bully chickens

[chicky1016]

We have 4 RIW chicks, about 11 weeks old that we've had for a week now. Yesterday we brought in 4 more adult chickens about 1 1/2 years old, and these are a cross between RIR and Buff orphington's. They are huge!!! Well they are now bullying the little's. Poor things can't even lay down without someone chasing them away and pecking them. Is this what they call the "pecking order" and they'll figure things out amongst themselves or do we have to separate them until the little's get bigger? We are new to this. Thanks!!

 

[azygous]

Tina, I solved my rooster problem by kicking him out. He actually became quite content to stand "guard" outside the run every day, and then he was right there by the coop door in the evening when I would let him in to roost with the girls. Come morning, and he got kicked out again to stand guard, or amuse himself poking around for bugs, and enjoying an occasional solitary dirt bath. The girls enjoyed him a lot more from the opposite side of the fence.

 

[azygous]

This reply is for the OP, but it might apply also for others with this problem.

The best solution to bullying between older chickens and much younger and smaller ones is space and complexity within that space. The larger the area chickens have, the less likely that bullying will result in injuries. And if you can divide up that space into partitioned off spaces, then smaller chickens or more timid ones have places to run in order to evade the bullies. Within those spaces, if you can place stumps or old chairs and tables, and extra perches, the timid ones have even more places to hop up onto to evade bullies.

The more options you have for chickens to find safety, the less chance there will be for any one to get trapped and bloodied. Because the pecking order will always be with us.

 

[LoveThemBirds]

this is pecking order....

 

[aart]

Here's some notes I've taken on integration that I found to be very helpful.......
......take what applies or might help and ignore the rest.
See if any of them, or the links provided at the bottom, might offer some tips that will assist you in your situation:

Integration of new chickens into flock.

Consider medical quarantine:
BYC Medical Quarantine Article
Poultry Biosecurity
BYC 'medical quarantine' search

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact. Integrating new birds of equal size works best.

For smaller chicks I used a large wire dog crate right in the coop for the smallers. I removed the crate door and put up a piece of wire fencing over the opening and bent up one corner just enough for the smallers to fit thru but the biggers could not. Feed and water inside the crate for the smallers. Make sure the smallers know how to get in and out of the crate opening before exposing them to the olders. this worked out great for me, by the time the crate was too small for the them to roost in there(about 3 weeks), they had pretty much integrated themselves to the olders.

If you have too many smallers to fit in a crate you can partition off part of the coop with a wire wall and make the same openings for smallers escape.


The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide out of line of sight and/or up and away from any bully birds.

Read up on integration..... BYC advanced search>titles only>integration
This is good place to start reading:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock

 

[chicky1016]

Well I now have food and water in the coop itself because that's where the little's seem to be hanging out majority of the time because of the bullies. There is no blood but the big ones do seem to stalk the little ones and for no good reason will "charge" from one side of the pen just to get the littles out of that "spot". It was near 100 degrees today and the little's were so hot in that coop even with good ventilation.

 

[dnx717]

Going through something similar. Got all my hens at the same time. They are about 13 months old at this point. I have a barred rock terrorizing a barred holland. I thought the holland was broody so I built a buster. After 4 days in it she laid so I placed her back with the flock. It has not gotten any better, except now the holland doesn't spend her entire day in the nesting boxes anymore. I intend to add a water station in the coop bc she hangs out there all the time. (I live in Phoenix where the coop only serves as a place to roost bc weather is so accommodating generally).

My wife told me today, "They're gonna kill Henny Penny. Her comb was full of blood today. Not just a few pecks, they got her good."

So not sure what to do. Any advice? It's only one hen being super aggressive. The rest join in a little bit never instigate the disturbances. AND, the bully hen only has one target. The Rock is a fantastic layer, I would hate to have to get rid of her

 

[tina love]

Bless there little hearts! I have a rooster that gives all mine a fit . . .i took him out of the run for a day and put him back in the evening and the roll was reversed for a day! They gave him a taste of his own medicine. but now the stinker is back to his mean self . . . I am like you "what to do!!!" I can't build another whole run for the beast!

 

[Spartan22]

Going through something similar. Got all my hens at the same time. They are about 13 months old at this point. I have a barred rock terrorizing a barred holland. I thought the holland was broody so I built a buster. After 4 days in it she laid so I placed her back with the flock. It has not gotten any better, except now the holland doesn't spend her entire day in the nesting boxes anymore. I intend to add a water station in the coop bc she hangs out there all the time. (I live in Phoenix where the coop only serves as a place to roost bc weather is so accommodating generally).

My wife told me today, "They're gonna kill Henny Penny. Her comb was full of blood today. Not just a few pecks, they got her good."

So not sure what to do. Any advice? It's only one hen being super aggressive. The rest join in a little bit never instigate the disturbances. AND, the bully hen only has one target. The Rock is a fantastic layer, I would hate to have to get rid of her

I had the same situation, my barred rock was being bullied by 2 leghorns and 2 wyandottes to the point that she lost so much feathers and lost weight. I thought of culling her or the bullies but I tried pinless peepers and also separate them w/ chicken wire for couple of weeks. It seems to work since they calmed down and lessen the pecking. The bullied is back in laying eggs and doesn't stay on the perch the whole day, her feathers are growing back. Hopefully you can solve yours.

 

[dnx717]

What are pinless peepers? I guess I can build the holland a small separate run. I'd just hate to do that for a permanent solution. How much interaction did you give the them altogether and how did you determine it was ok to put her back in with the flock?