Experienced chicken(layers) people, please help!

[cheryl h]

We are fairly new to this backyard chicken farming so my own experience is extremely limited. So, I think I know what the problem is but I need confirmation and my web searches have come up not dependable. They are pecking the heck out of each others tail feathers and I am having to spray Blu-kote on them about once a week to cover up their wounds. Not all the chickens have this problem...about half...and we are getting between 6-8 eggs a day.

 

I have 12 chickens in a 40 sq. ft.(floor space) coop with 4 nest boxes in the roost. Just in case it might matter: 2 buff orpingtons, 2 americaunas, 3 barred rock, 3 rhode island red, and 2 new jersey giants. The barred rock and reds are in the worst condition. When we first built the coop, I did some research and it seemed that the average recommendation was 3-4 sq. ft. floor space per chicken. We originally only had 10, then were gifted the 2 new jersey giants. They seemed fine until the last 2 months, then the tail pecking started and seems to be getting worse. We let them out to roam the yard for a few hours before dusk, and often let them stay the better part of the day in our fenced vegetable garden so they aren't always cooped up. The coop is cleaned often.

 

I did some research and this behavior seems to be typical of an overcrowded coop, but I also read that this may be a typical winter bordem behavior.

 

What do you think? Overcrowding? Bordem? They don't seem stressed based on the number of eggs we are still getting and they all have friendly temperments, but maybe I'm wrong.

[Tenaj]

We are fairly new to this backyard chicken farming so my own experience is extremely limited. So, I think I know what the problem is but I need confirmation and my web searches have come up not dependable. They are pecking the heck out of each others tail feathers and I am having to spray Blu-kote on them about once a week to cover up their wounds. Not all the chickens have this problem...about half...and we are getting between 6-8 eggs a day.

 

I have 12 chickens in a 40 sq. ft.(floor space) coop with 4 nest boxes in the roost. Just in case it might matter: 2 buff orpingtons, 2 americaunas, 3 barred rock, 3 rhode island red, and 2 new jersey giants. The barred rock and reds are in the worst condition. When we first built the coop, I did some research and it seemed that the average recommendation was 3-4 sq. ft. floor space per chicken. We originally only had 10, then were gifted the 2 new jersey giants. They seemed fine until the last 2 months, then the tail pecking started and seems to be getting worse. We let them out to roam the yard for a few hours before dusk, and often let them stay the better part of the day in our fenced vegetable garden so they aren't always cooped up. The coop is cleaned often.

 

I did some research and this behavior seems to be typical of an overcrowded coop, but I also read that this may be a typical winter bordem behavior.

 

What do you think? Overcrowding? Bordem? They don't seem stressed based on the number of eggs we are still getting and they all have friendly temperments, but maybe I'm wrong.

 

Not sure what's causing it - probably just trying to re-establish the pecking order but when we have that problem we put a red light in the coop. They can't see the wounds then and aren't attracted to them to continue the pecking behavior.

[farmgal]

I would suggest that you seperate the chickens that have been pecked from the "peckers" for lack of a better term. Yes, its a pain but they will eventually be killed by the offending "pecker". Could just be a dominance thing!? Not sure about the square footage, when I raised chickens the company had all that figured out. It still happens. I know that that is not a lot of help but once the feathers have grown back try putting everyone together again and see what happens.

[Susan in TN]

I have 7 chickens - their coop is about 3'x5' and the attached run is about 8'x5' - so they really don't have the recommended space either. Only 1 egg nest (we have 2, but they only use 1). Our city does not allow us to let them "free range", so they are always confined. They never fight except occassionally over a choice bug or other treat. We have 1 each of mostly what you have (and 2 rhode island reds).

 

Were they adults when you got them? If they weren't "raised" together from chicks, they may be fighting it out to see who is the "queen". I'm not sure how long that would last.

 

Do you actually see them fighting? Or are you just seeing the feathers? My Delaware looks like a freakish mess right now because she's molting - they usually do this time of year. White feathers all over and her bare skin showing. My first winter with them I was spraying stuff all over them thinking they were fighting but it turns out it was only molting. I think sometimes the other chickens peck at her just because she's the queen but is now looking "undignified". :D

 

I once read that it can be a good thing to put up a strong branch somewhere in the run so that if anyone is being fussed at, they can hop up out of the way and have a little "private space". I just leaned a strong tree branch in the run and that's where they sometimes go to perch while out of their coop.

[georgialee]

The recommendations are 3-4 sq ft of coop space and 10+ sq ft of run space - where they're allowed to roam during daylight hours. If they are in their coop the majority of the time (can't tell by your post how often they're outside) then it is way, way too small. Is there a reason you can't let them free range?

 

I will be the first to say that some of our coops are majorly overcrowded due to letting the chickens sleep in whichever pen/coop they want to, BUT we don't have problems b/c they're out free-ranging all day, every day.

[cheryl h]

Logistically, I don't think separating them is an option. I just don't have the resources to have 2 separate coops. I will consider the advise of the red light. We already have a light hooked up out there for a few hours after dusk, so I could switch out the bulb and reset the timer. It doesn't seem bad enough yet that any of their lives are at risk, and I don't think that cannabalism is a worry yet either.

 

With that said, if I didn't have to run around chasing chickens so I can spray their butts with antiseptic spray with purple dye in it that always gets all over my hands...that would be great too.:lol: I always get the weirdest looks when people ask, "What is the purple on your hands from?" "My chicken have bloody butts, so I have to spray them with antiseptic." :001_huh: Fun stuff.

[Marylou]

There is a "Chicken Coops for Dummies" book. Maybe your library owns it?

[beaners]

The recommendations are 3-4 sq ft of coop space and 10+ sq ft of run space - where they're allowed to roam during daylight hours. If they are in their coop the majority of the time (can't tell by your post how often they're outside) then it is way, way too small. Is there a reason you can't let them free range?

 

I will be the first to say that some of our coops are majorly overcrowded due to letting the chickens sleep in whichever pen/coop they want to, BUT we don't have problems b/c they're out free-ranging all day, every day.

 

I think this is the problem too. Our coop for 2 dozen chickens is twice the size of the OP's, but they also have a run where they can move around and flap and get away from each other. (And poop on the rabbit cages.)

 

A regular coop that size just doesn't have enough room for them to get away from each other or for them to occupy themselves with scratching up the ground or other chicken-y things.

 

If they were out in the garden every day during daylight hours they'd probably be fine, but not if they're in the coop more often than not.

[cheryl h]

We live on a 1/2 acre in a neighborhood of larger lots, so it feels more rural than it is. We just reclaimed/repaired damages done to the backyard by the dog and is finally a nice place to hangout, but not large enough to let the chickens go free all the time. I can't let them free range the yard because they tear it up, and too much poop in the yard, and they poop on the deck. I don't mind letting them stay in the fenced garden all day, when there isn't garden in there for them to destroy(like now), but there isn't any shelter from the weather (Oregon rain), or a place to lay eggs. It gets so muddy here from the amount of rain we get that if we let them free range, we wouldn't have any grass left by spring.

 

So, I need to either decrease the number of chickens, or increase their run space. I don't mind getting rid of a couple, but I would like to keep 10. Any less than that and it won't meet our need for eggs. I could possibly increase the run space some, but not until spring/summer. I have a 10 x 10 dog kennel that we used in the summer sometimes, but not sure how we could do it without them making a mess of things this time of year. Will have to brainstorm this with dh.

 

I think where we went wrong is that the books/websites I read gave far more details on proper coop size/chicken, and not much if any info on run size...hence our problems.

 

Thanks for all the great ideas...keep them coming.