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

[abserbean]

Well, that didn't work. I separated the bullies, and put the other four together, and my lead hen Pepper attacked the timid hen Lillie. I let it go for a few minutes, hoping they would work it out, but Lillie won't run and won't defend herself. So now she is bleeding and hiding behind the trash cans again. I think I will have to call the lady that we got her from and see if she will take her back. The reason that they wanted a new home for her was b/c she was lonely and not doing well b/c of it. She belonged to their daughter who had hatched her from an egg, but she is going off to college. She does get along with Paisley, the buddy we bought for her, but can't seem to work out flock dynamics. My daughter is devastated, holding the scared hen and crying, but I just don't think Lillie has it in her. My other girls have been together since they were a day old, they accepted Paisley okay, but can't seem to make room in their flock for Lillie.

 

[abserbean]

It looks like I may have to modify my temp coop to make it a permanent structure, and just end up with two mini flocks. I don't want to separate the new girls b/c they are bonded, and my kids are sobbing about giving her back. So I put up a temp secondary run side by side to my main run (again, I just took it down yesterday), treated Lillie's cuts, and put her and Paisley back in their old coop. Plus treats for Lillie to help with the trauma! I never knew chicken keeping would be so involved! On a real farm Lillie would have been soup a long time ago, but our girls are pets and my kids love her, so I guess we will just keep catering to the silly girl. Maybe I can convince my husband that they need another friend for the new girls........I have always wanted an olive egger!

 

[azygous]

I'm really sorry it didn't work out. You just saw the reason why it's NEVER a good idea to raise one lone chick. Not only are they flock animals, but they get almost all their self confidence from their fellow chicks raised together in the brooder. The more of them there are, the better they integrate with an older flock when the time comes. Lillie, sadly, never had this. Usually, chicks who have any less than three other mates will have a very hard time having the courage to integrate with an older flock.

Is there any way you can just let Lillie and Paisley exist separately, but adjacent to the main run? Or erect a partition in the coop and run so they are protected from the rest? I've done this with roosters who are set on killing each other, and the minor inconvenience is worth it for peace.

You are one step ahead of me! I'm glad you're willing to cater to Lillie's needs. My twenty chickens are all pets, too, and I sometimes, well, most of the time, feel like their servant!

Having two separate flocks isn't all that uncommon. Sometimes chicks don't want to integrate, and people simply set up two coops and two runs for them. We do what we need to do because we love them, and they are ever so entertaining!

 

[abserbean]

Yeah, I think we are going to have to just keep the two girls separate, but I have to convince my husband it is a good idea! They were fine on their own, and the two are bonded even though it took a few weeks for Lillie to warm up to her. I wasn't really planning on having two little flocks, but that is what I get for rescuing a full grown hen.

 

[azygous]

That's why I like chicks instead of trying to add adult chickens. Adopting needy layers is a noble endeavor, but it can get very complicated.

Good luck!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

If size didn't matter then why are there different weight classes in amateur, Olympic, and professional boxing?

 

[donrae]

If this bird just isn't a good fit for your flock why not rehome her? Someone would probably love to have a single pet hen.

 

[abserbean]

Yeah, I learned my lesson, and I will never try to integrate an adult bird again! We could try to find her a new home, but she has bonded with the hen that I purchased to be her friend and I would like to keep her. The buddy Paisley is a silver welbar, not a very common breed in US, more in UK, and she lays a dark, almost plum colored egg. Plus my two older kids are attached to Lillie, she is a lap chicken and follows them around the yard, she even jumps on my daughter's shoulder like a parrot! I really wanted to have everyone all together, but with a few simple modifications my temp coop could become permanent. My dh is not so excited about that idea, so we will see. Lillie isn't a great layer, but she is a very broody hen, so maybe she can become an incubator!

 

[Kelsey Cathy]

I found this thread very interesting. I too have a 'chicken little' we call her. I got her with 11 others at the feed store. I was replacing 12 that the coons got so decided to get 3 BO, 3 RIR and 6 EE ( I wanted colored eggs lol ). She was suppose to be an EE but she looks a whole lot like an RIR to me. Regardless of her breed she is extremely timid and much smaller than the others. She hides herself behind structures in the run and even hides her head under the ramp to the old brooder! I have now integrated my 2 flocks and it is really interesting how the 2 groups just kinda co-exist not co-mingle. They do all sleep in the huge hen house my DH built but in separate areas....just an interesting phenomenon to me. Chicken Little stays to herself and no one bothers her. No bullying at all. Maybe because one of the EE chicks she grew up with turned out to be a rooster like someone else posted? I don't know. I still hope she will join the rest of the flock but I doubt it at this point. They are 4 1/2 months old and just started laying. I am in a quandary as what to do with her. Can a flock have a 'chicken little' and leave her alone? I just don't want to come home someday and find her all beat up.

 

[abserbean]

This is my first attempt at integrating a flock, and although I knew it would be tough I never expected this! You would think, Kelsey, since they grew up together they would be okay, but I'm not any kind of an expert. I think the combination of Lillie's timid (terrified) nature and the fact that they didn't grow up together is just not going to work. They can free range together, but the two new girls stay far away from my original flock. I am thankful that she and Paisley get along, so at least she has someone to sleep with when it is cold! But the dynamics of breaking into an existing flock is just too much for my scardey chicken.