Help!!!! Pekin Bantam keeps attacking new girls!

[Ilovechickens119]

Hi everyone!
I was wondering whether any of you can help... I have a 1year old Pekin Bantam called Tilly and two 6month old new girls named Sooty and Blu. I have done everything for example keeping them separate for a while. The trouble came a couple of days ago... When I tried to introduce Tilly to the new girls, she keeps attacking them and they sqwark in pain! I cannot have them free range and they all have to be in the run together but I’m terrified that Tilly will peck the other two to death!! PLEASE HELP WHAT SHALL I DO?!?
Thanks

 

[azygous]

Have you seen any injuries? Have you seen the younger ones run away from Tilly? How large is your run in square feet? If it's smaller than 30 square feet, that's going to present a big problem.

When you are limited on space for a run, you can sometimes achieve the effect of enlarging it by introducing vertical spaces. By this I mean putting an old card table in the run with the two youngsters' food and water on top. Adding higher perches or an old chair or even a tree branch tossed into the run will help provide vertical space for the two youngsters to evade bossy Tilly.

Eventually, all three will settle into a ranked social order, and they will co-exist peacefully.

 

[Ilovechickens119]

Have you seen any injuries? Have you seen the younger ones run away from Tilly? How large is your run in square feet? If it's smaller than 30 square feet, that's going to present a big problem.

When you are limited on space for a run, you can sometimes achieve the effect of enlarging it by introducing vertical spaces. By this I mean putting an old card table in the run with the two youngsters' food and water on top. Adding higher perches or an old chair or even a tree branch tossed into the run will help provide vertical space for the two youngsters to evade bossy Tilly.

Eventually, all three will settle into a ranked social order, and they will co-exist peacefully.

Thank you for your interest. That is really helpful. My 3 girls have a 4 metre run not including their house. How to I distract Tilly from attacking the others? What are some good ideas for some DIY toys for her?
Thanks for being so helpful

 

[Ilovechickens119]

Thank you for your interest. That is really helpful. My 3 girls have a 4 metre run not including their house. How to I distract Tilly from attacking the others? What are some good ideas for some DIY toys for her?
Thanks for being so helpful

Also, yes, wherever Tilly goes the younger ones will run away from her!

 

[azygous]

If the two youngsters are running away from Tilly, they are learning they are lower in the social order than Tilly, and once Tilly gets over the fun sport of chasing them around, they should all settle down.

Meanwhile, use your imagination and come up with some place for the youngsters to find refuge such as an elevated surface where they can rest in safety when they aren't trying to avoid Tilly.

If this keeps on, I have found that a fly swatter is a handy "teaching tool". I have an older hen like Tilly that enjoyed chasing youngsters and interfering with them roosting at night. I swatted her one time on the butt with the swatter as she was chasing them, and after that, I just brandished it when I saw her chase them. She quickly figured out that chasing the pullets was not worth being threatened with that scary fly swatter. Just picking the swatter up is enough to get her to quit being a bully now.

 

[Ilovechickens119]

.
Thank you for all your help - I am no expert!!
Do you think Tilly could kill the youngsters (that is the thing I am terrified about) ?

 

[Ilovechickens119]

I bought my girls a new “omelet igloo”” house for my girls today with a 4metre run to try and avoid any territorial issues !!

 

[azygous]

There's always a chance of a bad thing happening. Is it likely? No.

Many older chickens take great sport in bullying newbies. But your two are full size now, and they are very able to get away from Tilly if she starts to hurt them. If you have never seen Tilly stand on the back of one of the youngsters, pecking away at her head and drawing blood, it' unlikely to happen.

If all Tilly is doing is chasing the youngsters and giving them a peck on the back, that's completely normal behavior. It will settle down.

 

[Ilovechickens119]

There's always a chance of a bad thing happening. Is it likely? No.

Many older chickens take great sport in bullying newbies. But your two are full size now, and they are very able to get away from Tilly if she starts to hurt them. If you have never seen Tilly stand on the back of one of the youngsters, pecking away at her head and drawing blood, it' unlikely to happen.

If all Tilly is doing is chasing the youngsters and giving them a peck on the back, that's completely normal behavior. It will settle down.

Thanks so much and yes, all she is doing is chasing them around and what looks like attacking their backs and peking the feathers!!! Poor things - no wonder they are terrified of her !! Tilly is a little devil , but I still love her. Thank you so much for all of your help!!

 

[aart]

Here's some tips on....
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.