Combining Pullets with Layers....

[P-Dog]

Sounds like pretty normal pecking order behavior to me. They just need some time to get used to each other.

So no need to separate out the flocks? In a way that seems like just postponing the inevitable. They have to work out their own hierarchy regardless of what I do to stop them.

(If separating them will help, though, I'm willing to try it.)

 

[junebuggena]

So no need to separate out the flocks? In a way that seems like just postponing the inevitable. They have to work out their own hierarchy regardless of what I do to stop them.

(If separating them will help, though, I'm willing to try it.)

If they've been living within sight of the Orpingtons for awhile, you're probably at the point where you just have to let them sort things out.

 

[P-Dog]

My 2 pullets have now been with my 2 hens for 5 months, and they are not friends, nor do I expect they will be. The hens were free range until predators attacked. The pullets are replacements for the 2 that were lost. We started out dividing the coop and run with inexpensive plastic mesh when the pullets moved outdoors at 2 months old. This necessitated making a 2nd door in the coop. After another month, the mesh was removed. The hens blame all their woes on the pullets, but it's the #2 hen that is the meanest. The youngsters are savvy about staying out of the way, and that's just the way life is for them. The hens are molting and the pullets, now 7 mo, have not yet begun laying. We have all this chicken drama to deal with and I'm buying eggs! Anyway, as other members have said in forums on integrating new members, unless there is blood involved,
leave them together to work it out. It will probably be fine.

Yikes! Your poor girls. No blood so far. We ended up taking the big girls out of the coop for two nights and putting them in the goat pen to try and make them less territorial of the coop. It sure made the pullets happy. Today they reintegrated. I've given the pullets plenty of places to hide and there is no bloodshed. Two feed buckets. Two waterers. It seems to have made the big girls *slightly* less aggressive. They aren't running over to peck the younger girls anymore. We'll see how it goes.

The goats come home tomorrow, so that pen isn't an option anymore. Now we have to let nature take its course.

 

[FridayYet]

Sounds like you are off to a good start. Hope it continues to go well.

 

[P-Dog]

One of the pullets laid an egg yesterday! I'm so proud. There hasn't been an egg that small in the coop for a year.

 

[SueT]

yay!!!
One of our hens finally started laying again after the molt....she's laid 5 in a week. No one else.

 

[P-Dog]

[/IMG]

And the chickens are all doing okay together. Still hang out as two flocks most of the time, but sleep all mixed together on the roost.

 

[P-Dog]

 yay!!!
One of our hens finally started laying again after the molt....she's laid 5 in a week.   No one else.

Awesome! Is it typical to molt in the winter?

 

[Lomasi]

So I'm new to chickens this year and I had a broody hatch 10 eggs for me in September. I made a pen inside the coop out of hardware cloth. I stapled on end to the wall, brought it out 2' then down about 4' and back in to the wall and stapled that end. Then added bedding food and water. I actually did this when she was sitting to keep the
others from sitting on her. So they hatched and grew inside that little pen in full view of the flock. Eventually I let them out and mama took care of them totally, includING when to take them outside, etc. They integrated with no problems. I did this again with 5 babies I bought from a friend. It worked as well with them except they don't have a momma so its been harder for them to integrate. They are 13 weeks old and tend to stay inside all day but the dominant one acts as the scout and goes out now and then.

 

[SueT]

Awesome! Is it typical to molt in the winter?

They usually have their first molt around 18 months, and then every year in the fall, --you can find forums on molting with lots of helpful info.