ft per bird in a coop and 10sq. ft per bird in the run. If hens are too crowded they will peck. Once they get started doing this, it is very, very difficult to stop them.

 

[labotomi]

My grandmother used to put coal tar on the birds backs when this started happening. I guess it worked or she wouldn't have kept doing it.

 

[bridgierapa]

Let them go free during the day.

Every day you can for as long as you can. from dawn till dusk if you don't have anything that'll eat them during the day. This lowers their stress levels immensely and you'll find they're far more laid back. They also have the ability to get away. If you're not careful you'll already have some pullets in there so utterly subservient they crouch to be pecked.

Basically it's not boredom, it's stress.

 

[equinelover]

that is what i usually do is remove the bloody one till they heal. with the first group i built an outdoor pen or run for them with fence. but they kept flying out since it had no roof. so
i just let them free range. the second group i let them free range. this third group also i let out. about the same as the second group. i do not know why they would have more stress.

the birds that i have now are not fully grown. they are about half size and just starting to grow their combs. is that space recomendation only for fully grown birds or does it include the younger birds ?

when they got older i let them stay out in the run. something still got them no matter where they were.

 

[letsgetreal]

Clipping their wings will keep them from flying........even just one wing.

 

[PrincessKraken]

that is what i usually do is remove the bloody one till they heal. with the first group i built an outdoor pen or run for them with fence. but they kept flying out since it had no roof. so
i just let them free range. the second group i let them free range. this third group also i let out. about the same as the second group. i do not know why they would have more stress.

the birds that i have now are not fully grown. they are about half size and just starting to grow their combs. is that space recomendation only for fully grown birds or does it include the younger birds ?

when they got older i let them stay out in the run. something still got them no matter where they were.

The foot print is for once they are out of the brooder.

 

[equinelover]

ok out free range as long as possible it is.

appreciate the advice.

 

[HaroldWayneHamlin]

Let them go free during the day.

Every day you can for as long as you can. from dawn till dusk if you don't have anything that'll eat them during the day. This lowers their stress levels immensely and you'll find they're far more laid back. They also have the ability to get away. If you're not careful you'll already have some pullets in there so utterly subservient they crouch to be pecked.

Basically it's not boredom, it's stress.

sounder advice was never given. It applies to humans and other animals as well.

Later
wayne

 

[n2h2o]

way too small of an area for the hens. commercial birds are debeaked so they wont peck each other.
let them out daily and build a bigger coop for the nights... or stop buying chickens.. as hard as it is.