Cannibalism – The Dark Side of Chickens

In a few of my post, I’ve alluded to the dark side of chickens-cannibalism, but haven’t gone into much detail. You bring these cute little fuzzy babies home but no one tells you about the dark side.

Sometimes, birds will gang up on the weaker members of the flock and kill them. I took a chicken class last weekend and it was explained that sick or injured birds attract predators since they are easy prey putting the entire flock at risk. Many predators will watch your flock a few days prior to attacking and will go after the weaker birds. So, to protect the flock, the chickens at the top of the pecking order will try to take out the weakest link.

Once this starts, it can be hard to control in a flock.

The other leading cause of cannibalism is stress. That’s right – chickens get stressed. Crazy?! Here are some of the common causes of stress in your flock:

Overcrowding

One of the biggest stressors is overcrowding. When this occurs, your birds will be unhappy and will start to pick on each other. It will start with feet and toes or even the back. Once they become more aggressive, they will pick the head and comb. When blood is present, it can get out of control quickly.

Chickens are attracted to red. Try wearing red toenail polish on your bare feet and see what happens. I’ve made that mistake before.Ouch!

When building your coop and run, your chickens will need 10 square feet per bird. However if they are free-ranging, you can get away with 3 square feet per bird. You should have 1 nest box per 3 hens and 12 inches of roost space per bird. The more room you can give your chickens, the happier they will be.

If you have smaller breeds of chickens, i.e. silkies or bantams, you can cut this in half.

Introducing new birds to your flock

Whenever you add birds to your flock, there’s a chance the pecking order will be disrupted. We’ve found when adding chicks, they will tend to be at the bottom. However, there will still be some pecking as the new girls try to find their place. The girls don’t want to lose their status and will quickly give a peck to let them know who’s in charge.

We really like adding a separate run inside the coop where the birds can see each other prior to integration. We’ve successfully added birds twice to our flock. Be sure and check out that post for more info.

Mixing different types of chickens

Sometimes you’ll have trouble in a mixed flock. Our daughter wanted a silkie, so of course we got one. Because she was much smaller than the other birds, she was picked on a lot.

Then, we got Clara, our Olive Egger. She has ear and beard tufts.Maybe she would be at the bottom of the pecking order anyways (because she’s so sweet), but I think because she looks different, they pick on her. I notice last year the girls would pick at her ear and beard tufts.

Also, different colored birds from your main flock may get picked on. If you have all White Leghorns and add a Rhode Island Red, she may get singled out.

This may be where the saying “birds of a feather flock together” comes from.

Hunger

Hungry birds will pick on each other. We are big believers in keeping feed out at all times. The girls at the bottom of the pecking order will be the last to eat. Therefore, we keep multiple feeders out around the yard so if they get run off there are other options.

If the girls don’t free range, be sure and keep the feeder in an open area and not in the corner. I’ve seen birds guard the feeders not letting the lower girls eat.

Unbalance Diet

If the birds are not getting a good quality feed, or you are feeding too many treats, this can lead to feather picking. Feathers are made mostly of protein, so if you notice them eating feathers, you may need to re-evaluate what you are feeding them and possibly up the protein.

When our girls were molting last year, I saw several of them eating feathers. Yuk! But their bodies need the extra protein to reproduce feathers.

Lately, there’s a weird rumor circulating that chickens are vegetarians. I even saw it on a poultry commercial. Chickens are omnivores and eat meat. They need protein for egg production.

Excessive Light

Constant or excessive light can be stressful to the birds. Because the egg cycle is dependent on daylight, some people may add light in the winter to encourage egg laying. If you decide to do this, allow at least 8 hours of darkness for the birds to rest.

We choose to let nature takes its course. I’m going to try and freeze some eggs this summer to use when our egg production decreases.

Predators

Chickens can sense when a predator is lurking, or a bird of prey is overhead. Additionally, if you’ve had a predator attack, the birds will definitely be stressed.

Boredom

When chickens are bored, they will pick on each other. If they don’t free range, place several boredom busters in the coop.

• Hang a head of cabbage like a tether ball
• An empty water bottle with holes and scratch inside
• Put a mirror in the coop
• Add leaves or grass clippings in the run to give them something different to scratch around in
• Buy some crickets from the feed or pet store
• Check out Pinterest for more ideas.

Prolapse Vent

Occasionally, a hen will suffer from prolapse vent. When laying an egg, the vent prolapses a small amount but should return to the normal position. If it doesn’t, part of the lining hangs outside the body. Other birds may peck at it causing injury and bleeding which could lead to cannibalism. If you notice any blood on the outside of your eggs, someone may have a prolapse vent.

Other Signs of Stress or Illness

Feather loss at other times than molting maybe be a sign of stress or illness or if your bird has suddenly stopped laying.

If you have an injured or sick bird, quarantine as soon as possible to keep the other birds from pecking her. Sick birds will be hunched over and puffed up. Occasionally, they will naturally separate themselves from the flock.

Monitor your birds during molting season. Birds may peck the areas that are not feathered.

If any of your birds have an open wound, you will need to act quickly. If you quarantine for more than 48 hours, the pecking order may be disrupted. You can apply Blu-Kote to the wound to help camouflage by dyeing the skin blue. Make sure to wear gloves when applying. Everything will be Blue!

Chickens can be brutal. There’s recent research that suggest chickens are descendants of dinosaurs. If you ever see them devour a snake or rat, you would believe it also.

Just apply the above practices with your flock and everyone will be happy and healthy. Check out my blog on chicken first aid in case you need it. Hopefully, you won’t!