Help, just lost 10 month old hen

[Wra]

could bullying really cause death eventually? i forgot to mention, one of them had runny stools frequently. i could not find out which one. we were using medicated feed for the first 6 months, switching to organic about 6 months ago.

 

[janiedoe]

could bullying really cause death eventually? i forgot to mention, one of them had runny stools frequently. i could not find out which one. we were using medicated feed for the first 6 months, switching to organic about 6 months ago.

Absolutely. Stress from bullying definitely can cause death. Did you notice if she felt very light weight. She was probably being kept away from the feed and water. She was probably hiding in a nest box most of the day.

 

[Wra]

You might consider expanding their rum somehow. If your run is around 5' wide and 12' long that is just about right for 6 smaller hens. For medium to large, it is very tight.

yea i was thinking about connecting it to a larger walk in run or getting another 3' x 5' section to add on. i do like moving it around the yard though its getting rather big to move at this point. i will need to think about that more. we used to leave them out most days all day long until the hawk got one. there was no bullying then. could bullying really have killed the hen?

 

[Wra]

Absolutely. Stress from bullying definitely can cause death. Did you notice if she felt very light weight. She was probably being kept away from the feed and water. She was probably hiding in a nest box most of the day.

she actually seemed pretty big. her stature was more low and wide. compared to the taller more aggressive ones. i didnt notice a weight difference but i wasnt paying close enough attention either. she seemed about the same id guess.

 

[Cheekysweetheart]

Thank you for your reply. It is an eglu mk2, with a 12' run. We used to free range them all day until a hawk got one, now we let them out for about an hour a day. We never noticed any pecking until they were in the run more. They did seem happier outside all day. just one waterer and one feeder. we give them kitchen scraps once a day as well. There is an Easter egger that was getting picked on a little bit in addition to the barred rock that just passed. They dont have a lot of hiding places in the run. there are two rooms in the coop, i did find her in the nesting box a lot.

If you're keeping them in the run most of the day then it's best to at least double the amount of space in the current run to avoid bullying. You need at least 10 square feet per chicken in the run if they're spending most of their time in it. You could add a second feeder and waterer so that the hens at the bottom of the pecking order have access to them in case the current ones are being guarded. Hanging some lettuce, cabbage or a treat block to avoid bullying from boredom is a good idea. The more bored and cramped they are the more likely they are to pick on each other. If there's a main bully put her in chicken jail for a couple days to calm her down.

 

[Eggcessive]

I have hawks here, and I just cannot make my chickens stay in their coop and run all day long. We have always had pine trees here and there and they loved to hang out underneath the trees. When a hawk would fly over they would run under the favorite tree and hide. You can set up tables or other things to give them a good spot to hide. When they are very young, they are more prone to getting picked off by hawks. But when they are big hens, most hens cannot grab them up and fly away. We lost a couple to hawks, but they never picked on each other due to having to stay inside the run all day. It is a trade off and not for everyone. Sorry that you lost your hen. Your state vet can do a necropsy to look for a cause of death. Here is a list of them to contact:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

 

[Debbie292d]

that is great to know. i had no idea. i will add a feeder and waterer. hiding place too. we move the coop around every month or so to get fresh grass. it was harder during the winter bc it was frozen down. we had a chicken swing in there but they didnt seem to ever use it. we took it out.

We use DE bi-monthly as a preventative, but when they get SLM (scaly leg mites) we've either done vaseline or Ivermectin. They seem to get those every couple of years regardless. DE doesn't stop those.