Flock of 3 hens - is it going to work?

[sourland]

Yes, that is why. They were kept in the worse imaginable conditions and so the feathers were plucked and no doubt lost due to stress. I saw images of other rescued hens from different places and they looked FAR better.

The good thing is that generally they regrow feathers rapidly and learn how to act like 'real' chickens.

 

[VlkStinu]

sounds like my flock right now! my top girl is the bossiest thing alive, she eats all the food and will not let the other two eat until she has what she wants. she’s even gonna be the first to start laying because i realized that she has been squatting whenever i go to pet her. i love watching them, where they stand in the pecking order is so evident and it all works a certain way. but my three girls seem happy! i do plan on adding though, i have a fairly big coop and plenty of space haha. this is my bossy girl- quite embarrassing but we have gotten into calling her gobble guts just because of her personality. but in my opinion it would work View attachment 2370313

Wow, look at her! Even I am intimidated by that look. Well, my Mrs. Boss seems a little gentler, imagine her like a very stern headmaster - the only thing she is missing are those half-moon glasses on a string hanging around her neck and a scarf.

Gobble guts is a perfect name.

 

[VlkStinu]

The good thing is that generally they regrow feathers rapidly and learn how to act like 'real' chickens.

Yeah, I was amazed at how quickly they adapted, especially the dominant female! And the feathers are growing like crazy, especially on the one that was completely featherless.

 

[aart]

and that two additional birds will balance the flock.

Hmmm....more likely to unbalance things even more.
But maybe a distraction.
Hope you have a separate area to keep these new birds at the beginning of the integration process.

Keep in mind some of these.....
Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.
Good ideas for hiding places:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

 

[VlkStinu]

Hmmm....more likely to unbalance things even more.
But maybe a distraction.
Hope you have a separate area to keep these new birds at the beginning of the integration process.

Keep in mind some of these.....
Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.
Good ideas for hiding places:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

Thank you very much for this informative reply!

Turns out the new birds are in MUCH better condition than the first hens I rescued (almost fully feathered, including wing feathers and down, and visibly stronger) and they are definitely not in danger of being bullied. I observed them closely today after I brought them in and they are very confident considering their background. They were almost immediately exploring places that not even some of the hens from original flock explored yet (after 3 weeks) and the most dominant female was already digging in the ground.

They had one on one stand offs with Mrs. Boss and non of them got pecked or bullied. Some actually managed to stand their ground against her, making her dismiss any bossy behavior. And the two remaining hens from the original flock are very submissive, so they are not the bullying type.

The only bullying I witnessed was between the new dominant female and another new hen.

I will do more feeding stations for sure. And in terms of the run, they have lots of hiding spaces and plenty of room to run, because my entire garden is open for them.

But all in all, observing them today seemed like there was a sort of harmony. Mrs. Boss was much less bossy towards the original flock members, the new ones interacted nicely between each other (with the exception of that one bullying act) and were respectful towards the original members.

As they will start to integrate, I understand that new pecking order will emerge and that things might slightly change - and of course it's always a challenging situation for everyone involved. But I feel confident that it's going to work out. I will do my best to make it as smooth and comfortable for all the hens to integrate and adapt to this new situation and to make the flock balanced and stable with the resources I have, even though I know I don't have everything perfectly and flawlessly prepared for this kind of situation.

Thank you all for valuable opinions and informations you shared, I appreciate it a lot! I will post some update in time.