Hi fellow chicken addicts - I have an opportunity to purchase some wonderful 2 y.o. Australorps locally. I've been looking for some of them and think they will be a great addition to the flock. The situation is this - These Australorp hens are beginning their moult and the flock I will be integrating them into are young birds, 6 months of age, Barred Rocks, Welsummers and Easter Eggers ( pullets and roos ). All of the existing flock has been raised together since I either hatched them out myself or purchased several day old chicks so they all get along extremely well - even the multiple roos. Question - Is it likely that the younger birds will pick on and attack the moulting Australorps as we all know how they like to peck the heck out of 'anything that dosen't look normal' to them. Have any of you had experience with this issue and if so, would love feedback on your experiences and how you handled the integration of the new birds to your flock. thanks, Elaine
Some of my hens slide down the pecking order when they are in molt but they aren's pecked on excessively. It's more like "I don't feel good and don't want to fight" attitude of the birds in molt. I wouldn't expect any serious problems with introducing your molting birds, just expect the normal pecking back and forth until an order is established.
Thanks for the feedback - glad to hear it will probably be ok - I really would like to add these Austras!
