Frustrated!!!!!!!! Integrating a new hen.

[azygous]

Most people here on BYC will tell you that their flocks are often made up of several smaller units or "flocks". They act much as cliques do on the human playground, keeping to themselves, not really interacting all that much with the rest.

In my own flock, chickens that grew up together in the same brooder of new chicks hang together, and except for an occasional skirmish to move up or down the pecking order, or at feeding time to remind someone that she's not paying attention to rank, they don't interact with each other.

Among the older birds, an older unit has adopted a lone member, who is older than they, whose other members have died, leaving her all alone. Near the bottom of the age groups, another member who has lost her BFF has been permitted to join an older unit. This has bolstered her confidence to a degree that has completely surprised me. Her remaining brooder mate has become a complete misfit, and is part of none of the units now. She happens to be my worst trouble maker who has serially shaved the feathers from everyone else over the three years of her existence. She is no longer doing that.

This is just to point out how fluid flock dynamics can be, and individual personalities also can change. My painfully timid one now has confidence. So there is hope for Lillie, albeit slight.

You may find that in a year you can take down the barrier between the two flocks, and they will have gotten used to one another over that long period and will get along. Nothing is written in stone in chicken world.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Integration is not usually this difficult. If Lillie had been raised with other chickens and knew how to be a chicken, things would be different. If she is very broody like you say, then it's best to keep her in her own coop with her friend, as she wouldn't be able to protect the babies in the main coop. This way, she can raise her babies in peace, then when they are old enough, you can move them over to the big coop.

As @azygous said, the pecking order is always changing. Just because this is the situation with Lillie now, doesn't mean it will always be this way.

 

[abserbean]

Well, maybe one day she can be confident enough to join the others, there is some hope! For now I will just keep her and Paisley to their own coop. Today she is just hiding inside, doesn't even want to see the other chickens, poor thing had a very rough day yesterday.I just read an article on RSL's that said they did not do well with integrating new hens into their flock and could become big bullies. Angel, our biggest bully, is an RSL. I did not know that before, it was surprising to me b/c before this she was our sweetest chicken and never challenged the pecking order. Combine that with Lillie's timid nature and lack of flock social skills, and we had a disaster. I def. learned a lot during this process. We have only been keeping chickens for a year, and there is a big learning curve! We try to do what is best for our girls, but sometimes things just don't work out the way we had planned. I would love to let Lillie hatch one day when she is feeling more settled and secure, but we are almost at our limit on space.It is always an adventure with chickens!