Flock integration issues -could use your wisdom

[AngelLeePete]

We have 4 silkies (0ne regular size roo and 3 bantam "hens"), a buff Orpington hen and a barred rock hen.

Over the summer we thought we had them successfully integrated as one flock and then in October our roo started " attacking " one or more of our silkie bantams. At one point he had one pinned to the ground and she was squawking like crazy. It looked like he would kill her so we separated them all into two separate flocks. He is the oldest in the flock at about 7 months with the bantams being 5 1/2 months. While this was happening, they were living in our garage while we built our coop. When we finished our coop, we tried to house them together with a gate separating them. They didn't stay separated and the BR hen and BO hen seemed to pick on the little ones too, keeping them from the food dishes and pecking at them. We have two nice size food dishes so overcrowding shouldn't be an issue.

We decided to bring the bantams in and they have been in our basement for about a day. I'm kind of at my whits end and could use some BYC wisdom here. What do you all say?

 

[Ozarkhomesteader]

Sometimes you can mix bantams and sometimes you can't. I keep mine in separate coop, because when they (standards) see the adorable little bantams, they decide to pick on them. The only times i have seen it working (and people with more experience, please correct me...my personal experience) is when they have a lot of bantams, and a couple standards. The standards are outnumbered and the bantams rule the coop.

Are the standards actually picking on them, or are they trying to mate? The roo holding them down might have been him mounting them.

 

[AngelLeePete]

The roo might have been trying to mate as he was just starting that at the time. The standard girls though are definitely picking on the banties now. I worry they'll crowd them out of the food too.

 

[Ozarkhomesteader]

Well, i would put another food bowl on the other side of the coop. Same with the water. When you put them back in, if possible, do it when you will be able to check on them a lot. If you see any blood at all, immediately separate the small one. Some pecking is normal, they have to figure out the pecking order. Chicken pecking order starts with the alpha. She can peck everyone, and no one can peck her (or him). The next chicken can peck everyone except the alpha, and it goes down the line till you get to the last one, who gets pecked by everyone, but she can't peck anyone.

Were they raised together or separately? If separately, then they will peck and scuffle for a week or so to figure the pecking order out. Don't interfere unless there is any blood.

 

[AngelLeePete]

Thanks for the insight about how pecking order works. They do have a second food and water in the coop and they were separate until the banties were about 6 weeks, then together for a couple months, then separate but could see each other.

 

[Ozarkhomesteader]

your welcome I would try putting them back together and keeping a close eye on them, so you can stop any major pecking before it gets serious.