Borderline Bullies

[fvnewbie]

I am a new chicken owner this year. Got 4 Rhode Island Reds and 4 Buff Orpingtons in two time periods so raised them separately until recently. The Orps are 3 months old and the Reds are 3.5 months old. The Orps are not drawing blood but terrorize the Reds constantly. They corner them in their coop so they can't eat or drink and cause enough stress that I'm worried that when they do get to egg laying age, they won't lay due to the stressful condition they are living in together. The coop is huge - plenty large enough that that is not an issue. I've tried putting one of the Orps in an isolation cage inside the coop and that hasn't worked so far. Outside of giving the 4 Orps away, I am at a loss as to what to do... I've spent so much time raising them thus far, it kills me to give them up. But I feel it's not fair to the Reds to keep them. Any thoughts or suggestions are very welcome.

 

[2ndTink]

Hmm, my experience was with one chaos creator so I isolated her for a few days and reintegrated. When it's 4, I don't know if 4 isolation cages would work or not.

Can you add hiding places for the RIRs in your coop and run? Obstacles they can hide behind and having multiple feeders and waterers?

 

[Mrs. K]

Post some pictures of your set up, often times we can see things that will be of help.

So many times the run is a big flat rectangle with a huge feeder and water in one place. This causes a couple of problems. Every bird can see every other bird 100% of the time. There is no place to get away from each other, or more importantly, out of sight. And they can see who is trying to eat.

Adding a bunch of clutter, it may look like less space to you, and there should be so much, that it rather impedes your walking. Pallets, up on blocks where chickens can get on top, or underneath are good, ladders, roosts, saw horses, several different heights, makes use of the vertical space. Large pieces of cardboard, or small pieces of ply wood - to make mini walls, all provide a place where a bird can step out of sight. A large rubbermaid tote, laid on its side, feeding inside and behind it is a good idea.

Then add more feed bowls or even piles of feed on the ground. It does not have to be fancy. Dog dishes are just fine, but tuck them behind a piece of cardboard, under a pallet. Your goal is to place them so that a bird eating at one feed station cannot see a bird eating at another. I generally have a feed bowl for every 3-4 birds. I have ten birds right now, in the beginning - I had 4 hidden bowls, now I am down to two, cause they are getting along.

Do measure the coop, what seems like enough room, just might not be so.

Pin less peepers also might be an idea to investigate.

Mrs K

 

[fvnewbie]

Hmm, my experience was with one chaos creator so I isolated her for a few days and reintegrated. When it's 4, I don't know if 4 isolation cages would work or not.

Can you add hiding places for the RIRs in your coop and run? Obstacles they can hide behind and having multiple feeders and waterers?

Thank you for responding. I'm losing my mind... I've already put multiple feeders and waterers out and there are several roosts and chairs in the coop/run combination. Funny that all I am reading here is that RIR are the aggressors... but it's opposite here.

 

[fvnewbie]

Post some pictures of your set up, often times we can see things that will be of help.

So many times the run is a big flat rectangle with a huge feeder and water in one place. This causes a couple of problems. Every bird can see every other bird 100% of the time. There is no place to get away from each other, or more importantly, out of sight. And they can see who is trying to eat.

Adding a bunch of clutter, it may look like less space to you, and there should be so much, that it rather impedes your walking. Pallets, up on blocks where chickens can get on top, or underneath are good, ladders, roosts, saw horses, several different heights, makes use of the vertical space. Large pieces of cardboard, or small pieces of ply wood - to make mini walls, all provide a place where a bird can step out of sight. A large rubbermaid tote, laid on its side, feeding inside and behind it is a good idea.

Then add more feed bowls or even piles of feed on the ground. It does not have to be fancy. Dog dishes are just fine, but tuck them behind a piece of cardboard, under a pallet. Your goal is to place them so that a bird eating at one feed station cannot see a bird eating at another. I generally have a feed bowl for every 3-4 birds. I have ten birds right now, in the beginning - I had 4 hidden bowls, now I am down to two, cause they are getting along.

Do measure the coop, what seems like enough room, just might not be so.

Pin less peepers also might be an idea to investigate.

Mrs K

Post some pictures of your set up, often times we can see things that will be of help.

So many times the run is a big flat rectangle with a huge feeder and water in one place. This causes a couple of problems. Every bird can see every other bird 100% of the time. There is no place to get away from each other, or more importantly, out of sight. And they can see who is trying to eat.

Adding a bunch of clutter, it may look like less space to you, and there should be so much, that it rather impedes your walking. Pallets, up on blocks where chickens can get on top, or underneath are good, ladders, roosts, saw horses, several different heights, makes use of the vertical space. Large pieces of cardboard, or small pieces of ply wood - to make mini walls, all provide a place where a bird can step out of sight. A large rubbermaid tote, laid on its side, feeding inside and behind it is a good idea.

Then add more feed bowls or even piles of feed on the ground. It does not have to be fancy. Dog dishes are just fine, but tuck them behind a piece of cardboard, under a pallet. Your goal is to place them so that a bird eating at one feed station cannot see a bird eating at another. I generally have a feed bowl for every 3-4 birds. I have ten birds right now, in the beginning - I had 4 hidden bowls, now I am down to two, cause they are getting along.

Do measure the coop, what seems like enough room, just might not be so.

Pin less peepers also might be an idea to investigate.

Mrs K

Thanks so much for responding. I just posted pics... it is a wide open coop that they are both sharing. The coop is 20'x9' approx.