I have a very small herd of two toms and five hen Royal Palms. All of them get along perfectly fine. Before a few weeks ago, I only had the two toms and two hens. I recently purchased the three hens from a man that said he either had to sell them or they would have been butchered. Later that day (after purchasing the hens), I went out and bought my Broad Breasted Whites (who are a few months old, so are not babies) and immediately, my dominant female went crazy and will spur and latch a hold on the skin on their necks (while she has the skin, she will violently shake and pull back on them). I introduced the three new Royal Palm hens and two Broad Breasted White hens at the same time, hoping that it would make integration easier. She does not bother the three new hens, but she does go crazy on the market birds (if she is going crazy on the new Royal Palm hens, then I am not noticing). She does not hang out with the three new hens, but she doesn't act overly aggressive towards them. We even have a light Brahma chicken hen (rescued and had no where else to put her) and the dominant hen did not really care about her. Matter in fact, when the chicken was starving to death and could not really move, the hens paid extra attention to her and would regularly do activities with her (IE: eating when she would eat, sun bathing when she would sun bath, grazing together, etc.).
Some back info on the Broad Breasted Whites, because I think this may be helpful info in integrating them better into the herd. They are very friendly, however, I was given them from a factory farm to use in 4-H. Their beaks are clipped of and they are all missing the tips of their toes (so they have no toenails). They are terrified to leave the barn because of the dominant hen, so when I take them out to walk and to make sure that they are eating their high protein food, I have to physically pick them up and carry them outside. Their growth was stunted as babies from the person who brought them back from the factory farm leaving them in a hot car (there was 6, 2 died and I believe 2-3 had to have CPR to revive them) and they are just a little smaller than my Palm hens. They are walked twice a day, up and down our steep hill in our yard, for 20 min each time. They are walked at around 8AM and 9PM (when it is very cool outside) and between walkings, they are let out to graze in the grass, apart from the regular herd, but they can still see each other and interact.
What can I do about this incredibly dominant female? It is so bad, that the dominant tom is now starting to break up the fights between her and the market turkeys.
Some back info on the Broad Breasted Whites, because I think this may be helpful info in integrating them better into the herd. They are very friendly, however, I was given them from a factory farm to use in 4-H. Their beaks are clipped of and they are all missing the tips of their toes (so they have no toenails). They are terrified to leave the barn because of the dominant hen, so when I take them out to walk and to make sure that they are eating their high protein food, I have to physically pick them up and carry them outside. Their growth was stunted as babies from the person who brought them back from the factory farm leaving them in a hot car (there was 6, 2 died and I believe 2-3 had to have CPR to revive them) and they are just a little smaller than my Palm hens. They are walked twice a day, up and down our steep hill in our yard, for 20 min each time. They are walked at around 8AM and 9PM (when it is very cool outside) and between walkings, they are let out to graze in the grass, apart from the regular herd, but they can still see each other and interact.
What can I do about this incredibly dominant female? It is so bad, that the dominant tom is now starting to break up the fights between her and the market turkeys.
