First time adding new hens and a Roo

[Mediocretwinmom]

I acquired 4 hens a few months ago and they are a few years old. They are fairly large red sex links. Today I added 3 new 1 year old chickens. 1 roo and 2 hens. They are bantam Cochins. One of my rsl is really aggressive and is fighting the roo kind of aggressively it seems. Tonight I went to check and the 3 new ones aren’t in the coop. They were huddled together on the ground. Is this normal? What can undo to help?

the run is a 10x10 and has one coop that can fit several chickens.

 

[aart]

has one coop that can fit several chickens.

How big is this in feet by feet?
Dimensions and pics would help here.

Here's some tips about.....
Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.
Good ideas for hiding places:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

 

[Mediocretwinmom]

How big is this in feet by feet?
Dimensions and pics would help here.

Here's some tips about.....
Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.
Good ideas for hiding places:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

Thanks for the response! It is 10ft by 10ft rn. I will go out and take a picture in just a second. I don’t have any sort of decider but I can put a pallet in there for him to get away. I acquired this coop from a family member and unfortunately there’s not much I can do about the set up of it since he cut a large hole in it for the side door of the coop. I bought a large amount of wire to hopefully be able to create a run off the side of it.
The large hen gets a hold of the Roos neck and sometimes wing and tries to pin him down. He always gets away. I’ve never seen a pecking order take place so I’m not sure what’s normal and what’s too aggressive.

 

[aart]

It is 10ft by 10ft rn.

Yep, saw that ....but measure the coop too.

The large hen gets a hold of the Roos neck and sometimes wing and tries to pin him down. He always gets away. I’ve never seen a pecking order take place so I’m not sure what’s normal and what’s too aggressive.

Sounds normal, as long as she lets him run away, that's good.
He needs to be able to eat and drink too tho.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Setting up the new pecking order is going to happen when you add new chickens. Sometimes that is so peaceful you hardly notice. Sometimes it can be pretty violent. This is not just a pecking order fight though, I think it is about flock dominance.

What I think is going on is that the one red sex link hen is the current flock master of her little flock. When that bantam rooster came in he wants to be the flock master. She is having none of it, she wants to remain boss. Since he is a threat to her dominant position she will keep him in his place.

She is bigger than him. In the long run I don't think that is all that important, it is not that unusual for bantams to be dominant over full sized fowl. But right now she has a stronger will than he does. She will keep attacking until they work it out or one of them is injured or killed. The risk of injury is real.

So how is it likely to work out? He might accept her dominance, at least for a while. He is still relatively young, as he matures he might try to take over. From what you describe he doesn't have the will to stand up to her. He is more interested in running away than fighting for now.

Your set-up may be OK for seven chickens once they are fully integrated but integration usually takes more room than once they are one flock. A typical way chickens handle conflict is that the loser runs away. There may be some chasing involved but as long as they can run away it can have a good outcome. If they don't have enough room to get away the winner does not understand that they won, even if the loser squats down and tries to protect their head from being pecked. The winner just sees that as an opportunity to finish off an opponent. That's why having enough room for them to get away and then avoid the bully is important.

It will be interesting to see your photos but I don't think you have that much room. You can improve the quality of what room you have by adding clutter, things they can hide under, behind, or above to break the line of sight. It's pretty normal for my weaker ones to be up on the high roosts out of easy reach of the older ones on the ground or coop floor.

I hesitate to offer too many suggestions before I see those photos and know what you have to work with but keeping them in a pen next to the others so they can get used to each other without fighting could be a good move while you finish that extra run space.

 

[Mediocretwinmom]

Yep, saw that ....but measure the coop too.

Sounds normal, as long as she lets him run away, that's good.
He needs to be able to eat and drink too tho.

 

[Mediocretwinmom]

I added the pallet as recommended and also added an additional feeding station and moved the third watering station to the side where they seem to try to hide.

 

[rosemarythyme]

That's going to be a tight fit for 7. Integration is rough and really favors having more space than minimum, and your coop is definitely not built for 7. Actually, where do they sleep? The enclosed part looks like it's being used as a nest box, but I don't see any roosts?

Other issue is because you have the coop inside the enclosure, even though you still have 100 sq ft of floor space, it's being divided up into very narrow sections, which makes it difficult for the new birds to go anywhere without passing too close to an older bird, thereby encouraging more aggression. I'd strongly consider moving the coop out of the kennel, and then remodeling it so the entire unit can serve as a proper coop where everyone can sleep on roosts.

 

[Mediocretwinmom]

That's going to be a tight fit for 7. Integration is rough and really favors having more space than minimum, and your coop is definitely not built for 7. Actually, where do they sleep? The enclosed part looks like it's being used as a nest box, but I don't see any roosts?

Other issue is because you have the coop inside the enclosure, even though you still have 100 sq ft of floor space, it's being divided up into very narrow sections, which makes it difficult for the new birds to go anywhere without passing too close to an older bird, thereby encouraging more aggression. I'd strongly consider moving the coop out of the kennel, and then remodeling it so the entire unit can serve as a proper coop where everyone can sleep on roosts.

when I acquired them they had been sleeping in the nesting box for at least a year or two. So I didn’t realize they needed a roost. So, I will see what I can do about getting roosts in there for them. Thank you for all the great help!