Bonnie and Clyde Chickens...complete chaos!

[LibbyLuLu]

Hey Everyone (kinda long)

I need some solid advice. I have 5 silver Wyandottes (1 rooster and 4 hens). I noticed that my hens were being over-mated, so I bought chicken saddles…that helped for a little while, but they are basically bald now. I tried to add more hens around January 2023, but with the egg/chicken shortage, I was only able to buy 4-day-olds from a guy who lived 3 hours away!



So the new chickens are Buff Orpingtons are 5 months now and just starting to lay, one turned out to be a rooster and my Wyandotte Rooster was pretty brutal towards him. I’ve rehomed him, but now my Silver Wyandotte rooster (Jr-Jr) and his favorite girl (Viola) are causing complete chaos. The Buffs are basically sitting ducks, Viola attacks first and then Jr-Jr follows. They are stopping the buffs from eating and drinking and I have to basically stay out in the run and referee. I avoided entering the coop for 2 weeks so they could work out the peeking order, but the buffs are refusing to go through the process. Instead of fighting back or participating in the fight to some minimal level, they run away at every chance…they are deathly afraid of the Wyandotte.



I think this is more than pecking order issues, I’m trying to merge two flocks and it’s not working! So today I noticed one of the Buffs has an open wound on the back of her head. Like pulled flesh almost. I cleaned her up and added antibiotic ointments. I also removed Viola and Jr-Jr and put them in a smaller run and left everyone else together. The other 3 wyandotte are indifferent and not interested in the buffs. I plan to add some electrolytes to the water to help with stress issues and avoid sickness…but can anyone advise me on how to merge this chaos into one flock! Will I need to get rid of Jr-Jr and Viola? I also heard that Wyandottes are known for only wanting to be around other Wyandottes and may not accept other chickens…has anyone else heard this too?

Thanks for any tips and feedback!

 

[3KillerBs]

How big is your coop and run? Smooth integration benefits from extra space above the usual recommendations of 4 square feet in the coop and 10 in the run.

Do you have plenty of "clutter" to help the lower-ranked birds get away from the older ones?

Multiple feeders and waterers arranged so that birds at one station can't see the birds at the other stations?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hey Everyone (kinda long)

I need some solid advice. I have 5 silver Wyandottes (1 rooster and 4 hens). I noticed that my hens were being over-mated,

Are they still being over-mated? They usually grow out of that as they leave puberty and reach maturity. Adding more hens does not solve that problem, it just means you now have to go through an integration on top of everything else. I know you read about that adding more hens all the time on here but you don't always get the best of advice on here.

they are deathly afraid of the Wyandotte.

What you describe isn't that unusual. There are always exceptions to anything to do with chickens but typically my juveniles avoid the main flock until they reach maturity. With pullets that's usually about the time they start to lay. The more mature outrank the less mature and will often peck any that invade their personal space. It usually doesn't take long for the younger to learn to keep their distance. They are often terrified of the older ones.

That's why the question about how much room you have. If they don't have enough room to avoid the older ones it can get bad. If we know how much room you have in the coop and outside we may be able to make suggestions based on your conditions but without that 3KB"s generic comments are the best we can do.

 

[LibbyLuLu]

Are they still being over-mated? They usually grow out of that as they leave puberty and reach maturity. Adding more hens does not solve that problem, it just means you now have to go through an integration on top of everything else. I know you read about that adding more hens all the time on here but you don't always get the best of advice on here.


What you describe isn't that unusual. There are always exceptions to anything to do with chickens but typically my juveniles avoid the main flock until they reach maturity. With pullets that's usually about the time they start to lay. The more mature outrank the less mature and will often peck any that invade their personal space. It usually doesn't take long for the younger to learn to keep their distance. They are often terrified of the older ones.

That's why the question about how much room you have. If they don't have enough room to avoid the older ones it can get bad. If we know how much room you have in the coop and outside we may be able to make suggestions based on your conditions but without that 3KB"s generic comments are the best we can do.

Thank you for taking the time to provide such a thorough answer. So coop with steps is about 12ft by 9 ft. The structure is 8ft tall. Then I attached a large metal run to the front of this coop/run that's 19.7x9.8x6.6ft.

Yes, the older girls are still being overmated. 3 have completely bare backs. I really thought adding more hens was the solution, I'm so disappointed that I just added more stress to my flock.

After watching them again today, it seems Viola is the one that caused the wound on the back of the buff's head, not the rooster.

 

[LibbyLuLu]

How big is your coop and run? Smooth integration benefits from extra space above the usual recommendations of 4 square feet in the coop and 10 in the run.

Do you have plenty of "clutter" to help the lower-ranked birds get away from the older ones?

Multiple feeders and waterers arranged so that birds at one station can't see the birds at the other stations?

I have 2 feeders and two waterers...I didn't think about blocking them off...that's a great idea. I add more feeder and waterers tomorrow. I'll find something to block them off with too. Thank you!!

 

[3KillerBs]

I have 2 feeders and two waterers...I didn't think about blocking them off...that's a great idea. I add more feeder and waterers tomorrow. I'll find something to block them off with too. Thank you!!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

 

[Sussex19]

Maybe try separating Viola for a bit, to knock her down the pecking order?
This is something I have often seen suggested, but haven't tried myself, so I don't know just how well it works.
Maybe someone else can comment if they have actually done it.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I think you have gotten good suggestions. Adding clutter can improve the quality of the room you have. I have had both success and failure with isolating a chicken, I think it is worth a try.

I try to solve for the peace and wellbeing of the flock. Try other things first but I have been known to remove a troublemaker permanently. When that hen is locked up you might see how the flock gets along and see if you ever want her back with them.

 

[McChooky]

Hey Everyone (kinda long)

I need some solid advice. I have 5 silver Wyandottes (1 rooster and 4 hens). I noticed that my hens were being over-mated, so I bought chicken saddles…that helped for a little while, but they are basically bald now. I tried to add more hens around January 2023, but with the egg/chicken shortage, I was only able to buy 4-day-olds from a guy who lived 3 hours away!



So the new chickens are Buff Orpingtons are 5 months now and just starting to lay, one turned out to be a rooster and my Wyandotte Rooster was pretty brutal towards him. I’ve rehomed him, but now my Silver Wyandotte rooster (Jr-Jr) and his favorite girl (Viola) are causing complete chaos. The Buffs are basically sitting ducks, Viola attacks first and then Jr-Jr follows. They are stopping the buffs from eating and drinking and I have to basically stay out in the run and referee. I avoided entering the coop for 2 weeks so they could work out the peeking order, but the buffs are refusing to go through the process. Instead of fighting back or participating in the fight to some minimal level, they run away at every chance…they are deathly afraid of the Wyandotte.



I think this is more than pecking order issues, I’m trying to merge two flocks and it’s not working! So today I noticed one of the Buffs has an open wound on the back of her head. Like pulled flesh almost. I cleaned her up and added antibiotic ointments. I also removed Viola and Jr-Jr and put them in a smaller run and left everyone else together. The other 3 wyandotte are indifferent and not interested in the buffs. I plan to add some electrolytes to the water to help with stress issues and avoid sickness…but can anyone advise me on how to merge this chaos into one flock! Will I need to get rid of Jr-Jr and Viola? I also heard that Wyandottes are known for only wanting to be around other Wyandottes and may not accept other chickens…has anyone else heard this too?

Thanks for any tips and feedback!

I rescued a wyandotte when my neighbors dogs tried to kill it and had it ever since.

Hey Everyone (kinda long)

I need some solid advice. I have 5 silver Wyandottes (1 rooster and 4 hens). I noticed that my hens were being over-mated, so I bought chicken saddles…that helped for a little while, but they are basically bald now. I tried to add more hens around January 2023, but with the egg/chicken shortage, I was only able to buy 4-day-olds from a guy who lived 3 hours away!



So the new chickens are Buff Orpingtons are 5 months now and just starting to lay, one turned out to be a rooster and my Wyandotte Rooster was pretty brutal towards him. I’ve rehomed him, but now my Silver Wyandotte rooster (Jr-Jr) and his favorite girl (Viola) are causing complete chaos. The Buffs are basically sitting ducks, Viola attacks first and then Jr-Jr follows. They are stopping the buffs from eating and drinking and I have to basically stay out in the run and referee. I avoided entering the coop for 2 weeks so they could work out the peeking order, but the buffs are refusing to go through the process. Instead of fighting back or participating in the fight to some minimal level, they run away at every chance…they are deathly afraid of the Wyandotte.



I think this is more than pecking order issues, I’m trying to merge two flocks and it’s not working! So today I noticed one of the Buffs has an open wound on the back of her head. Like pulled flesh almost. I cleaned her up and added antibiotic ointments. I also removed Viola and Jr-Jr and put them in a smaller run and left everyone else together. The other 3 wyandotte are indifferent and not interested in the buffs. I plan to add some electrolytes to the water to help with stress issues and avoid sickness…but can anyone advise me on how to merge this chaos into one flock! Will I need to get rid of Jr-Jr and Viola? I also heard that Wyandottes are known for only wanting to be around other Wyandottes and may not accept other chickens…has anyone else heard this too?

Thanks for any tips and feedback!

The only wyandotte I have was integrated into the flock a year ago.She walked in like a boss and immediately started sunbathing then one of my hens approached her and picked a fight. They didn't get into anymore fights and none of the other hens messed with her.Mine fled the coop when she went to roost that night so I made her sleep in her own coop every night until the flock accepted her. From day #1 she never trusted any of them and never let any of my hens get close to her again.If they got in her space she'd peck them in the face.They roost side by side now.

 

[McChooky]

Hey Everyone (kinda long)

I need some solid advice. I have 5 silver Wyandottes (1 rooster and 4 hens). I noticed that my hens were being over-mated, so I bought chicken saddles…that helped for a little while, but they are basically bald now. I tried to add more hens around January 2023, but with the egg/chicken shortage, I was only able to buy 4-day-olds from a guy who lived 3 hours away!



So the new chickens are Buff Orpingtons are 5 months now and just starting to lay, one turned out to be a rooster and my Wyandotte Rooster was pretty brutal towards him. I’ve rehomed him, but now my Silver Wyandotte rooster (Jr-Jr) and his favorite girl (Viola) are causing complete chaos. The Buffs are basically sitting ducks, Viola attacks first and then Jr-Jr follows. They are stopping the buffs from eating and drinking and I have to basically stay out in the run and referee. I avoided entering the coop for 2 weeks so they could work out the peeking order, but the buffs are refusing to go through the process. Instead of fighting back or participating in the fight to some minimal level, they run away at every chance…they are deathly afraid of the Wyandotte.



I think this is more than pecking order issues, I’m trying to merge two flocks and it’s not working! So today I noticed one of the Buffs has an open wound on the back of her head. Like pulled flesh almost. I cleaned her up and added antibiotic ointments. I also removed Viola and Jr-Jr and put them in a smaller run and left everyone else together. The other 3 wyandotte are indifferent and not interested in the buffs. I plan to add some electrolytes to the water to help with stress issues and avoid sickness…but can anyone advise me on how to merge this chaos into one flock! Will I need to get rid of Jr-Jr and Viola? I also heard that Wyandottes are known for only wanting to be around other Wyandottes and may not accept other chickens…has anyone else heard this too?

Thanks for any tips and feedback!

This is normal behavior adding young chicks to a flock. Add more feeders and waterers as suggested and add hiding places (clutter) helps but is no guarantee. I added sapphire gem baby chicks at 2 weeks old in the run and my hens never bothered them but had to separate them with wire at 2 months of age because they started chasing them away from the feeders. They run from the doms when I give them all treats.My dominiques are bossy.