Esther and Winnie~ Emerald ~ Momma Time~ UH-OH Egg Overload P46

[domromer]

I was thinking about your neutral zone. When my chicks and hens mix during free range time, the hens will actively chase and peck the chicks. I wouldn't leave your guys alone for awhile.

 

[barg]

Quote:
I havn't had time to build the thing yet, or even look at materials for it, gonna do that this weekend.

Can you expand on what your saying about leaveing them alone, i'm not sure i'm getting your meaning.

 

[silkiechicken]

Quote:
Really... hmm. I free range and my older hens just ignore the 3 week old buggars.

 

[domromer]

I just mean that if your hens are like mine, they will take every opportunity to peck the young chicks, just make sure you new contraption will have a chick escape route. Even though my girls sleep together at night, I would still not put them all in the same tractor.

 

[DoctorGoose]

Quote:

Barg; I think I may be in sort of the same dilemma as you are: I just snuck out into my coop to see if my 8 week old chicks would integrate with my 13-week old chickens....I stuck them together while they were sleeping...(Nobody ever told me how sweet and sleepy and warm those little guys get when they're outside....I just wanted to bring them in and snuggle with them). I tried to free-range with them a little bit today (they've been stuck in the coop forever) but the larger chickens just kept chasing them around, pecking at them, and the goosies kept biting their tails...(Until I squirted them)...but I'm not sure about my chickies.

Now, when I just put the girl on the low end of the totem pole (my silkie hen) in with the chicks, they pecked on HER!

My friends were going on about me waking up to find "bloodied bodies in the coop"....un so

I'm sleeping right next to the screen door so I can hear any screaming. Oy veh. If they want, though, they can climb upstairs--the older gals don't go there....*SIGH*

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

It sounds like your pullets will not tolerate the chicks.

I have had more than 1 hen or pullet killed by putting them together, even after a long period of time of being next to each other with wire between them.

When I introduce new ones now, I stay & watch. If the new ones get picked on for more than 5-10 minutes, I remove them & they live in another pen.

The only other suggestion I would have is to put your older pullets into separate cages, not close to each other. ( keep the older ones away from each other)
Give the coop to the younger ones for now. After a week to 10 days of being alone, introduce the pullets back into the coop and watch. If the aggressiveness is still there, my opinion is that you will have to house them separately from now on.

Sorry I can't be of more help, it seems you have done everything right, & your older pullets are just very territorial.
This is the only thing I can think of for you.

Jean

 

[silkiechicken]

Shoot, I must be really lucky with birds since I've never had a problem with introductions or new birds in the run. I wish you all luck!

 

[barg]

A New Begining~ The Pre Game Show~
Tomarrow I’ll be putting them out in their tractor, as usual, but I’ll be taking one of the older pullets and putting her in with them to see what happens.
If all goes well, the older one will stay in there with them all day and the next day I’ll switch and try another one.

Since I don’t truly know which of the 0lder ones is the top and which is the bottom, it’s going to be a crap shoot as to who goes in.

Hazel, Dominique, Mrs. Nezbit, or Emerald; if you’d like to make a suggestion on who to choose feel free.

Winnie hasnt started to cluck yet. Here they are tonight when I brought them in.

 

[DoctorGoose]

I vote for Mrs. Nezbit!

(Good luck!)

(Edited to add: my "neutral zone" is a little cage my 6 week pullets can squeeze into to escape the older girls--or they run upstairs in my coop)

 

[domromer]

I got my fingers crossed.