HELP! introducing rescued dutch bantam to exsisting hens

[btruegs]

Hey guys,

My uncle used to have all kinds of animals, horses, goats, dogs, cats, and atleast 100 chickens, both roosters and hens. Now that he's getting old he can't take care of it all so he gave the animals away. My grandma became "jealous" of my hens and wanted some. She got some of the one's my uncle gave away, which are dutch bantams. She got 9 total, one mom, 8 chicks, and another young hen.

Anyway, during the couple days she had them, the mom got pretty vicious so i ended up bringing her home to my 3 black australorps, and 1 nh red. They haven't been near as bad, but can be pretty mean to her. i set up a little pen inside the chicken coop area (fenced off portion of the yard) for them to get used to the bantam, and i accidentally let her out. if she stays in a seperate corner from the other hens, they don't really bother her. How can i get the other hens to stop fighting with her?

Also, is there a way i can clip the bantams wings? i went out last night and she was on top of the chicken coop, which is 7 feet high, (it has posts to keep it off ground). But she is a very sweet girl, i feel bad for her over in her corner.

Any help is greatly appriciated.

 

[cafarmgirl]

Integrating a single new bird into a small flock can be extremely difficult. I've had so much headache trying to do it in the past that I just won't do it anymore, 3 is my minimum now. The existing flock just fixates on that one new bird, sometimes things settle down with a lot of time, sometimes they just never do accept the newbie. Sometimes once they get it in their heads to attack they just don't get over it. The last time I tried integrating one new bird it went on for months and involved her getting scalped and nearly killed by the other birds. She had her own pen next to them but they'd go after her any chance they got. It got to where she could free range in the pasture near them and things settled down a bit but they never did allow her in their coop at night and she ended up sleeping in my goat barn.

All you can do is just keep trying. Keep her in her own area next to them but separated by a fence and just give it lots of time. Hopefully things will settle down.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

X2

The only good method to introduce a single bird is to house it separately with one bird from your flock. Every 4 days or so add another from your flock. When the numbers are equal you can integrate them. Otherwise, after a few become friends, move the original flock and put the new bird with her newfound friends into the main coop and then every couple days add more birds. The most aggressive birds should be brought in last.

 

[btruegs]

Thanks! i appreciate it. If things don't calm dowm, should i build her her own little coop?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

If you follow my routine posted above, you need 2 coops (which people should always have for quarantining new birds, sick, injured and broody hens). But, chickens are flock animals and you never want to house a single chicken for long. They become despondent and go downhill with friends.
Rules of thumb:
Never add a single chicken to an established flock.
Always mix like sizes and like numbers.
Separate bullies, not the docile birds or they'll never fit in.