They're just being chickens, just like dogs will be dogs. You can't (with very few exceptions) just throw babies in with adults unless they have a mamma to protect them, and sometimes not even then. If you take some time with it you can add new chooks, but you have to do it right.
1. Fully feathered and nearly adult size.
2. It's good to pen them next too, but out of reach of the existing flock for a week or more.
3. I like to do a test introduction while they are free ranging during the day and if that goes well--no blood or constant chasing then...
4. Add the new chooks to the roost at night.
5. Hang a cabbage and a suet container or two for a distraction in the morning--this ones just a little bonus to smooth things out, not super important
6. It's a bonus if the new ones outnumber the old, not always practical, but things go way easier.
7. Be prepared to take the main bully or two out and put them in chicken jail for a few days, when they get back they're often so busy trying to integrate themselves back into the flock that they forget to pick on the new ones.
I only have a couple of ducks, but the few times I've added new ones it was really easy, well once the mean 'scovy drake found a new home it was easy. Do you know if that is just how ducks are? Will they even be nice to ducklings without a mamma?
1. Fully feathered and nearly adult size.
2. It's good to pen them next too, but out of reach of the existing flock for a week or more.
3. I like to do a test introduction while they are free ranging during the day and if that goes well--no blood or constant chasing then...
4. Add the new chooks to the roost at night.
5. Hang a cabbage and a suet container or two for a distraction in the morning--this ones just a little bonus to smooth things out, not super important
6. It's a bonus if the new ones outnumber the old, not always practical, but things go way easier.
7. Be prepared to take the main bully or two out and put them in chicken jail for a few days, when they get back they're often so busy trying to integrate themselves back into the flock that they forget to pick on the new ones.
I only have a couple of ducks, but the few times I've added new ones it was really easy, well once the mean 'scovy drake found a new home it was easy. Do you know if that is just how ducks are? Will they even be nice to ducklings without a mamma?
