Chaos in the hen house! Need to create peace!

[Isaac 0]

Hello, and welcome to BYC.

 

[Finnie]

Agree that 4 cockerels is too many. IMO, if you get rid of all the prison gang cockerels, the remaining prison gang pullet, being a single, will integrate with your partridge girl much better. One problem solved. Then three chicks and two older birds shouldn’t be too hard to integrate eventually.
Good luck!

 

[black_cat]

Welcome to BYC! I am not an expert but I think that your problem may lie with your four cockerels. That is WAY too many for only two girls and I would recommend rehoming at least 3 of them, as they will be stressing all of the chickens out. I also think that it's easier to integrate when there's more than one being integrated-you could try getting a group of docile ones, integrating partridge, than adding them all to the buffs.

 

[LaFleche]

If I understand you right you do have 3 cockerels and 1 pullet in your first flock.

You could just put the pullet with your newer acquisition, so the two pullets/hens can get to know each other and socialize without the three cockerels intervening.

Next question: Why would you need 3 cockerels/roosters? For breeding purposes just one would suffice or you could purchase hatching eggs from a breeder in case one of your hens gets broody.

 

[rjohns39]

Hi and welcome to BYC We're so happy you've decided to join us

 

[Fuchsia]

Hello, welcome to BYC!

 

[cluelesschickmother]

Welcime to by.
Give it time. Sometimes takes a month for a group to accept a newbie.
I would suggest the look no touch. Put your 3 new babies in with the docile girl in the sunroom, in separate area, where she can see them but not hurt them maybe a child's playpen? Then let them get to know each other. Your docile girl has been upended, new home, new treat giver, no friends, picked on, now you've given her 3 new birds, she thinks their gonna take her territory away also,
Let them all settle THEN try to join groups.
I would suggest getting rid of ALL roosters [cocktails at this age], do you know, are the 3 babies girls?
Wer here to help and listen, give opinions.
Lots of knowledgeable helpful people here.
good luck

Thanks for your response! I’ve already had them free ranging and in the chicken run all day together for the last week or so. They seem to be accepting her a little more with each day - she will follow them around and hangout near them in hopes they won’t notice her, but eventually when they do, they go after her (not violently, they have never drawn blood- remember the flock is still only 13 weeks). When the attack she then puts her head down, remains motionless, waits for the attacking to stop and retreats to the corner of the run by herself. She soons rejoin them (she never gives up!). This cycle repeats itself every 30 minutes or so.

Was it a bad idea to put her in with them in the first place? Do you recommend I put her back in the cage or is it too late for that? Maybe I should put her in the cage only when’s shes in the coop with them?

 

[TwoCrows]

Thanks for your response! I’ve already had them free ranging and in the chicken run all day together for the last week or so. They seem to be accepting her a little more with each day - she will follow them around and hangout near them in hopes they won’t notice her, but eventually when they do, they go after her (not violently, they have never drawn blood- remember the flock is still only 13 weeks). When the attack she then puts her head down, remains motionless, waits for the attacking to stop and retreats to the corner of the run by herself. She soons rejoin them (she never gives up!). This cycle repeats itself every 30 minutes or so.

Was it a bad idea to put her in with them in the first place? Do you recommend I put her back in the cage or is it too late for that? Maybe I should put her in the cage only when’s shes in the coop with them?

If they have been together for 1 week already, I would just let them work it out as long as it doesn't get too violent. And for any future mixings, chicks should at least 3 months of age before mixing with older birds.

 

[chrissynemetz]

Welcome to BYC! Good luck with all your little silkies!

 

[cluelesschickmother]

Welcime to by.
Give it time. Sometimes takes a month for a group to accept a newbie.
I would suggest the look no touch. Put your 3 new babies in with the docile girl in the sunroom, in separate area, where she can see them but not hurt them maybe a child's playpen? Then let them get to know each other. Your docile girl has been upended, new home, new treat giver, no friends, picked on, now you've given her 3 new birds, she thinks their gonna take her territory away also,
Let them all settle THEN try to join groups.
I would suggest getting rid of ALL roosters [cocktails at this age], do you know, are the 3 babies girls?
Wer here to help and listen, give opinions.
Lots of knowledgeable helpful people here.
good luck

If I understand you right you do have 3 cockerels and 1 pullet in your first flock.

You could just put the pullet with your newer acquisition, so the two pullets/hens can get to know each other and socialize without the three cockerels intervening.

Next question: Why would you need 3 cockerels/roosters? For breeding purposes just one would suffice or you could purchase hatching eggs from a breeder in case one of your hens gets broody.

Correct! I think that’s a really good idea - putting the pullet with the new pullet (though she acts just as mean as the roosters, if not worse...). We have the three cockerels because we’ve had them all since they were day olds and all really love each other. They sunbathe, cuddle and even groom each other and are just still young so I don’t feel like I need to get rid of them yet... plus there goes our entire flock!

I think I’m going to give up on the fantasy of my lone docile silkie raising these two little chicks (I don’t know their sex - they are from a local breeder who doesn’t sex silkie chicks). She is uninterested in the chicks and really just wants to be accepted by the outside flock.

YES! IDEALLY we wanted to get two docile sweet 6 month pullet silkies to befriend her and then integrate with the flock BUT that’s impossible!! I reached out to a dozen silkie breeders, searched craigslist and online forums everyday for weeks and NO ONE has any they want to sell! It seems like silkie pullets are the single most desirable bird in my area (the Catskills NY). That of course is the most logically move! If you know of any for sale please do let me know!