Bonding with me and my girl

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I was afraid my last surviving chicken (Peg) would freeze over the winter without any friends to huddle with at night. I recently added 3 new girls and they are afraid of me and pecking her when she gets too close. She is truly our pet while the others will have to grown on us. I'm hand feeding them periodically on my days off to be sure she's eating and they are acclimating. I read the nice piece on introducing new flock members but it's more focused on disease.

Will it take two weeks to know if this is going to work out? Any ideas to get them used to the family quicker?

 

[ChickenKid11]

Well all I know is that I added a pair of silkies to my flock...... and they got picked on for about 1 week, BUT that was because I made them get along by pushing the silkies out of the coop and loched them out for periods of a time till it was all the time and then of coarse let them back in when night came. And one more things my girls were not laying when I added them.

 

[TwoCrows]

Give it some time. As long as there is no blood baths going on right now, things are still ok. Keep an eye on everybody for a few weeks. But in your spare time, go out to them with goodies. Sit with them in the run till they get used to you. Get them to associate you with food and they will warm up to you. I sit with my chickens at least an hour a day and they all clamber all over my lap. They come running when they see me coming because they know treats are going to be dispensed! Food will win them over and eventually they will trust you. Make sure you have several food and water stations so that everybody eats. Good luck!

 

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Thanks for the encouragement. I spent some time with them today. Good Advice.