Flock still not getting along

[HSerChickLady]

I originally had 8 hens from last year (2011) and i added in 10 more several months ago. They're mostly tollerating each other but we still have some occasional skirmishes and the older hens rarely let the youngers out into the run. They've been together all summer so we thought they'd have gotten their issues worked out by now but it's still going on. Everyone is getting enough to eat and drink since i have seperate areas set up for them. But we would like the younger girls to be able to putter in the run for more than a minute or two before getting run off and having to hide out in the coop again. THere's plenty of room for everyone just the older girls don't want to share it. Moving one group of them to a different coop is not an option for us. Any suggestions?

 

[arcy liger]

do not sepate them... not for a moment.....let them get along one by one and introduce them your self .let the older hens be with them. lock them in the same coop (no seprate places)..feed them at the same time (no all day feeders).

AND GOOD LUCK

 

[maggiemo]

Why no all day feeders?

 

[HSerChickLady]

I put out some of the feed in the run for the older girls. But then i keep a hanging feeder in the coop for everyone to use. Even though they're not getting along the greatest in the run we've had no feed skirmishes inside the coop as long as food is always available. If i let them run out of food then we have fighting to get to the food because they're hungry. Keeping feed out at all times is definately the better option for us. Works the same way in my other coop with younger birds-they only fight if i let them run out of food and they've been together since the day i got them.