Bird integration concerns...

[pikachupacabra]

Hi I have 2 eight week old chickens, a Barred Rock and a Black Sex Link, and I just bought a bantam Old English chicken who is 3.5 months, all 3 are female.

The 2 younger ones have been together since they hatched, and get along great with each other, but when I introduced the 3rd chicken, my bantam, they began to bully her and peck at her.

She mostly ran and cowered the first day, the second day she got a little braver, especially at treat time, but the other 2 still pick on her a lot, especially the BSL, so she is usually alone, trying to be invisible, and looking apprehensive.

So far no blood, or missing feathers, so should I just stop worrying and let them sort out who's in charge?

It is really hard to just watch her get ganged up on...in fact at one point the BSL chased her around their pen pecking and peeping at her so aggressively that I snatched her up in one hand, mid run, (BSL) & pulled her up close to my face so I could glare at her, which startled the heck out the poor girl, which of course made me feel like the worst chicken care taker on the planet, so I spent the next 30 minutes doting on her so she'd forgive me, even though she was being a bad chicken.

Anyway, my boyfriend says I am too obsessive and over protective of the chickens, his joke is "How have these poor birds managed to survive this long without you? It's a wonder the species made it at all!"

 

[aubreynoramarie]

i went through THE EXACT SAME THING this week in fact! i introduced a silkie to my already existing nhr and e. they bullied her so much. i bought a barred rock and threw her in the pen. since they were both new they buddied around together and the barred rock stuck up for my silkie. my suggestion? introduce two at a time so they can stick together

 

[Annabella]

It's so hard to watch. I introduced two to two.

The older two were so nasty, then the lowest of the pecking order was establised and alas she was my favourite.

I kept a close watch for any total brutishness (blood and feather loss) but as there were no signs of that - I kept out of it. My favourite is still the lowest but after 6 weeks there is no longer the full on onslaught of "venom" that seemed to go on at first.

I suppose they are chooks, not people, and that's how they sort it out. Though I would be quick to intervene and separate had there been any physical symptoms of the "bullying".

 

[pixie74943]

It took my pair close on 3 months to accept one newbie... they did eventually and now I can count them as a flock, instead of a pair and an outsider.

I have to start on introducing the bantams in a couple of weeks... that'll take forever


As long as everyone is eating, drinking and blood free... give them time