Establishing a pecking order

[thatpotteryguy]

So, I got my first chickens yesterday. Two black Australorps, a little over a year old, and three Easter Eggers, about 12 weeks. They were freebies, but from two different owners/flocks.

Right now, the Australorps are tormenting the EE's; i.e. pecking them, keeping them penned up in the coop, then chasing them out when it rains, etc. etc. They are also keeping the EE's from the feeder, which is something I'm more concerned about.

I know this is pretty normal behavior, and even now they aren't as physical as they were - less actual pecking and bashing, and the EE's are acting pretty submissive, crouching down in the corner of the pen and cheeping quietly.

My question is this: how long should I expect it to take to establish a pecking order? A few days? A week? A month?

I know not to expect eggs for a while, even from the estabished layers, and I know the adjustment period is going to be complicated by the fact that all the chickens were free-rangers until yesterday afternoon. Now they are penned up in a tractor, and I imagine that adds a degree of stress.

Thanks in advance for your advice and input.

 

[fordmommy]

My BA was my trouble maker when I got new chickens. She had to go for a two day time out. (A make shift cage connected to the run.)

I think though that the EE's are a little young to be put together with the old girls yet. I suggest you keep them seperate for a while yet. A month or so. They should be closer in size.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i agree. Three months is way too young for those EEs to be with adult birds, especially when they have come from different flocks. They could easily get hurt. i tend to wait until a new group is about the same size as the others before introducing. That could be 5-6 months.

You may want to create a division in your coop and pen so they can see but not peck each other.

 

[thatpotteryguy]

They seem to have established something of a working heirarchy...the boss-lady shoos the younger ones into the coop when the trains go by, or something else makes her nervous, but if I walk by with a plate (meaning treats, like cheese rinds or garden trmmings), she chases them out of the coop and herds them over by the door.

 

[thatpotteryguy]

Also, surprisingly, there were two nice buff-colored eggs in the nesting boxes late this morning (after first feeding). I was a little startled, becuase everything I've heard and read says to expect a couple-week hiatus in laying after a move, but, well, there they were. Yay!

 

[cmom]

This is normal behavior. I put another feeder and waterer in my run. This way the big girls can't guard them all. They should have been quarantined first. Anytime I get new birds that aren't from the same place I separate them for at least a month in case they have been in contact with and any diseased birds or carry any diseases.

 

[espressola]

Sometimes they will lay an egg or two (whatever is in the "pipeline") and then have a hiatus of a couple of weeks where they do not lay... I do agree you probably ought to separate the EE's from the big girls til they are the same size or at least keep them separate but where they can see one another for a while.. also, two feeders and waterers as above, whether or not you separate them. They can really get hurt badly by the big girls...
Patty N. ;-)