Hen fight

[Aliciahess]

So I got some new hens. Now they are fighting, aggressively. Is there anything I can do or do they just need to establish their pecking order?

 

[chooks4life]

If you just get new animals and introduce them immediately, it's basically guaranteed that extreme violence will result. They need time to get to know one another from a distance.

Animals do not naturally just join up with new groups overnight; they take time to assimilate, associating for a few days to a few weeks around the peripheral of the group before trying to merge with it.

In domestic animals we can mimic this by putting new arrivals in separate cages for a week, so they can view one another with a safety barrier between them, and get used to one another and communicate dominance or submission by vocal and body language rather than having to resort to full on confrontations.

It's particularly dangerous if you put the new animals into an enclosed area that the original animals considered their territory, and even more dangerous still if it's breeding season or the animals are sexually mature. Male or female, it doesn't matter, violence will erupt in most cases.

Separating them for a week on average is the best bet.

Best wishes.

 

[sunflour]

I agree. Here's a link to learning center article that may help:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock

 

[Aliciahess]

Thanks for the info! They have stopped fighting. We even got an egg from one of the new hens yesterday.

 

[sunflour]

Glad the problem is solved. Congrats on the egg.

 

[chooks4life]

Good to hear. Best wishes with them.