Hello chicken lovers!

Pics
Date sort Score sort
FlappyFeathers said:
View attachment 1600429
Glad your joined the group! If you would like all your chickens to be in one big flock, I would start the integrating process now. My new chicks were successfully mixed with my older girls by 5 weeks old!
Here are some articles that may help you with that:
Integrating at 4 weeks old

See but don’t touch

Raising chicks outdoors

And here's an entertaining story about roosters:
Keeping A Rooster

Good luck with all your beautiful chickens!
Click to expand...

Thank you for your advice and links! I will read through! I am a little apprehensive about an introduction right now, as for some reason there has been a rupture in the pecking order between Dotty, Betty and Meryl over the last few days.

The big girls can see the chicks through the fence on the other side of the garden. I wondered if sighting the new group would be enough to cause upheaval amongst the older hens.

Any thoughts?

There may already be info in your links so I will read those first.

Thanks
 
Madame_Mermicorn said:
Thank you for your advice and links! I will read through! I am a little apprehensive about an introduction right now, as for some reason there has been a rupture in the pecking order between Dotty, Betty and Meryl over the last few days.

The big girls can see the chicks through the fence on the other side of the garden. I wondered if sighting the new group would be enough to cause upheaval amongst the older hens.

Any thoughts?

There may already be info in your links so I will read those first.

Thanks
Click to expand...
Changes in a standing pecking order can be pretty normal, even without outside influences. Can you pinpoint a bully, or another one in particular that's being picked on?
One of my hens just started being mean (really mean) to her best friend for no apparent reason... I separated her (the bully) to a large dog crate for a couple days to "reset" the flock dynamic and when I put her back, she acted perfectly normal again. Who knows what goes on inside their little heads!

Sometimes if one of the group has an illness, they can be the target of bullying. You could keep an eye out for that and possibly separate and treat one bird before returning her back to the flock.

Introducing little ones to an established flock is actually waaay easier than waiting until they're bigger or the same size (which for some weird reason always seems to be the suggestion). The smaller they are, the less of a threat they seem to the big ones (more like just an annoyance) and the quicker they blend together.
Way across your yard is too far I think, to start the introduction. They need to be close, like in the same pen but divided by a fence. Put food on both sides of the fence line so they get used to eating together. Soon you could make a barrier the chicks can fit through but the big ones can't. Another great way to boost integration is during free range time because there's plenty of space for little ones to run away and yet they're still spending time together.

My last batch of babies, at 2 wks old, went in my coop brooder for a couple weeks and suddenly they were just all together! I started with a hardware cloth divider, then built and switched to this picket fence with 3½" spaces. You can see how the little ones could just come and go from their safe spot. (brooder under the roosts/poop tray)
20180618_212550.jpg

I don't mean to be pushy, just trying to give you some confidence. If you have enough space and enough hiding spots for little ones, integration is super easy. :D
 
FlappyFeathers said:
Changes in a standing pecking order can be pretty normal, even without outside influences. Can you pinpoint a bully, or another one in particular that's being picked on?

One of my hens just started being mean (really mean) to her best friend for no apparent reason... I separated her (the bully) to a large dog crate for a couple days to "reset" the flock dynamic and when I put her back, she acted perfectly normal again. Who knows what goes on inside their little heads!

Sometimes if one of the group has an illness, they can be the target of bullying. You could keep an eye out for that and possibly separate and treat one bird before returning her back to the flock.

Introducing little ones to an established flock is actually waaay easier than waiting until they're bigger or the same size (which for some weird reason always seems to be the suggestion). The smaller they are, the less of a threat they seem to the big ones (more like just an annoyance) and the quicker they blend together.
Way across your yard is too far I think, to start the introduction. They need to be close, like in the same pen but divided by a fence. Put food on both sides of the fence line so they get used to eating together. Soon you could make a barrier the chicks can fit through but the big ones can't. Another great way to boost integration is during free range time because there's plenty of space for little ones to run away and yet they're still spending time together.

My last batch of babies, at 2 wks old, went in my coop brooder for a couple weeks and suddenly they were just all together! I started with a hardware cloth divider, then built and switched to this picket fence with 3½" spaces. You can see how the little ones could just come and go from their safe spot. (brooder under the roosts/poop tray)
View attachment 1600716

I don't mean to be pushy, just trying to give you some confidence. If you have enough space and enough hiding spots for little ones, integration is super easy. :D
Click to expand...

Oh wow! That's an amazing set up you have there! I have a new shed arriving on the 10th of December, to set the new chicks up in with an attatched run with a catflap to get from shed to run this will be on the 'big girl's' side of the garden.

I believe Dotty is the perpatrator (with her twin bestie Hetty mimicking her bad behaviour) my partner saw an altercation over the feeding pot on Saturday where Meryl pushed in Dotty's way, Dotty squwaked at Meryl. Hetty and Dotty both chased her. The following day (Sunday) many of Meryls bum feathers were flying round the garden but none of us saw the crime. This morning, most of Meryls tail feathers are gone too.

Poor Meryl who is normally a very bolchy character and loves to be picked up and cuddled is now timid and shamed and ran away from me this morning and is very tense.

I currently have 2 nesting/roost boxes, and they've all recently moved from the larger one, back into the smaller one. All of them are currently trying to squeeze in to the smaller space, which they can do, but with less ease than the slightly larger one.

Might it be possible that this could be the underlying issue. I am planning to get a whole new, larger nesting/roosting box once I've sorted out the little chicks new shed. As the roosters will eventually have the shed to themselves and be fenced off out of view of the girls when they reach fertile age.

So when the little ones merge fully with the big girls, I was planning on getting an old child's play house sized nesting/roasting area so they will all fit happily.

I'm hoping to iron the friction out wih the big girls or it simmer down soon. Before my little chicks rock the hierarchy again.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom