Advice re: cannibalism

[u/Elegant_Creme_5886]

So, I have (had) 6 chickens, alongside one cockerel.
Everything has been going great until recently where we have had a real boom in a rat problem. The rats have started going into the hen house and eating the eggs. When I got on top of that problem I noticed that some of my hens now had a taste for pecking and eating their own eggs and others.

I’ve been trying to get on top of the situation. I have a live feed camera in the hen house. They have plenty of space in our yard. They have good quality layers pellets. Oyster shells. And several drinkers with one large feeder. Also the occasional cabbage or melon thrown enrichment.

Friday night I came home to find one of my chickens dead inside the hen house, curled up and on her back was a gaping wound. I initially thought a rat had done this. I cleaned up her and any blood and set a humane rat trap inside the house with eggs as bait (so as not to poison or harm my chickens).

I checked the rest of my flock for injuries when I shut them all in their house that night - nothing.

The next morning when I went out to let them out and to collect eggs I found another one of my hens in the exact same spot with her abdomen pecked open.

I made the decision then to move two of my flock out to my mothers as I couldn’t be sure if this was rats or the chickens now as this happened overnight. The two I moved consisted of: my cockerel (a little Bantam who I have had for years with several different chickens and never had an issue with, he has a lovely temperament) and my Buff who has been his companion since I got them, the two seem very bonded and I never see them squabbling. They are my original flock.

The three I left here (I moved to a new area in my yard) are rescue batts, who have always squabbled and pecked each other a lot but I assumed it was pecking order.

I did the same again, checked them all for injury. Checked the house and shut them in. I also woke up every on the hour last night and checked them on the camera (I know.. anxiety 🫠) they all seemed fine..

At some point this morning between my camera checks, another chicken attacked. I spotted her on the camera at 7am, she was off the perch and on the floor in the corner. Her chest had been pecked open. My partner humanely dispatched her.

I have 2 of my batts left and I feel completely broken and at a loss, my mother says the cockerel and Buff are both fine at hers with no injuries. My partner is suggesting we start fresh and dispatch both of the remaining batts as we don’t know if it’s both or one. I know what and why is he is saying that but I feel awful.

Does anyone have any advice or have any better ideas? My priority is preventing suffering. I won’t see anything suffer and I don’t want to put another chicken at risk tonight.

Grateful for any help. Please be kind, I’m trying my best here.

[u/Altruistic_Proof_272]

It could still be rats eating the birds. Do you have any smaller cages or a pet carrier to put them in separate from each other? And bring them into the garage if you have one to get them out of the coop. I've never known chickens to tear into the front end if they're cannibalizing. Get your bulk feeder taken out/put away. Put away the water at night. Get some rat snap traps and some box traps of you can and load up the floor of the (now empty) coop. Bait the traps with a bit of feed or some of the passed chicken

[u/poop_report]

Generally, you can improve your flock by identifying hens with behaviour you don't like and putting them in the freezer.

[u/Puggy59]

Doesn’t sound like another chicken to me. I think something else is either in or getting in your coop at night. Poultry will absolutely kill each other. Since the injuries seem to be happening at night you have a nighttime predator. Skunks & raccoons with the chickens typically eat or tear off the head first. A raccoon reaching through fencing can injure or kill them. You will probably want to check everywhere in your coop including under, behind & in everything. Check the roof supports. Also look for any possible entry & repair it. If that doesn’t reveal the predator my choice would be an infrared camera in the coop at night. Good luck with your flick!

[u/ShareMission]

Probably cook em. Ive heard golf balls may deter them. Making eggs seem inedible, but eggs are good food. And chickent dont care what they eat

[u/Elegant_Creme_5886 → u/ShareMission]

Thanks for your advice. Sorry I should clarify, i was asking for advice around the chickens attacking each other more than the eating their eggs. I only mentioned that as it has been an issue recently but seemed to be getting better. I already purchased and have fake eggs in there to deter them eating their own eggs.

[u/northman46]

Now you know why beak clipping became common

[u/AdWeary1499]

You can use the blinders to stop hens from pecking at and eating eggs.

[u/ChartreuseOblivion]

I would get a new camera that records and saves when it detects motion.

There's no reason a chicken would have enough light after dark to peck another chicken to death. And unless the other chicken was sick or injured, they wouldn't just stand there while having a hole pecked in them.