Chicken bullying

[HarleyBarley]

Hello all!
5 days ago, I adopted three 1 year old hens (1 barred rock, 1 americana, 1 mixed breed)

Well they're in quarantine from my other girls and the space isn't huge. They have a little coop and just a very small run to the 3 of them, but it's what I have that keeps them safe. Well, all 3 have begun to submisive squat for me and the americana and the barred rock will already take food from my hand. Of course still no eggs yet, so I can tell tensions are high.

Well the mixed breed is obviously more dominant and gets first dibs on everything, then the barred rock, and lastly my poor, beautiful americana. She is constantly being pecked at, looks terrified to try to eat, and seriously appears to run up to me for "help". She's always hiding from the other 2.

This morning I took her into the garage and put her in a kennel with food and water. She honestly seems content but I can't keep her in quarantine by herself in the garage for several weeks, plus I'm worried how she'll fare once it's time to introduce her to the whole flock.

Am I being too worried about her? We're thinking of giving her the day in the garage and then putting her back in her coop tonight with her group.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Show photos of the housing.

More than likely if you can give them all more space it will help ease tensions.
Add another feed and water station too.

Did you get the newbies all from the same place or different sources?

 

[HarleyBarley]

Show photos of the housing.

More than likely if you can give them all more space it will help ease tensions.
Add another feed and water station too.

Did you get the newbies all from the same place or different sources?

Supposedly it's a cockerel and not a hen....

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Supposedly it's a cockerel and not a hen....

What is?
Photos please.

 

[HarleyBarley]

What is?
Photos please.

This is the bird getting picked on. I am very confused now. Someone said about a year old cockerel? But it doesn't crow, doesn't have spurs, doesn't appear to want to mount anybody, hides.....

 

[Wyorp Rock]

This is the bird getting picked on. I am very confused now. Someone said about a year old cockerel? But it doesn't crow, doesn't have spurs, doesn't appear to want to mount anybody, hides.....

Looks like a cockerel to me as well.
He may be younger than a year hard to know since all you can go by is what you were told by the person you bought the birds from.
He does have what I call spur buds forming.

What do the others look like? Do you have photos of the small coop/run that you are using?

 

[Shadrach]

This is the bird getting picked on. I am very confused now. Someone said about a year old cockerel? But it doesn't crow, doesn't have spurs, doesn't appear to want to mount anybody, hides.....

He looks like a young cockerel to me. This would also explain the behaviour problems.
Assuming he is male then he will give way to the hens until he is more mature.

 

[HarleyBarley]

He looks like a young cockerel to me. This would also explain the behaviour problems.
Assuming he is male then he will give way to the hens until he is more mature.

Now that I look at him he does had saddle feathers, but he doesn't crow! How old do you suspect he is? I'm a little intimidated by having a rooster....

 

[Shadrach]

Now that I look at him he does had saddle feathers, but he doesn't crow! How old do you suspect he is? I'm a little intimidated by having a rooster....

I don't know the breed I'm afraid. Judging from the state of the spur growth he could be anything from three to nine months. Different breeds and even different individuals within a breed develop spurs at different rates.
The cockerels here can start crowing from around 3 months, but once again there is no set age. Some crow a few times in a rather croaky fashion a few times and I may not hear them again for a few weeks.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Now that I look at him he does had saddle feathers, but he doesn't crow! How old do you suspect he is? I'm a little intimidated by having a rooster....

As mentioned, they crow in their own time LOL

Now. Maybe @Shadrach will chime back in on your being intimidated by having a rooster.
You can't be afraid of him. For me, I just treat them like the hens/pullets. Some people have problems with cockerels/roosters, while others seem to do o.k.