chickens don't get along

[parlor93]

I have read and read and nothing answers my question. I have 4 chickens that are 2 years old now.. When they were about 19weeks and brought home 2 more chickens they were 16 weeks old. I introduced them with a fence inbetween for weeks. But each time I tried to put them together the 4 would just stock and beat the crap out of the other 2. They are now 2 years old still will do the same thing if one should get on the other side. This summer I purchased 5 chicks, raised then then a month later got 2 more. All of these guys get along great. I put them in with the 2 lone chickens and they love them. If one of the new ones gets in with the 4 chickens they will beat her up and draw blood. I call the 4 the Taliban because they are not nice to any chickens but there group. I have divided the coop and yard in half. and that's how it will have to stay. So chickens will not always get along no matter what you do. Anything else I can do?

 

[StewedMammal]

I've never heard of anything like this before. The closest thing to this I know of was a friend of mine who had 3 chickens and when they introduced any new hens they would get along. Then one morning in the future those 3 would kill one of the new ones and continue doing so until they were the only 3 remaining.

 

[cochinsarecute]

Try introducing the Taliban chickens only one at a time to the nice ones and not the whole group together

 

[parlor93]

I might try that sometime. The Taliban are Orpington,Barred Rock,Plymouth Rock, and Comet. They have their pecking order and don't want to mess with anyone else.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Try introducing the Taliban chickens only one at a time to the nice ones and not the whole group together

and I would start with the bottom pecking order hen and work my way up, that way when the head one gets there most of her followers won't follow her no more.

 

[donrae]

I agree, take one of the mean hens and put her in the other group. Wait a week or so, depending on how things go, and add another bird. repeat.

 

[vintagegem]

I have had issues with adding to my flock. My barred rocks are pretty dominant as is a brown mutt I bought. I have added 2 sets of girls since I got the first lot and there has been plenty of chasing and feather pulling. I work part time and have been lucky enough to be around a lot of the time so my solution has been to stand guard a lot and watch for hostile behavior, then intervene.

I realise that most people aren't able to do this for work or other reasons, and I know I have spent an inordinate amount of time lately just following my girls behavior, I guess what I'm saying is if you are able to spend a few days intensively watching and intervening when they get vicious, then maybe it can help as it did in my case, after 3 weeks all 9 of my girls aged between 2 years and 12 weeks are existing for the most part....peacefully....thank goodness

 

[parlor93]

bottom pecking one is the meanest to the new ones. she tries to get them through the fence.

 

[parlor93]

I hate to be negative but we have done this. Watched them for hours stand guard like wardens and they will attack. Draw blood if you turn your back. We have even sprayed them with the hose when they would stock. They do not like other chickens. I am just saying that I don't think there is a solution to this mess. They get them down like a rooster would if he was nasty. The four are defective.

 

[Rainekitty]

I have had this problem. I originally had a 3 hens and a rooster. The lead hen died last year and a few months later I got three more hens. Our tiny bantam hen who had previously been at the bottom of the pecking order, attacked the new three without mercy. Worse was that she would call the rooster over and he would start in on the hens, too. They tag-teamed them. I kept them in separate coops and runs for months. They were side by side and saw each other every day. I eventually let them free-range together while supervised. The attacks by the bantam hen never stopped. I tried separating the bantam from the rest of the flock, separating the rooster, etc. I finally found a new home for the bantam after one of the new hens ended up with a severe injury to her eye (and is now blind in that eye) and everyone gets along now.