Category Archives: The Chicken Wars

When I went out today
To check for chicken eggs
I found a angry bunch
All standing on two legs

The leader was disgruntled
The others very mad
I wondered at the anger
For I’d done nothing bad

And then I saw the problem
The thing that sparked their ire
The hose that brought the water
Was dangling from the spire

I smiled and thought how silly
I laughed a little too
But then I saw their faces
Such rage was in a few

I coughed and said “I’m sorry”
I shuffled both my feet
This made them very angry
So I gave them a treat

I tried to reconnect it
But that hose just wouldn’t work
So I brought them an old dish
And got a livid smirk

And while I stood and watched them
One slowly came my way
I thought it came to thank me
How wrong I was this day

The little blond came to me
Then came a red so sweet
And then, before I knew it
They pecked my hands and feet!

The Truce, apparently, has ended.

Gone are the days of peaceful co-existence among the old and new hens. Fights are breaking out in the pen, in the yard and in the coop.

Squawking hens can be heard all day, disturbing the peace and scaring the frogs into silence.

The cats don’t even go near the coop anymore. It’s that bad.

Of course, they don’t do much fighting in front of us. When we go out to feed them some scraps or collect eggs, they act like nothing is wrong.

But I can see the missing feathers.

The red raw backs from pecking beaks.

The terror.

I thought they had come to a peaceful coexistence. There were no outward signs of discontent. In fact, they seemed to be working together to tear down the vegetation when we moved them and to seek out the bugs and grubs.

So what happened?

After researching on a few of my favorite chicken blogs, I have come to the conclusion that it is one of two reasons: turf wars or boredom.

Now that all hens are full-grown, there may not be enough room for the Nine Blondes, the Scabby Gal Duo, the Ruffled Feather Trio and the Bully in the coop.

The rule of thumb is 4 sq. ft. per bird, including coop and run but excluding laying boxes and food area. We built a coop that comes out to 52 sq. ft. After considering the space needed for the laying boxes and food, we need roughly 64 sq. ft.

It may not seem like such a shortage, but that means that three birds are fighting for space. And, if three birds are starting fights, 12 birds are defending their turf.

It’s enough to start a war.

I’m pretty sure this is why new battles have broken out. We’ve put measures in place to build another 8×8 pen that we will somehow attach to the current system–a new peace treaty in the works.

But, in the meantime, I’m blu-koting the girls with open sores and providing some extra stimulus: a honey-coated paper towel roll dipped in their feed, a bell and a ping-pong ball.

All three ‘toys’ are in the playpen, enticing the girls to play.

So far…complete fail.

The war has resumed
The carnage returns full force
Time to build the pen

Our chickens, who were laying on average 10 eggs a day, have suddenly halted production and reduced their output to a measly 3 eggs a day.

The first day we got 3 eggs, we thought that maybe the hens were just having a bad day and they’d be back at it again after a good night’s rest.

On the next day we collected 2 eggs.

The day after that 1.

We opened the coop to see if they’d been stashed in a corner. Nothing.

We looked for signs of discontent.

They had enough food, their water was clean, we’d moved them on to fresh grass and their bedding was dry.

They all seemed to be getting along…finally.

We were treating their scabby, red and sore looking backs using Blu-Kote to kill fungus and provide a barrier against further attacks. And, while they didn’t appreciate our method of application, they did seem to find some relief from the bright blue coating.

So what is the problem?

Did we give them too much watermelon? They had two entire watermelons over a three day period…maybe it was too much of a treat all at once.

Are they getting enough calcium? We switched them to organic feed over a month ago. They seem to like it, but maybe they need additional nutrients.

Are the new layers just a little temperamental while the older hens are moulting? This seems like a possibility, but it seems odd for all six old gals would start moulting at once.

Are they on strike?

We are at a loss as to what is hindering their egg laying.

Any ideas or suggestions would be MUCH appreciated.

Sincerely hoping for an answer to this mystery,

Eggless in Illinois

The hens are on strike
Egg production has gone down
What is the problem?

Chickens love watermelon rind.

They eat it down to the outer green shell.

I’ve seen fights break out over one small chunk with barely a trace of fruit left on it.

They love it.

So when I tossed pieces of rind from an entire melon into the playpen…the Old Ladies went a little nuts.

I stood back and waited to see if the New Gals would join in the fray.

They peaked out the coop door and ever so slowly, started down the ramp.

One made it all the way into the pen and then hightailed it to the back corner, hoping to go undetected. The Old Ladies were so busy gorging on their treat that they didn’t even notice.

That is, until she got brave enough to venture a peck at the rind.

By the time they were finished punishing her for daring to dine with them, she was cowering on the ramp–both from embarrassment and fear.

Thinking they had successfully beaten the usurpers, the Old Ladies went back to their feast.

Then, something miraculous happened.

The one I’ve named Elinor stepped out of the coop.

She looked at me as if to reassure me that all would be well.

Cautiously, she creaped down the ramp.

I held my breath, waiting for the inevitable to happen.

When she made it all the way down, she stood with her head held high and her beady eyes fierce.

At first, only one of the Old Ladies noticed her standing there. She squawked at the others, alerting them to the usurper’s presence.

All six birds raised their heads and stared at her with disdain. Who was this young upstart who dared challenge them?

But Elinor, brave and courageous Elinor, stood her ground.

After what seemed like an eternity, the staredown abruptly ended and the Old Ladies continued devouring the rind. Elinor took a few cautious steps and managed to get a piece for herself.

Being a generous gal, Elinor pulled the small morsel back into the coop to share with her sisters.

As I walked back to the house, I felt the blossom of a small kernel of hope. True, there was still a long way to go for all 15 birds to get along, but the Old Ladies were on their way the from hostility to indifference.

A truce, it seems, has developed.