crowded roosts

[Kymarose]

I may have found the answer to my question by reading the "cannibal chickens" post, but I want to ask here to verify my conclusion. If the roosting area is crowded will chickens kill others on the roost? Here's my situation. My birds have plenty of free range space... about 1 1/2 acres during daylight hours. At night they are housed in three different areas.... a building that once was three horse stalls. We put screening up, screen doors on and close them in at night. They can choose which of the three areas they roost in. One.. however.. is most popular and with this springs bantam hatching the roost has become crowded at night. This past week, three mornings in a row, I found a young bantam dead as if she fell off the roost. The bantam age is around 10-12 weeks. So... if that particular roost is too crowded, would the older bantams kill a younger one if fighting for the favorite roosting space? How would I ever encourage them to roost in one of the other roosting areas?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

[Evy]

Chickens are creatures of habit & will choose the same spot every night. Your option would be to bodily put newcomers in a different place & restrict their leaving for a couple weeks.

I doubt they're killing each other. I'd sooner suspect they're forcing the newcomers off & some predator, mink, rat, etc., is getting them while they're sleeping on the floor. Check the necks for tiny puncture wounds.

[Kymarose]

Thanks Eve for your reply. There are wounds on the top of the head and around the neck. The night enclosures are secure from opossum, raccoons, skunks... and creatures of that size. Mink..? maybe, or rats. I didn't think we had mink in this area... Western Oregon. Would rats kill and not eat the bird?

Hummm... now how to kill the rats without getting my birds?

[Kymarose]

I have another thought. Until this year I have kept geese in that pen during the night. Only one pair of China geese. They cry out and make their own racket.... possibly in the past they have scared away night time small predators? Maybe I should bring the geese back in that pen to see if the killing stops.

[MKG]

What about weasels? They can get in some very tight places and tend to suck the blood and leave the carcass.

[Evy]

Originally Posted by Kymarose

Thanks Eve for your reply. There are wounds on the top of the head and around the neck. The night enclosures are secure from opossum, raccoons, skunks... and creatures of that size. Mink..? maybe, or rats. I didn't think we had mink in this area... Western Oregon. Would rats kill and not eat the bird?

Hummm... now how to kill the rats without getting my birds?

I should have mentioned weasel instead of 'etc'. They can go anywhere a mouse can & take down a standard chicken. Yes, there are mink in every state. You're just not apt to see them.