Having a hard time with youngest being accepted..

[WickedChicksNH]

I have
1 NH red 2 1/2 years old - Sally
1 Cochin Bantam 1 1/2 years - Luna
1 White crested black polish 3 1/2 months -Izzy
1 Cuckoo Maran 3 1/2 months - Hazel

1 Rouen Duck 3 months - Gabby
1 black runner duck 3 months - Zeke

2 Swedish ducks 2 months Pippa and Louie

Camilla and Pandora 2 months chicks I hatched myself they are actually luna's babies and are Bantam cochins.

I did all the meet and greets over a period of a couple weeks with them all and they are all living happy together in the same pen and coop. EXCEPT
Camilla and Pandora, they are still inside with me, not roaming around but in a large dog pen in my office (I work from home so they see me all the time)

The at time will let them be, others they just refuse to let them do anything. They would be checking out food or a dust bath and hazel will be like nope, mine. I think it is all normal behavior. Sally is actually the boss. It seems like Izzy and Hazel pick on them more and the ducks poke at them or pushes them, nothing to extreme.

they have plenty of room to run to a different place to get away

So my actual issue is, my Camilla and Pandora are very small compared to all the others they seem to get picked on and they are very attached to me, where they have flown quite a distance to land on me and sit on me while I am standing, or when the others bully them they come running to me and jump on me.

When I am inside working I will sometimes let them out to roam, they jump right up on my desk either stay on my shoulders or lean on my keyboard and sleep.
If I am cleaning their cage, I will be sweeping they jump all the way up from the floor to my shoulders (you cannot clean like this BTW)

I have a few dilemmas
Are they too attached to me? I was the first voice they heard when they hatched, first face they seen, first everything and i love them to pieces I love that they are attached but if I am ever going to put them in the coop with the others, will this be a problem?

As I said they are very small compared to the others, should I wait until they are larger? as a Bantam cochin they don't get really large, but Luna their mom terrifies the others when she appears (she's been broody so she isn't seen much)

It doesn't seem like they the others are ever going to accept them, Sally my oldest hen will, I have them 3 together by themselves and she was fine with them, the normal showing who's boss but never violently

Ok sorry that was long...
Thanks all

 

[Ridgerunner]

It sounds like you have had a very good integration so far and it all sounds normal. Chicken society can get fairly complex, especially when you mix immature with more mature chickens. Until the pullets start laying they tend to avoid the older hens. As long as they have enough room they can usually manage, though occasionally you get a real brute of a hen. The tighter the space the more likely you are to have problems. Often the immature adolescents are rougher on the youngest ones that grown hens. Not always but often. A lot of it just depends on their individual personalities.

It sound like they have imprinted on you as their mother. I don't see that as a huge problem as long as you are OK with the attention. That should not stop them from fully integrating with the main flock once they hit laying age. A successful integration is not that they sit cuddled up around the campfire toasting marshmallows and singing cum-ba-ya, it is simply that they don't hurt each other.

It sounds like the two youngest have not been exposed to the others. A lot of us have brooder-raised chicks roaming with the flock at five weeks or even younger. I've had broody-raised chicks do that at three weeks. Typically these have been raised with the flock or at least exposed to the for a couple of weeks. And we have sufficient room, which it sounds like you do.

People really get hung up on the size thing. Don't. As you've seen size doesn't matter that much, it's attitude that counts.

My suggestion is to move them outside so they can be across wire from the others for a couple of weeks at least. They will be upset being away from you, but its like a broody hen weaning them. They will get over it pretty quickly. Get them used to sleeping outside somewhere predator safe. It does not ave to be with the others. If you keep them in there for a week or more before letting them out to roam they should go back there at night. Then when you can be around to observe let them out to range with the others. From what you've described it should go really smoothly.

You don't have to do this immediately, wait another month if you wish. To me the goal is to have them outside and accepted by the others in time for the older hens and pullets to show them where to lay their eggs.

Good luck!

 

[WickedChicksNH]

It sounds like you have had a very good integration so far and it all sounds normal. Chicken society can get fairly complex, especially when you mix immature with more mature chickens. Until the pullets start laying they tend to avoid the older hens. As long as they have enough room they can usually manage, though occasionally you get a real brute of a hen. The tighter the space the more likely you are to have problems. Often the immature adolescents are rougher on the youngest ones that grown hens. Not always but often. A lot of it just depends on their individual personalities.

It sound like they have imprinted on you as their mother. I don't see that as a huge problem as long as you are OK with the attention. That should not stop them from fully integrating with the main flock once they hit laying age. A successful integration is not that they sit cuddled up around the campfire toasting marshmallows and singing cum-ba-ya, it is simply that they don't hurt each other.

It sounds like the two youngest have not been exposed to the others. A lot of us have brooder-raised chicks roaming with the flock at five weeks or even younger. I've had broody-raised chicks do that at three weeks. Typically these have been raised with the flock or at least exposed to the for a couple of weeks. And we have sufficient room, which it sounds like you do.

People really get hung up on the size thing. Don't. As you've seen size doesn't matter that much, it's attitude that counts.

My suggestion is to move them outside so they can be across wire from the others for a couple of weeks at least. They will be upset being away from you, but its like a broody hen weaning them. They will get over it pretty quickly. Get them used to sleeping outside somewhere predator safe. It does not ave to be with the others. If you keep them in there for a week or more before letting them out to roam they should go back there at night. Then when you can be around to observe let them out to range with the others. From what you've described it should go really smoothly.

You don't have to do this immediately, wait another month if you wish. To me the goal is to have them outside and accepted by the others in time for the older hens and pullets to show them where to lay their eggs.

Good luck!

Thank you so much for the advice, I will try the suggestions. I do wish they would make smores that would be sweet lol

Luna my bantam cochin at first would actually jump on them and try to scratch them. They are actually her babies, but I hatched them not her.
She's still broody but has mellowed