Adding hen and rooster to 2 hen/rooster flock.

[CyndiChick]

We have an EE hen and a barnyard mix roo who are the same size as our smallest hen in the main coop. We've had them in an adjacent pen so they have seen/gotten to know each other (in fact, they were in an adjacent pen from the time they were out of the brooder). The younger hen/roo we want to put in with the main flock so we can have the other pens for the cochins we will be breeding. Every time we put them in with the older ones though, they get pecked and hassled. No blood or fatalities but they go after the rooster every time. They are ignoring the EE hen for the most part, and she's just hanging with the barnyard roo. The big roo is pretty much ignoring them both unless they run straight at him. We have a second food and water bowl in there so they can get to it. My question is how long should we leave them in there before we say it ain't gonna work and yank them out? Its the first time we've had to try adding new ones in, and I have no idea how long I should give them to establish their pecking order. The two newbies are so nervous in there and I don't want them totally stressed out.

 

[Judy]

Most people just let them sort it out if they are not drawing blood. Separate food and water is a good idea. If you can, you could add a hiding place or two. Or put them all together in a place that is strange to everyone, such as a garden before planting time. Or offer treats when you put them together.

 

[CyndiChick]

Blood has been drawn... Crazy hen pecked off part of the EE's comb. The two mean ones are now in the "sin bin" for a day or two then we will retry integration. Have nesting box food and water in there and a roost but it's basically lockup lol

 

[CyndiChick]

Ok so I let the two mean hens out yesterday, and they haven't stopped pestering the EE yet. They are pulling out her feathers, but haven't drawn any more blood. Poor gal is always nervous and runs if the two older hens move. I now have 3 feed bowls, and 3 water bowls in the pen becaue they keep guarding the two that were in there. Getting very frustrated now because we don't have enough separate pens and I have 12 pullets that will be in the grow out cage starting this weekend so I can't use it to separate them out anymore. She's the same size as the two of them but hasn't made any move to stand up for herself and its to the point wherethey are starting to double team her. Grrr! Don't know what to do!

 

[rookiefarmers]

Can she be integrated with the pullets? I had a runt and a girl with a leg deformity that were bullied endlessly, so I put them in with the younger batch and low and behold they fit right in. They babies love them like sisters and when we introduced the two groups, there was strength in numbers and no one seems to notice them anymore than any of the other littles.

 

[CyndiChick]

Hmm I might have to try that. I can keep her separate til they are out of the brooder and into the growout pen. I think the growout pen might be a bit small for her though... its 3 feet tall, about 5 ft long and 4 ft wide. Its fine for the chicks, but I don't know if she'll be ok in there with them? There are 12 pullets going in that growout pen this weekend, Should I put her in there with them then? (Sorry if I'm asking stupid questions- we had two full grown hens given to us when we started and never had any problems putting others in til now!)

 

[aart]

......its 3 feet tall, about 5 ft long and 4 ft wide. Its fine for the chicks, .... There are 12 pullets going in that growout pen this weekend, Should I put her in there with them then?....

That's not much room for 12 chickens....even young ones.
Do you free range at all? How big are your other pens?

Might just be a space problem....the more room the better, especially when working out pecking orders.

 

[rookiefarmers]

^^ x2

 

[CyndiChick]

The main coop the two hens and roo are in is 14x16 and 9 ft tall. We have two breeding pens on either side (outside the main coop) that are 8x4 and 5 ft tall. The growout pen is just for the pullets we have that are about 3 weeks. I went and measured it and it is 7x5 and 3 ft tall. The friends that gave us the original set of chickens have a smaller area than our main coop and have 12 full grown in there. They can't get out due to our dog and 3 neighbors with nasty pitbulls (nothing against the breed, these are trained to attack everything they see.) and hawks, various predators, and idiots who steal them out of our yard. We have had 8 in there with no fights or squabbles.

 

[Mrs. K]

if you are shortly going to be adding the 12 in the grow out pen, I think I would get rid of the two that you are trying to introduce now. I don't think it is going to work. And I really don't think you have enough room for them, the original flock and the new chicks.

You may have better luck adding the chicks, cause it is easier to add a bunch to a flock. But another hint is to make sure that there are hideouts in the run, a pallet leaned up against the house, or on blocks, a roost in the corner of the pen. Multiple levels allow hens to get away from each other. Smaller opening, can let a smaller bird escape to a place where the larger bird can't chase her.

good luck, mixing flocks can be a trick, and the hardest to mix is adding 1 or 2 birds....

ps: when I reread your post, you stated that those people had more chickens in a smaller space.... but all those hens know each other, and belong to each other.... they can tolerate more. In the spring and summer, I free range quite a bit, hatch out this years chicks and my flock becomes bigger than will fit well within the setup, but because they are outside most of the time, and the chicks are small, I can get away with it. Come the fall, I have to make decisions to get my flock down to the size that will be comfortable in the coop/run, as in the winter they are much more confined. It is amazing how even one bird too many, will add tension to the flock.

Mrs K