Advice adding two new pullets to flock of 5

[Mrs. K]

They may be a sub flock until everyone starts laying. Apparently laying an egg, makes chickens rise in society. At that time, you will get "A Flock", until then, you will kind of have a sub flock based on age, and sometimes there will be some birds that just prefer birds colored like themselves, but not always.

 

[DallasLoneStar]

Ok so I was able to get them into the pen (which now has a tarp for a roof that is zip ties tight) inside the main run this evening. I also found a scrap piece of wood that fit nicely as a roost in the rear and they are now roosted on it. Hopefully I can keep them from escaping for a while until I think they are ready to integrate and act like civilized chickens!

 

[DallasLoneStar]

So here is an update:
A terrible rainstorm flooded out that part of my yard where the chickens are last night. I had been keeping the two new (and older and larger) Leghorns in an 8 panel 4 foot tall dog pen with a tarp on the roof and a board to roost on which they seemed to like the previous two nights. Today I was going to build a more semi permanent sleeping coop for them that would have better predator protection. You know, something probably ugly as sin but functional. But they seemed to get along with the flock well enough. Definitely the alpha birds but no bullying other than some warning pecks. I haven’t seen any of the other five birds even think about challenging them back BTW. Are Leghorns usually top dogs? Sure seems like it.
Anyway, due to the rain, putting gutters on that side of the house became priority number one. My run is 6 feet by 30 feet and the side of my roof hangs over it a couple feet which pours water onto the main coop and pen and just into the run as a whole. I had sealed up the coop well enough but flooding the whole run is not acceptable. Anyway, the point is today I spent the day putting a gutter on the side of the house and finished around dark.
All seven birds went into the roost. The Leghorns got top position watching the sunset from the pop door so none of the others got to sit there like they always had together. The Welsummer seemed to be scared of them and nested in the opposite corner. In fact all fove of them before that were piled up in one nesting box, which I hadn’t previously needed to shut off. So, I cut some cardboard hoping to make them roost. I checked on them several times from 8-10pm. The Leghorns were roosted the whole time. By 10 the other five had moved around and seem to be giving the Leghorns a wide berth. But three of them were roosted and the other two looked comfy and no one was fighting so I am going to bed now.
This has all been interesting, it sort of forced them to finally establish their pecking order. The larger of the two EEs has definitely come to the top of the original five hens, followed by the Barred Rock. Then it seems like the New Hampshire Red is next, followed by the smaller EE, and the timid Welsummer brings up the rear.
I am hoping everyone seems less tense soon and starts to get along and mingle more. Right now the two Leghorns are walking around like two gang bangers bossing around a bunch of nerds haha. It’s like they have a forcefield that keeps the other five hens away.

 

[DallasLoneStar]

I am making an extra effort to keep an extra feeder and extra water that is far away from the normal ones by the way. Also supplementing their water with poultry cell since everyone is probably stressed out!

Side note, I had a deck box where I keep my feed, DE, PDZ etc. they are crapping all over the top. Any ideas how to keep them from perching there during the day?

 

[DallasLoneStar]

More of the same this morning. Well sort of. ONE of the Leghorns still hasn’t left the pen and seems to be scared of walking past the chicken swing to get to the exit into the main run haha.

However the other Leghorn is being a jerk again. She clucks and pecks whenever any of the other birds get near her. Which, isn’t often since they are doing their best to stay as far as possible from her.

Anyone have any opinion here if this will change or do I just have two (or at least one) aggressive hens and my only option is to get rid of them? My wife particularly (but also me) feels terrible that our original five girls seem to be living in fear!