Breeds that can handle RIRs

[Harmoni]

You created the dynamics going on.. once the comets come into their own they will be fine.. If you got them at the same time.. you would NOT be seeing the dynamics you are.

Yes Rocks are fine in Fl and also fine against Reds.. In fact my Silkies would stand up to reds.. it's all about introduction timing, and hormonal disparities what you are seeing right now.

Not pointing any fingers or trying to be ugly.. just being straight!

Younger groups ALWAYS form subordinate tribes and avoid the bigs. Make yourself a safe place to get protection from the reds and they'll run hop in your lap. Take time to gently pet them after they've settled down on roost in the evening or pick them up and handle them some. This is the easiest time to work with otherwise in-confident chickens in my experience.. NO chasing, keeping it dim, calm handling. NEVER put them down when freaking out, keep wings held down to back and body supported. Return to roost calmly having only a scary but not harmful experience.. associations/connections are made

Having your ars kicked as a juvenile tends to make one a little more nervous and withdrawn. It's having been to war and looking for shell still flying around you once you got home.. The threat may be gone but the memories remain.

The red are at a hormonal stage where they are quite confident right now. They are like teenagers dating and fighting for boys and the comets are like 5 year old's watching Sesame Street and playing barbies. For lack of a better reference in my brain right now.

Reds.. to me aren't "lovable", they're demanding.. Just like people think that puppy that says pet me is picking them.. sometimes yes, other times eh, it's just telling you what to do.. In the chicken world fear is equal to respect, different than in humans.

The comets can still come out of this.. you just need to set them up to have some confidence instilled back in.. which WILL happen SOME naturally once hormones start flowing.. Think about babies.. born without really any fear, they learn fear/boundaries, they overcome it and respect the order of things.

Set up some treat times with just you sitting on the ground and the comets so they can get familiar with you in a calmer setting!

Sorry so long.. I love animals and people.. and this CAN work out the way you want it to! All my chickens have gone through snooty teen age phase as do ALL species across the board. Time is your friend here.

Thanks!!! I plan on getting next four together and at the same age so we avoid this issue. We bought the rirs at point of lay and didn't know we were definitely getting more.

Babies are suppose to be intergrated at 4 weeks, right? That's what I think I have read. When we get the new ones, I want a slightly smoother transition.
We also added more space which has seemed to help. Pic on the left is before and the right is after.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

"Abundance is a social lubricant".

More space always makes integration easier.

/edit I usually integrate between 8 and 12 weeks, with the see and be seen period and some limited interaction occurring in the 10-14 days prior. I've had it work earlier (my last integration, in fact, but weather is perfect and I have a lot of space), and I';ve had it not work as well (integrating four ducks at ten weeks into a group about 4 weeks older - they were juvenile rambunctious, he was still pre-pubescent, and I had too many drakes overall on top of that) - had to pull him out with minor injuries and give him four more weeks with some chickens to bulk up more before re-introducing.

 

[Parront]

Thanks!!! I plan on getting next four together and at the same age so we avoid this issue. We bought the rirs at point of lay and didn't know we were definitely getting more.

Babies are suppose to be intergrated at 4 weeks, right? That's what I think I have read. When we get the new ones, I want a slightly smoother transition.
We also added more space which has seemed to help. Pic on the left is before and the right is after.

More space is always good. More things in the run to hide behind is good, too. Your new birds will be too young @ 4 weeks to go in with the already-laying birds. You will want to raise them to be the same size as the older birds, ~12 to 14 weeks I would suggest.

 

[BleuSaphir]

Orpingtons have a reputation of being docile. Since Your RIR have established they are on the top pecking order. They will definitely be hard again on the new batch of chickens. I would opt for others and make sure they are at similar body size.

 

[Harmoni]

Pics wouldn't load before. Left is before. Right is after.

 

[Parront]

Pics wouldn't load before. Left is before. Right is after.

That looks nice! Lots of room!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Orpingtons have a reputation of being docile.

Towards people.. is different than other flock members.. which in my experience.. they are still quite pushy.

 

[cmom]

How have you made out with your birds? Years ago I had some hatchery reds and I had a couple of bossy females. One I took to an auction and sold because she was constantly beating up on the pullets no matter how many times I put her in jail. After Blue went Violet the other bossy female calmed down. Probably she was following Blue who was the alpha and once Blue was gone Violet calmed down. Now I raise pure Heritage reds and have had no issues with them. I love them. This is one of my females that was a champion at a show.

 

[Harmoni]

Since my comets reached sexually maturity, things have gotten better between them, but my poor EEs are bullied by the RIRs and comets.

 

[cmom]

Are they hatchery birds?