Hen driving chicks from coop, help!

[Frippi]

I need help introducing chicks. Or dealing with an aggressive hen.

It's been about a week since I first stuck my 8 week pullets in the coop in the dark with the adult chickens. (This was after about a week of them in a playpen in the yard for interacting without much ability to peck at each other, and a couple days of free ranging by day and being packed back to the brooder at night.) At the same time, I pulled out my aggressive middle hen, who had been spending the days chasing the chicks and lowest hen every time they were within 20 feet or so. I figured I'd get her out of the pecking order at first and stop her from harassing the newbies.

That worked well, and with some coaxing the first few days, the free-ranging pullets head to the coop each night following the adults.

I've tried re-integrating her twice now, over this week. All day yesterday, she was fine. But last night, she wouldn't allow the pullets to enter the coop. She kept driving them out and screaming. Out of frustration, I grabbed her again and stuck her back in the brooder for the night, but I can't keep bringing her into the basement indefinitely.

How do I keep one hen from preventing the pullets from going into the coop at night?

 

[Acre4Me]

Keep pushy hen away from chicks in the "safe enclosure" you used for the chicks until chicks have gone to roost, then put her on a roost in the coop. Remove early morning to her safe enclosure in the run. The enclosure needs a cover so she doesn't fly out, but she's still with the flock. It does take more time than a week in my experience for the successful integration. FWIW, we have also had momma hen raised chicks and similar problems arise bc momma hen eventually stops protecting them when they are still fairly little and there is usually 1-3 flock members that pick on the chicks until they get bigger. But, the momma hen raised chicks do integrate more seamlessly overall.

8 week old chicks need some time to integrate. they are lowest in pecking order. They are competing for resources and your hen is clearly protecting her flock from these small intruders.

We have 9 week olds. They lived in the brooder until around 4 weeks we let them into an enclosure in the run, and flock could see, not touch. The chicks could freely go between brooder in barn and the run enclosure. Then we raised up the enclosure on blocks and the chicks could go between run, safe enclosure space, and brooder. There were 2 pullets and one hen that stalked the perimeter of the safe enclosure, chasing the chicks, and sometimes grabbing their tail feathers (chick was running, but not going anywhere) then they would release the chick and peck it. Chick would run to the safe enclosure etc...repeat. Finally, the chicks got a bit bigger, the pullets/hens got more used to them, the chicks stayed in a group and got faster.

Since they have been 7.5 weeks old, we have closed off the brooder for increasing amounts of time so they could only be in the safe space or the run when brooder closed off. Now at 9.5 weeks, they are blocked out of the brooder all day, and do not have a safe space. They travel in groups around the run. They still get picked on a bit, and have not yet ventured into the coop that we have seen. Since they are getting towards 10 weeks, we will have to put them into the coop most likely for a few nights until they determine that to be home. At that point, we will have a good 2 weeks of nightly drama, with chicks getting put in their place by a higher pecking order pullet or hen, with chicks ending up on the lowest roost bar. Even our neighbor can hear the nightly drama from the hen house during chick integration if he is outside! LOL, they sure are driven by pecking order!

 

[Punkybrewster]

I had a similar problem with a black sex link hen. Bullied a flock mate and broke through the separation fence where my younger poults were and killed one. I put her in the freezer. Peace and harmony after that.

But if that is not an option for you, maybe someone will come along with some suggestions.

 

[Acre4Me]

I had a similar problem with a black sex link hen. Bullied a flock mate and broke through the separation fence where my younger poults were and killed one. I put her in the freezer. Peace and harmony after that.

But if that is not an option for you, maybe someone will come along with some suggestions.

Yes, this is a viable other option. Re-home the one that is no longer a good fit to your flock. We've done this a couple of times to restore flock harmony.