Re: Bullying in the Coop

On Jul 18, 2:13 pm, "Jill" <n...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

11.5 feet by 11.5 feet is tiny as a full time, non-changing, space for 8
mixed breed chickens, I am afraid.

I have 17 pullets and 1 cockerel in 134 square feet of indoor space
with an outside roofed confined area of about the same space. There
are roosts in the coop itself and 3 long branches hung as to make
perches in the outer area. While there is definitely one of my ladies
who is lowest on the pecking order, I understood that to be normal,
and she has places she can go where the others will leave her alone.

My California Whites are the most aggressive and will be heading for
the stew pot soon unless their behavior changes, but it is not for
lack of space. One of them simply yanks feathers out of meanness.

I don't let my chooks out more than half an hour a day because we live
on property backing up to the woods and have raccoons, opossums, feral
dogs and cats, foxes, hawks, and the occasional mountain lion here and
I cannot be out all the time to supervise them. However, they do get
a chance to be out and about, and once we have the time we are making
a run that will give them an additional 300 square feet of space.

Some chickens, I fear, are simply more aggressive than others
regardless of the setup or circumstances you keep them in. Most
places I've consulted say the space we have is more than adequate as
long as there is a place or two where the more meek of the flock can
seek refuge.

Trisha in MO

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