Hello and HELP!!! from California

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MonicaVega28

MonicaVega28

Hatching
9 Years
Nov 30, 2010
9
0
7
Hi everyone!

My husband I and I recently built a chicken coop and adopted 2 chickens!! I love it!

We recently lost one to a raccoon, and yesterday brought home another chicken to keep the other hen company. They instantly started fighting, our original hen was pecking and bending down the other ones neck, and pulling out feathers, so we seperated them.

I kept the new chicken in the coop and let the original one run around the yard, as she usually does all day. Last night I put one in a dog crate in the roost, and one open in the roost, so they could see each other (as I read to do ) and this morning, let the original hen out in the yard as usual, and closed the new one int the coop. Our new chicken today is not eating or drinking and is hiding in the roost. I don't know what to do???!!
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They each have separate food and water, I'm just afraid that the new chicken is traumatized and wont come out to eat or drink.

and how long should the fighting last? and how much pecking is OK? I know there will be some, but I thought they would kill eachother!


thanks for any tips!
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Quote:
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this is totally normal. The pecking order must be established before you can have any happy birds. Just let the birds peck a bit, don't intervene unless there is blood. If you want, just put her in a crate with her own food/water during the day so that the other bird can see her but not peck or anything. Hope this helps!
 
Hey,

Well, What I did when I got new chickens was I let them ALL free range together so the other chicken could get away:) they still got pecked a bit but not as much as they would have been in the coop. At night i just put them in a dog kennel in the coop and in the morning let them ALL my chickens out. They would stay in a little group and graze just with themselves though.After about a week or so the pecking order was established and they began to eat and graze and roost with them.

I hope this has helped, I know what situation you are in, This has happend to me before.

If you have any questions,concerns,or suggestions just let me know.

HAVE A GOOD TIME RAISING CHICKENS!!


William
 
Hi MonicaVega28!!!
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It can be scarey sometimes when you can't figure out this chicken stuff. I know I can use a bit of help now and then with my chicks and MOST people here are super willing to give advise and share their knowledge. I'm trying to mix 7 youngsters in with 5 hens now and I'm stumped too, so I'm not sure I'm the one to help you with this. I certainly hope you knew to quarantine the new hen...you don't want your current hen getting sick from your new one. Right now I'm doing about what you are doing. Giving them some time together and also some time apart so hopefully it's not too bad on the new ones. Good Luck. Let me know how it goes for you, you can always PM me.

KimberlyJ
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Welcome MonicaVega28! I too am from California.
I had to put together two Banties with three regular size chicken in our new coop. They were originally raised separately because of their age and the time of adoption even though they are 3 months apart and they had free ranged together. Anticipating some pecking we added two roosting bars and as expected, the aggressive banties took the highest roost. For two weeks the banties chased, pecked, scared away the other three. Even though the other 3 are three times bigger than the banties. It was scary for me hearing them in the coop so I would separate the banties in their original temporary container and let the 3 regular chickens free-range. They spent a lot of time free ranging together but always with someone watching them. Thank goodness I had a lot of yard work to do. The banties only stayed in their container for an hour then they were put together. Only if they kept bothering the others, they would be returned to the coop while the others free ranged. Our coop has a hardware door so they saw the other chickens free range. The aggressiveness has stopped. The other chickens move away from the banties to give them their space in the coop, when they free range, and at the food container. The main point is that they spent time together free ranging, I watched, and I separated if I had to. Sometimes as they free ranged all I had to do is walk over to where the banties were bothering the other chickens and everybody separated and went back to normal. They are now getting along and I don't have to separate them any more. Be patient and vigilant. Good luck.
 
thanks everyone for the advise! I have been keeping them apart, but they still can see each other trading who is in the coop and who is free ranged. i did have them together in the coop for a little while and the fighting dosent seem as bad. I feel bad for the new chicken, every time it sees the old hen, it runs and hides
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and my new chicken isn't laying, is that normal because it is stresses or something?



knjinnm: sorry about the "help"..i was desperate

thanks again for all of the tips and advise! this is a great pace!
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