Help! - Integrating a single hen

[Laver2k]

Hi all,
Any advice I can get would be great.

I have a bantam and a medium sized hen. I have an Orpington pullet that I would like to add to the flock. I had the 2 hens and the Orpington in separate coops with the runs touching at the end (but not able to get to each other).

After a week, my bantam went broody and was taken off to the broody cage for a few days, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to introduce her to a single hen. I snuck her into the coop overnight and all was well...until the morning.

My medium sized hen jumped on her back and was pulling out feathers. They had spent the previous week sat peacefully next to each other at the ends of their runs and seemed to want to be with each other - so I was really surprised.

I separated them straight away so that she could recover - but now I'm not sure what to do. Any ideas?

 

[cathymcgoo]

I think you should wait until the broody chicken stops brooding then introduce the 2 again. Chickens are nasty and not fun to be around when they are broody so that could be the cause of aggression. You could also try having both chickens eat from the same pile of food, but make sure they are under your close watch. Your problem could also be a result of the pecking order which ranks your chickens from alpha chicken down to the lowest in power chicken. The chicken that was being hurt might be lower in the pecking order.

good luck I hope my advice works!

 

[Den in Penn]

I will take it the Orpington was the one under the medium hen. They don't always take waking up to an intruder in the coop. If might have been better if you had let them mingle in the run for a few days. Giving the pullet a chance to avoid the hen. Allowing them to get to physically interact first.