Adding a single hen UPDATE: finally doing better!

[Chickenmaven]

There's "mean" and there's cornered-and-pecked-to-death. If it is the former, that's normal. Chickens WILL run after others and poke them in the head. I would suggest that you take time to observe & figure out if you are afraid they will kill her. Then she must be saved.

My sweet, sensitive DD drives me bonkers with her over-concern about normal chicken behaviors. I tell her that if there's blood, THEN I want to hear about it.

 

[CMV]

I had a hen that had to be removed from her small flock for 2 months to heal up a nasty wound. I didn't think she was going to survive, but she did. Then when I tried to reintegrate her into the flock it was a disaster. I tried to get her in for about 3-4 weeks, but it was a no go. The others just kept attacking her until they ripped open her freshly healed wounds and I conceded defeat. She had to be re-homed. I hope you have better luck than I. Have you tried removing the biggest bully from the flock to see if the others are just being egged on? I tried that and it slowed down the beatings, but not enough in my case.
Good luck and I hope you find a solution.

 

[NellaBean]

Unfortunately, the most aggressive of this flock.....are replaced by others as soon as I remove them. I had posted when they were young about what I saw as overly aggressive behavior...when I integrated the last batch....but then it was 6 of the more aggressive ones vs 6 of the less aggresssive ones. So it was split more evenly. But some of the girls really "throw down". Last time they would chest bump and then start fighting and eventually one of the girls would grab the other by the back of the head and pin them down. The girls even took down the giant cockerel this way (he is 4 times bigger than they are now, and I have not noticed any more pecking now that he can step on them and squash them).

This time it is less "fighting" and more pecking to death. It did not seem to be pecking to show themtheir place...more like cornering and pecking pecking pecking pecking with the others running over to join in once she was squawking.

If all else fails I will integrate her with the 7 younger ones...she is more aggressive towards them, because of the size difference, but in a larger pen, now that they are getting much bigger....I think it would be okay. I plan on having split flocks, so it would not be the end of the world if she did not work out with this current flock, but would sure make my life easier until I get the new coop/run built. She will eventually move into the younger kids flock no matter what...but so will the most aggressive of the girls in the other pen. My Jersey Giant roo is SO HUGE, I am going to take all the "small" girls away from him and give them to the Blue Andalusian and RIR roo.....


I am wondering if, when the younger ones are closer in size, mixing the two flocks ALL up will help integration. Like, taking half of one flock and half of the other and swapping them. Or if that will just cause a crazy melee......

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I would add HER to the chicks domain (since it is not HER territory she may be ok with them) then after she gets used to the young ones put them back in her area. If she is sweet like you say and she if feeling lonley after evil roo is gone she may be ok. I wouldn't throw her in with the big hens though. Either that or like someone else said...add one of the bigger hens with her in HER area.

 

[HickChick Wannabe]

How big is the pen you're introducing them in? A space that's too small can increase the aggression too. A large space with things to duck around and help her escape would help. Can you introduce them in a "free range" setting? Then it's more neutral territory, with more escape opportunities, if necessary. Or perhaps introduce one in a neutral territory, then keep those 2 in the small pen until your other coop is ready, or rotate them, introducing one or 2 from the flock to her at a time in this neutral setting until everyone has worked out their pecking order and she's not so new anymore.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I am wondering if, when the younger ones are closer in size, mixing the two flocks ALL up will help integration. Like, taking half of one flock and half of the other and swapping them. Or if that will just cause a crazy melee......

This would prob be a bad idea and even more work for you when they all start pecking and maybe causing injury to one another. I would just keep it as is...they already have their pecking order established don't want to stress them out by mixing everything up if you don't have to IMO.​

 

[KrisRose]

I would try to add her to the young ones, since that is the flock she will be with. Hanging Wit My Peeps has a good suggestion.

If you still want to put her with the other flock then I would try your second option. Pull 2 to 3 hens from existing flock and place with your RIR in the 4x4 coop. Try to include one of the top hens in this group and one or two of the wimpy ones. This will change the pecking order of the existing flock and freak out the ones that you pulled to put with your RIR. When you reintroduce the group there will be more "targets" as other posters have stated. Also when reintroducing, pull the roo and the 3 more aggressive hens and place them in the 4x4. Keep them on their toes. I am suprized that there is such a problem introducing a new pullet when your flock is so young.

As always watch and make adjustments as needed, especially those top hens.

I have been through this with a single hen that was about 2 years old at the time I tryed introducing her to my flock. Very heartbreaking to see her attacked by the roo and then have the hens join in. I have also had to pull her out from under a gang that were intent on pecking her to death.

By the way, the "put her on the roost at night and they won't remember if she belongs here in the morning" method probably only works under special circumstances. Chickens certainly do remember who belongs in there flock. They don't work out the pecking order every morning to see who will rule that day. I would imagine it is more a matter of fitting in to the flock. If you did this method with your RIR pullet and your flock contained a fair number of RIRs AND the new member did not freak out, will then it might work.

Good luck.

 

[NellaBean]

Well it has been another month so I thought I would update.

I have continued on in the same pattern. I still do not have the new pen built (although it is partially finished!), so I have continued to put the lone girl in her 4x4 pen every day. When I get home from work I let the big group out loose in the yard, along with my lone girl. They can free range "together".......although they still pick on the lone girl. There is just plenty of space for her to get out of their way and she mostly stays at least a few feet way from them, so there aren't any major problems.

I do put them all in the big coop together at night. I usually leave the door open when they are all loose and they all put themselves to bed when it gets dark. She roosts next to the 3 cochins (bottom of the pecking order) away from the higher up girls. I let them out an hour or so after sunrise, and up until then, my lone girl has started sitting on the nesting box unit right under the window, waiting for me to come let her out. That keeps her up off the floor and mostly out of the pecking range of the other group. It is pretty darn cute to come around the corner and have her sitting looking out the window waiting for me

I plan on finishing the new pen this weekend and will move the 11 week olds to the old pen, along with my lone girl. The new pen is quite large (16x24) and I have posts in to split it into two long pens (8x24) with an extra 8x8 pen that will be on right next to the existing 8x8 pen. This will give me 4 separate runs all next to each other that I can rotate through and use to combine groups a bit better.

She still happily runs to her little day pen all by herself every day. And then just as happily runs out of the pen to go "free range" with the group after work. I did an experiment today and let her and none of the others out to "free range". She was just as happy to be out and about by herself as she normally is with the others. So it is more her wanting to be out in the yard scratching than her wanting to be with the other chickens.

I think she will enjoy the younger group once they are all settled. There is another red girl in that group for her to hang out with, along with a red boy (4 girls and 1 boy that are blue andalusians)



I do find it interesting that I have been at this transition for close to a month and a half with no real improvement. I would still not trust leaving them alone together in the smaller coop/run all day.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Well rats. I am having a similar problem. But with a white crested polish hen. They almost killed her and would have but the DH caught it before it got that far.
So, we tried to reintroduce her and they immediately started to peck her to death again.
She is in a bird cage right now. Well rats. I can't let her free range because the hawks, fox or dog might finish off the job the mean hens and roos started.

 

[The Zoo]

It took me over 2 months to integrate my EE roo and hen with my BPR hens. And even now the hens don't let them on the roosting poles at night and they sleep in a corner. At least they're in the coop though.
Keep us updated!