Hen bullies chics

pollitohenhouse

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Looking for advice. I have 6 EE chics, and have recently aquired 2 older silkie hens. Both hen are mean to the young chics. One is way meaner than the other, blocking the food and water, dashing at them, and pecking at the alot (the pecks seem fairly harmless). What should i do? Should i just let the pecking order run its coarse or seperate them.
 
Silkies being mean! Do you know how many hearts you just broke on here? Silkies are the gentlest friendliest best-est chickens ever! :oops:

Yeah right. Silkies are chickens and yours are behaving like chickens. What you are describing is normal typical chicken behavior. I don't know how old those chicks actually are but I'd expect those chicks to try to keep a respectful distance between them and the adult Silkies until the chicks mature more.

The pecking should die down soon as the chicks learn to avoid the hens. Hopefully they have enough room to avoid them. The more room they have the better it should be. Sourland's suggestion of separate feeding and watering stations is really good, separate the food and water by as much as you can.
 
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.
 
I got food and water in several different areas--low and high. Tree branches, things leaning to go under.

The problem I have now is weather. Areas of the run ard shaded at different times of the day, the younger ones are not to brught finding shade. Then there is the rain. The bigger ones have no problems chasing them into the rain and then I end up soaking wet chasing them to get them out of the rain. Nest boxes are the upcoming issue. I feel the younger ones are getting ready to lay but the way everyone is seperated with this heavy rain is not making it easy. Constantly trying to balance it.
 

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