Hen being mean to chick.

[Emily_loveschickens]

That should work!

I just feel like the dog crate is so small! It’s just temporary though.

 

[Emily_loveschickens]

How long have the adult chickens been exposed to the chick? Has the chick been separate and out of sight until now?

I’ve had a separate pen next to the big girls run there for about a month.

 

[microchick]

Agreed. Good job.

 

[Yardmom]

Could you use one of your existing hens to be her "friend". That would be letting her be paired 1:1 before she faces the whole flock? They will scuffle at first, but better than having her go 1 against 4.

 

[Emily_loveschickens]

Could you use one of your existing hens to be her "friend". That would be letting her be paired 1:1 before she faces the whole flock? They will scuffle at first, but better than having her go 1 against 4.

yes. My two hens at the top of the pecking order seem to mostly leave her alone.

 

[Dinosaur Village Keeper]

Beware of getting a chicken off Craig's List or Facebook or chicken meets. It's a good way to import an avian virus into your flock.

While that’s true, I had assumed she wouldn’t be ignorant about it. How else would you get an older hen?

 

[Chicken mob]

I have a hen who does not want to be nice to this one chick I am trying to integrate. Can I separate the hen? She is the meanest out of all of them and tries to chase her through her pen. Thanks

I would put mean hen in a separate pen until young hen is comfortable. When I remove a hen from the rest of them they then have to reestablish their place in the pecking order.