- Mar 29, 2008
- 11
- 0
- 22
Do not leave a bloodied bird in with the others they will peck it to death!
When I introduced adult hens to my flock they all fought like mad. So I made a temporary enclosure for the new hens by driving some poles or rebar stakes into the ground and circling it with chicken wire. I made it inside the main chicken yard and put in something for the new birds to roost on. The new hens would fight with my original hens but none of them could get seriously injuried and they could get away from each other. At night after they roosted I put the new hens in my dark and closed chicken house with the others. In the morning I would put them back in their enclosure. Over the course of a week or two the hens had grown somewhat use to each other. They still had to squabble but the major fighting like gladiators was over.
The rooster may be another matter. I've found that adult hens that weren't raised with a rooster may have a hard time adjusting. I had one hen get the skin entirely ripped off the back of her skull by a rooster. The other hens mercilessly pecked her bloodied head. (She survived but it took alot of care, careful cleaning, and neosporin.) Good luck!
When I introduced adult hens to my flock they all fought like mad. So I made a temporary enclosure for the new hens by driving some poles or rebar stakes into the ground and circling it with chicken wire. I made it inside the main chicken yard and put in something for the new birds to roost on. The new hens would fight with my original hens but none of them could get seriously injuried and they could get away from each other. At night after they roosted I put the new hens in my dark and closed chicken house with the others. In the morning I would put them back in their enclosure. Over the course of a week or two the hens had grown somewhat use to each other. They still had to squabble but the major fighting like gladiators was over.
The rooster may be another matter. I've found that adult hens that weren't raised with a rooster may have a hard time adjusting. I had one hen get the skin entirely ripped off the back of her skull by a rooster. The other hens mercilessly pecked her bloodied head. (She survived but it took alot of care, careful cleaning, and neosporin.) Good luck!
