HELP! My chicken won't stop attacking the new chickens!

[lmagee181]

Hi! I am new to raising chickens; we got our first girls (plus a duck!) in April of this year. They have been doing well and have been in an outside coop since around June. We got another set of babies in August of this year. They were ready to go outside this month, so we got another coop that would be big enough for everyone. We tried to slowly introduce the new girls to the older ones and it went well except for one Australorp. She wants NOTHING to do with the babies and will chase them and attack them any time she seems them. The first night in the coop was terrible with some girls bleeding by morning.

Since then, I have kept the younger girls inside the coop and have had the older girls sleep in the covered run (which they don't seem to mind). My older girls get to free range during the day when I am home, but the Australorp will attack the babies regardless of whether they are in the coop our outside free ranging.

Does anyone have any advice?? The Australorp hasn't started laying yet, so I am not sure if that has anything to do with it? It is going to start to get cold here in NH at night so I don't think I can keep the older girls outside without cover for much longer. Any help is GREATLY appreciated!

Thank you!!

 

[AbsterliniChicken4]

Maybe the Australorp thinks she's the top of the pecking order and she doesn't want anyone to replace her spot. Put the new girls in a separate small coop, kind of like a brooder pen but bigger, and then introduce the new girls and your Australorp between a fence. If she tries to fight, let her because she can't get through the fence. She will hopefully get used to your new girls.

Good luck with your Feisty Australorp!

~AbsterliniChicken4

 

[DianaMallory]

If they are bleeding they do need removed, other than that it is the pecking order. One guy on you tube said to make changes in the coop and run add things change things around. Add new bedding move a feeder or a roost. Create a distraction. Just make sure the newbies have a safe place to go eat away from the older hens.

 

[AbsterliniChicken4]

Truth.

 

[AbsterliniChicken4]

If they are bleeding they do need removed, other than that it is the pecking order. One guy on you tube said to make changes in the coop and run add things change things around. Add new bedding move a feeder or a roost. Create a distraction. Just make sure the newbies have a safe place to go eat away from the older hens.

Or maybe put a few heads of cabbage up, distract them and they get a treat.

 

[Birdinhand]

yeah, if there is blood, I recommend separating them till they heal up. blood can lead to a pecking frenzy. Chickens have terrible night vision but incredible color vision and red stands out from a mile away, it's irresistible, that's why they make the nipple waterers red, chickens are naturally very attracted to it. I have a brooder set up at floor level inside the coop. the best intro approach I've read here and used is cutting a small hole in the door of the brooder that only the small hens can get through, allowing them to take refuge when things get too intense (I use an adjustable bar over the opening and raise it as the chicks grow). eventually the other hens give up chasing them because they know they will just run out of reach, so it's not as satisfying as cornering and going to town on a "new in town" pullet. It can take months for the new pecking order to get established. size is a big factor. once the pullets reach full size things typically get better.

 

[lmagee181]

Thank you all! They haven't been bleeding any more it was only that first day and that was about two weeks ago. I read that it could take around two weeks for a new pecking order to get established but it sounds like it may take longer than that. Do you thinking separating the girl that is creating most of the problem would help, or would that make things worse? I will definitely try the cabbage trick as well!

 

[lmagee181]

Maybe the Australorp thinks she's the top of the pecking order and she doesn't want anyone to replace her spot. Put the new girls in a separate small coop, kind of like a brooder pen but bigger, and then introduce the new girls and your Australorp between a fence. If she tries to fight, let her because she can't get through the fence. She will hopefully get used to your new girls.

Good luck with your Feisty Australorp!

~AbsterliniChicken4

Thank you! I might try that as well; she is definitely feisty!

 

[Birdinhand]

if it's been weeks and there is no more blood then I'd say just let it go. sometimes hens guard their place in the pecking order like their life is at stake and it just takes time for them to mellow out. what you really have to watch out for is the outcasting. if a single newcomer gets outcast, they will go so far as to kill her, but fortunately that doesn't happen very often. it's sounds like you are past the worst of it.

 

[lmagee181]

if it's been weeks and there is no more blood then I'd say just let it go. sometimes hens guard their place in the pecking order like their life is at stake and it just takes time for them to mellow out. what you really have to watch out for is the outcasting. if a single newcomer gets outcast, they will go so far as to kill her, but fortunately that doesn't happen very often. it's sounds like you are past the worst of it.

Today when one of the younger girls was in the pen with the bigger ones (she came down from the covered part where she can be safe), she just laid down on the ground and just kept getting pecked. I felt awful! It is so hard to watch and listen to but maybe I just need to let it happen? I don't know if there is no more blood because the older girls haven't been given the chance to go that far since they aren't together for that long