Help! my rooster and New Hen are viciously fighting!

[SlyFirefly]

We are just bring a new laying hen home today she is older than the flock I have now 9 chickens the rooster we know as it rooster because he started crowing this morning will we bring the new hen home this morning and ive been monitoring flock for a couple hours. Hen came with her egg. Rosster and Hen started viscous fighting! I seperated them and also realized her egg disappeared. could this be reason?! im baffled how do i bring new hen back into flock. No one has a problem with her expect rooster! help?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It sounds like you didn't conduct the obligatory quarantine needed when bringing in new mature birds.
Now that all have been exposed to anything she may have, I'd say to let them work it out.
He is protecting the flock from the interloper.
Flock animals don't usually take kindly to new birds. They view them as a threat to the health of the flock, competing for food, water and possibly bringing in disease.
It is quite common.

 

[bobbi-j]

How old is your rooster? Was the hen setting on (trying to hatch) the egg when you moved her? How long had she been setting when you bought her? How big is your coop (in feet by feet)? And your run? Do they free range? There are a lot of things that could factor in as to what is causing their behavior.

 

[MROO]

I highly recommend starting the introduction process over from the beginning. I've never tried this with a new bird, but it's worked a couple of times for injured ones that were away from the coop for a long time and treated as strangers on their return. For a new bird, you would quarantine them for at least a month before they come in actual contact with your home flock, but since yours have already exposed each other, you can skip that step, this time.

I put the "new" bird in a in a wire cage (like a rabbit hutch or dog kennel) inside my larger coop. The idea is to give the chickens safe access without the chance to hurt each other. Since your hen is completely new, you might want to give her a place to hide, like a high-sided nesting box or even a sturdy cardboard one.

When the flock stopped treating the returnee like an alien, after about a week of "through-the-wire discussions," I let her free-range (or you could let yours share a run) with a couple of quieter hens/pullets (not the roo or head-hen,) but only while I was there to supervise. Since your birds have already fought, you'll need to take this part slowly or you'll have to start all over again.

After a few days of "supervised play" I was able to put my girls back into the coop at night. The first time, the hen went in on her own with no issues. The second time I tried it, I had to sneak the returnee into the coop after the flock had roosted for the night. I made sure to put her in between two of her playtime buddies. In both instances, there were a few pecking order squabbles the next day, but they settled back in after the first flurry or two. and all was well.

This was all with a very small flock - only five or six chickens. I don't know how it would work with a larger flock, but the principle should at least be sound. I use the same concept now when I integrate, only now I use a small rabbit hutch. I put it right in the run, since it has a housing area built in. Works great!

Good Luck - and let us know how it goes!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

There is nothing new about a young cockerel being dominated by or fighting with an older hen. The pecking order is about which chicken is the boss of who and a young cockerel (who just began crowing this very morning) is not going to be recognized as a full fledged member of your flock little less the boss of of an older flock of hens.

 

[aart]

Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.

This used to be a better search, new format has reduced it's efficacy, but still:
Read up on integration..... BYC advanced search>titles only>integration
This is good place to start reading, BUT some info is outdated IMO:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock

 

[SlyFirefly]

It sounds like you didn't conduct the obligatory quarantine needed when bringing in new mature birds.
Now that all have been exposed to anything she may have, I'd say to let them work it out.
He is protecting the flock from the interloper.
Flock animals don't usually take kindly to new birds. They view them as a threat to the health of the flock, competing for food, water and possibly bringing in disease.
It is quite common.

Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.

This used to be a better search, new format has reduced it's efficacy, but still:
Read up on integration..... BYC advanced search>titles only>integration
This is good place to start reading, BUT some info is outdated IMO:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock

she isnt diseased, her owner was my husbands aunt. She is very beautiful comes from a horse farm . She was the last of the 3 hens they had. She was a daily egg layer and is very sweet. The owners take all their animals to vet as well.

 

[SlyFirefly]

How old is your rooster? Was the hen setting on (trying to hatch) the egg when you moved her? How long had she been setting when you bought her? How big is your coop (in feet by feet)? And your run? Do they free range? There are a lot of things that could factor in as to what is causing their behavior.

Yes they free range. We have 2 coops, one is about 8 feet in length, the other is definitely 7 feet in length. My flock only sleep in there coop. the new hen slept in your own coop. The Rooster Alfredo is young, 11 or 12 weeks.. he just got his crow yesterday morning, same day we brought her home. Sophie has been laying eggs daily for about 3 years daily. She was packed up with her egg she layed yesterday morning. She did not lay last night

 

[SlyFirefly]

There is nothing new about a young cockerel being dominated by or fighting with an older hen. The pecking order is about which chicken is the boss of who and a young cockerel (who just began crowing this very morning) is not going to be recognized as a full fledged member of your flock little less the boss of of an older flock of hens.

so what do i do? keep them apart. coop her up?

 

[SlyFirefly]

Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.

This used to be a better search, new format has reduced it's efficacy, but still:
Read up on integration..... BYC advanced search>titles only>integration
This is good place to start reading, BUT some info is outdated IMO:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock

Thank You. Yesterday after the fights I put her behind chicken wire in yard, Alfredo still wanted to charge the chicken wire at her