{"id":1645,"date":"2019-04-07T09:39:18","date_gmt":"2019-04-07T14:39:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chikchikchicken.com\/?p=1645"},"modified":"2019-08-21T20:15:27","modified_gmt":"2019-08-22T01:15:27","slug":"cannibalism-the-dark-side-of-chickens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chikchikchicken.com\/index.php\/2019\/04\/07\/cannibalism-the-dark-side-of-chickens\/","title":{"rendered":"Cannibalism \u2013 The Dark Side of Chickens"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a few of my post, I\u2019ve 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once this starts, it can be hard to control in a flock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other leading cause of cannibalism is stress. That\u2019s right – chickens get stressed. Crazy?! Here are some of the common causes of stress in your flock: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overcrowding<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chickens are attracted to red. Try wearing red toenail polish on your bare feet and see what happens. I\u2019ve made that mistake before.Ouch! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Chickens<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have smaller breeds of chickens, i.e. silkies or bantams, you can cut this in half. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introducing new birds to your flock<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Whenever you add birds<\/strong><\/a> to your flock, there\u2019s a chance the pecking order will be disrupted. We\u2019ve 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We really like adding a separate run inside the coop where the birds can see each other prior to integration. We\u2019ve successfully added birds twice to our flock. Be sure and check out that post for more info. <\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mixing different types of chickens<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes you\u2019ll 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Clara,<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n

This may be where the saying “birds of a feather flock together” comes from. <\/p>\n\n\n

Hunger<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the girls don\u2019t free range, be sure and keep the feeder in an open area and not in the corner. I\u2019ve seen birds guard the feeders not letting the lower girls eat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unbalance Diet<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If the birds are not getting a good quality feed<\/strong>,<\/a> 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lately, there\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Excessive Light<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We choose to let nature takes its course. I\u2019m going to try and freeze some eggs this summer to use when our egg production decreases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Predators<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Chickens can sense when a predator<\/strong> <\/a>is lurking, or a bird of prey is overhead. Additionally, if you\u2019ve had a predator attack, the birds will definitely be stressed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boredom<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When chickens are bored, they will pick on each other. If they don\u2019t free range, place several boredom busters in the coop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n