Chickens fighting!

[Luke10]

Hello, i got thee more chickens on saturday to add to my current three. They are the same breed and not much difference in age. Ever since i have had them, my three older hens keep attacking my three new hens! It is very aggressive, clinging on and pull big clumps of feathers out. My new hens just will not go any where near them, they will just perch and seem as my older hens never perch they do get some peace for a while.

I was thinking maybe they are being territorial, and would stop after they get use to them but it has been 5 days, and i am fed of them having a go constantly.


Any suggestions??

 

[TigerLilly]

Do you have any way of separating them so they can still see/smell each other without being able to get to one another? Maybe try that for a few days?
I don't know what the weather is like there, but are they having to stay cooped up because of inclement weather? I have my newer/younger ones in a smaller, separate kennel, right next to the bigger kennel with the rest of the chickens. Seems to work well for me.

 

[Luke10]

Quote:
I didn't know. reasoning being is i had no where else i could of put them. The weather has been fine here so they have been able to go free on about half an acre. They currently are in a 8x8 shed. If they carry on, i was thinking about meshing one side of the shed of, and letting them have there own sections. But if i did that they will still be roaming free together and can attack them outside, and i don't want to limit any of there freedom. If need be i will do.

Thank you for your advice.

 

[sourland]

Remove two of the most aggressive original hens. Once the new hens are comfortable with the remaining hen (a matter of days not hours), reintroduce another hen. When things again settle down, reintroduce the third hen. You have just been introduced to the savagery of the pecking order.

 

[Newbie in Screamer Al]

I have a small "bonding issue" too. But not violent luckily. I had 6 R.R. pullets for a week, and then added a younger B.O. hen and B.O. frizzle roo. I kept the 2 new ones in a cage in the run and coop at nite for 2 days so they would meet each other. When I let them out, the originals chased the new hen around, and would not "bond" up well. They love the roo though. The Roo also kinda protects the new hen when they chase her around because they were hatched together and lived with each other. There has been no violence, but the B.O. is still the outsider. Hopefully when she starts to lay, they will all get along. I am going tomorrow to get another 6 pullets hopefully. I will do the same thing I did with the 2 last newbies and pray alot,LOL.

 

[dweder]

My experience with introducting new hens took quite a long time. The only way it has ever worked, has been when I kept them seperate for a few weeks, fence in between them. They really need to get used to each other before putting them together. There is also the quarantine issue, where you want to make sure the new hens are perfectly healthy before putting in with your existing flock.

 

[ChooksChick]

Move stuff in their environment around. Put a hay bale in the biggest open space, even 2 if you can fit them. Put boards on top for perching. Move the roosts to a different area or have them cross perpendicular to where they ran.

Rearranging the furniture makes them all feel like it's a new space and no one feels on top of the game enough to be a bossy cow.

 

[Newbie in Screamer Al]

A lady I know that raises chickens suggested putting oyster shell in with them, and also said there is something you can add to thier feed to stop em from pulling out feathers. I just added anothe 5 hens, and did that after they were seperated in 2 cages for 36 hrs, and they fussed some, alittle physical for a bit, and now are quiet and all kinda stayin to thier selves. for now that is. I also thru some scratch, and other treats to keep em occupied. So far so good, although my frizzle B.O. roo has a limp from fussin with the new larger Americauna hen, but he will be OK I think. Try that and see wha happens. Good luck

 

[Jasmine130]

I just started my own microflock back in October, when I got 2 pullets. They came from the same place and they got along quite well once they agreed on who was boss-lady.

A few months later I added a Silkie pullet. I brought her home mid-day and put her CTU (that's my Chicken Transport Unit) next to the coop so the girls could see, smell and hear one another. When the sun went down and the coop girls went up to the second story to roost, I added new girl. New girl stayed downstairs night and day for 3 days before she roosted upstairs. Introducing new girl when all 3 chooks were sleepy and calm worked really well.

Recently I added a cochin pullet and used the sun-down-add-to-the-coop method. It worked again like a charm. So I've had easy integrations but I know that might not work for everyone!

 

[snowflake]

I had a baby hatched and raised by one of my hens after 4 or 5 mo. It was getting quite cold so I forced them into the big coop. they had been free ranging with other chicks the whole time but when the mother decided she was done, the little one was on his own. took most of the winter before he was perching with the rest of the group. they would force him down in a small spot between the wall and the nesting box every night. It seemed to take much longer then some of the hens that were hatched out this summer. are you sure they are hens and not roo's. Mine was a EE Brahma mix so he has no waddles and small comb. until his tail feathers grew out I wasn't sure. Now all the hens stay on the roost to keep away from him. The devil jumps them every chance he gets. the other 2 roosters seem to tolerate him most of the time. I have not had any trouble with new chicks while free ranging, though they will stay with their own group. Can take 2 weeks or more for them to roost with out a little pecking.