Chicks getting bullied by teenagers (not the adults)

[Acre4Me]

5 week old chicks in a fenced off area (moveable fence panels) of run for last 2-3 weeks. Chickens were fine with them, basically ignored them. So, I raised up the fence, and moved it a bit away from the wall to allow chicks in and out of their safe enclosure, but bigger chickens kept out.

The 15 month old chickens (and 1 rooster) were fine with the chicks.. gave them some verbal warnings, but otherwise worked around them. The 3.5 month old pullets were clearly unhappy by these chicks...one pullet in particular was chasing and harassing the chicks and pulling feathers off of them. So...decided to fence out the flock from a larger run area... including their favorite dust bath area, so the chicks could have a larger space to explore. We will try them together again in another few days. Was surprised by the distinction between the older hens and the younger pullets in reaction to the much smaller 5week old chicks!

 

[igorsMistress]

The pullets are lower in pecking order than hens and roos. They are protecting their positions. The pullets will be your bigger risk to the littles right now for sure.

 

[aart]

gave them some verbal warnings,

I'm sure that helped

Situation sounds like the typical lower status birds in flock being the most aggressive to newcomers.

I had 3 age groups once, similar to yours, never again.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My standard question with this type of behavior problems is how much room do they have? I'm not sure that this applies to your situation but it is often important. The more room you have the better.

What this sounds like is an individual chicken problem though. Typically other older chickens will ignore younger chickens as long as the chicks do not invade their private space. That's where room is important, the chicks need enough room to avoid the older ones. But they quickly learn to do that if they have room.

But occasionally you get a specific chicken that goes on a seek and destroy mission every time they see the chicks. This is almost never a mature rooster, but it can be an older hen or an immature cockerel or pullet. You have identified a specific pullet that fits this description. My suggestion is to lock that specific pullet up in isolation from the flock for several days, maybe as much as a week, and try the integration without her. If it goes well reintroduce that pullet. She will have lost flock status and will probably have other things to worry about other than those chicks.

 

[Acre4Me]

My standard question with this type of behavior problems is how much room do they have? I'm not sure that this applies to your situation but it is often important. The more room you have the better.

What this sounds like is an individual chicken problem though. Typically other older chickens will ignore younger chickens as long as the chicks do not invade their private space. That's where room is important, the chicks need enough room to avoid the older ones. But they quickly learn to do that if they have room.

But occasionally you get a specific chicken that goes on a seek and destroy mission every time they see the chicks. This is almost never a mature rooster, but it can be an older hen or an immature cockerel or pullet. You have identified a specific pullet that fits this description. My suggestion is to lock that specific pullet up in isolation from the flock for several days, maybe as much as a week, and try the integration without her. If it goes well reintroduce that pullet. She will have lost flock status and will probably have other things to worry about other than those chicks.

True. I think it was primarily one pullet (3.5 month old). The other 3.5 month olds were paying attention to the chicks, and only reprimanding them when they got too close or tried to eat some tasty morsel too close to them. This one pullet was on a mission it seemed.

Space: they have enough and the chicks were not out and about all at once either, some were in brooder, some in Chick enclosure (fenced area), some mingling. They can access all 3 areas at will (brooder, enclosure, run).

Might try again today to allow mingling. But will need to be supervised. At least the chicks have had a couple of days of exploration in the larger fenced off area, with their smaller fenced in “safe” area still intact.

We will be getting rid of some of these chicks (they are straight run) and some older chickens later this summer or fall. Some older ones may even leave in a few weeks if I can make it to the auction next month.