by Kim Berg, CoopCrate staff writer
No one wants to see their precious hen being bullied by another. Though bullying can happen among a flock, it may not be the only reason for occasional pecking to occur. Don’t mistaken your flock establishing its pecking order with bullying.
The pecking order determines each chicken’s place in a flock. Age, personality, and assertiveness typically structure a pecking order. New members are typically placed at the very bottom of this pecking order, but they can rise to their rightful place in a matter of time. This usually stops after the chickens find their appropriate place among the flock.
If you notice your chickens are ganging up on one or two hens outside of the pecking order, this may be a sign of bullying. Here are 4 common causes of bullying and how to stop it.
1. Stress
Yes, chickens get stressed out too. Some common events that can stress your chickens out are: loss of a chicken, a new addition to the flock, change of feed, change of environment, predators, and other minor (or major) disturbances. Stressed chickens will typically go off lay for a few days. Other signs are being quieter than usual and showing aggression towards other flock members.
If your chickens are stressing out, make sure they always have a clean food and water supply. Add a new member to the flock with caution, and be there to comfort your chickens during any difficult times if they seem to be going through something.
2. Overcrowding
Much like humans, chickens like their personal space too! Overcrowding is one of the leading causes of bullying in chickens. It’s not unusual to see keepers impulsively buy or hatch chickens and end up with too many chickens to handle. That’s when the bullying starts. If chickens don’t have a proper amount of space, they’ll end up getting on each other’s nerves and eventually lashing out on one another, especially in the winter.
The simplest way to prevent bullying from overcrowding is by giving your flock more space! Chickens should each have a minimum of 4 sq.ft per chicken in the coop and 8 sq.ft per chicken in the run to avoid any potential aggression from breaking out. If you have a larger flock, consider adding additional coops, feed and water stations to ensure everyone is getting what they need.
3. Boredom
Feather-picking tends to become much more common in the winter months, when chickens have less to do. The less entertained they are, the more likely they are to start picking on someone. If you notice this is the case for your flock, try having more than one feeding and drinking station to ensure the bullied can still get food and water. Also try to break up the boredom by adding more toys and other entertaining items to the coop. One simple trick we recommend is hanging a cabbage or cucumber by a string!
4. Sickness
If one of your chickens is sick, the rest will instinctively try to separate it from the flock. This is to prevent spread and keep the rest safe. If you notice one of your chickens is being bullied due to an illness, remove it from the flock immediately! The last thing you want to see is your entire flock getting sick. Once you remove the sick chicken, you can treat it accordingly. Just make sure it has access to food and water in the separate enclosure, and that its illness hasn’t already spread to the rest of the flock.
No matter what’s causing a certain member of your flock to bully another, there are certainly steps you can take to put a stop to it. Keeping a close eye on your flock’s behavior is the best way to catch any signs of bullying early, lessening the effects of it. As the keeper of your flock, it’s your responsibility to make sure everyone gets along!