I've been trying to integrate my two flocks. One group is 8-10 weeks old now and the other is about 13-19 weeks. I did a lot of things suggested here (about a week of having the babies in the run in their own spot with older ones able to see them, then another week or more with babies in the coop but none of them able to get at each other still, then letting the babies free range with the adults in the evenings). Currently, we have the babies' section open so they can go in and out as they please and mingle, but the bigger chicks can't get into their area. I have two questions.
First, mostly it's going really well. There is some chasing and a little bit of pecking from the adults, but mostly nothing serious and it sounds like that's pretty much to be expected. One of my older ones though is turning out to be a real bully. It seems like she will go out of her way to harass the babies. She will ignore food and BOSS that I throw down in favour of chasing the little ones. She guards food, the pop door, anything. We have to open both the pop door and the coop door when they are free ranging so she can't block the babies in the coop. (We have lots of water out, and both a water and a food dish in the area where only the babies can go.) If she sees a baby or two on their own she will go over and chase and chase. She hasn't drawn blood, though she does peck quite hard at times. Mostly it's constant chasing. If she goes anywhere near the babies now they all cower and run away from her. I put her in "jail" for a few days with another of the older ones that was a bit pecky, reintroduced them and the other one seems to be okay now. Luna is still harassing the babies constantly. I don't think she is the top hen of the older crew either, in fact after being in jail she mostly just hangs out on her own now unless she's busy chasing the babies. I put her back in jail, this time by herself. We're leaving for a full day on Thursday so I figure I'll leave her in jail until Friday and then try her back out there and see if she's any better. I feel bad with her all by herself though. She's in their old brooder inside. It's 15 square feet so not tiny for one bird. If she's not better, anything else I can try? Or should I just give her up as a bully chicken and try and rehome her? (My husband thinks we should just eat her but I think a point-of-lay hen is probably worth more being sold.)
Second, the two flocks don't mingle at all. Is that pretty normal? Will they ever really fully integrate or will they always be sort of two separate flocks that happen to share a coop?
First, mostly it's going really well. There is some chasing and a little bit of pecking from the adults, but mostly nothing serious and it sounds like that's pretty much to be expected. One of my older ones though is turning out to be a real bully. It seems like she will go out of her way to harass the babies. She will ignore food and BOSS that I throw down in favour of chasing the little ones. She guards food, the pop door, anything. We have to open both the pop door and the coop door when they are free ranging so she can't block the babies in the coop. (We have lots of water out, and both a water and a food dish in the area where only the babies can go.) If she sees a baby or two on their own she will go over and chase and chase. She hasn't drawn blood, though she does peck quite hard at times. Mostly it's constant chasing. If she goes anywhere near the babies now they all cower and run away from her. I put her in "jail" for a few days with another of the older ones that was a bit pecky, reintroduced them and the other one seems to be okay now. Luna is still harassing the babies constantly. I don't think she is the top hen of the older crew either, in fact after being in jail she mostly just hangs out on her own now unless she's busy chasing the babies. I put her back in jail, this time by herself. We're leaving for a full day on Thursday so I figure I'll leave her in jail until Friday and then try her back out there and see if she's any better. I feel bad with her all by herself though. She's in their old brooder inside. It's 15 square feet so not tiny for one bird. If she's not better, anything else I can try? Or should I just give her up as a bully chicken and try and rehome her? (My husband thinks we should just eat her but I think a point-of-lay hen is probably worth more being sold.)
Second, the two flocks don't mingle at all. Is that pretty normal? Will they ever really fully integrate or will they always be sort of two separate flocks that happen to share a coop?