Hens hate roosters and other tales

[QuiggleFarm]

Hello, All! I am new to chicken raising and have found myself with two hens (I don't know what kind -- they are red and lay greenish eggs!) and two silkie roosters. The hens are approaching a year old and the roosters are about 5-6 months old and just started crowing. Despite trying some of the methods of introducing them slowly (before we knew the silkies were roosters), the hens have always hated the silkie roosters. Like they tear their feathers out and eat them type of hate. The silkie roosters are terrified of the hens because of these encounters. We currently have the hens in one coop and run and the roosters in another coop and run, but I just don't know where to go from here! I know chick season is fast approaching and we would love to grow our flock(s), but I have so many questions! I'm poking around in all of the forums and threads to find answers, but I thought I'd post them too just in case any kind soul wants to share chicken wisdom with me.

Here are some of the questions keeping me up at night:

• Why do my hens want to kill my silkie roosters?
• Should I try to see if I can keep the silkie roosters together? They have been raised together and so far their chest bumping looks more playful...
• If I want to add hens to the rooster coop, should I get chicks and wait until they are older or should I get grown hens? Does it matter? At this point my silkie roosters seem way nicer and more accepting of others than my crazy red hens!

Thank you for taking time to read this!




The mean girls.


One of the silkie roosters.

 

[The Kooky Kiwi]

I have always found introducing adult birds, with predisposed ideas on hierarchy, territory and personal tastes, to be the most challenging. Sometimes an introduction will work and sometimes it will not - often depending on the individual natures of the birds in question.

Your roosters look smaller than your hens and I also note that your roosters are younger than your hens. Both of these factors will put your roosters at a disadvantage.

Not only are your hens physically able to dominate your roosters but they are also naturally higher on the pecking order due to age and their respective stage in development.

In another few months when the testosterone kicks in your roosters may well stand a better chance at introduction.

 

[QuiggleFarm]

That makes a lot of sense! Thank you for taking the time to respond. I will let these little guys keep growing and try again in a couple months!

 

[aart]

In another few months when the testosterone kicks in your roosters may well stand a better chance at introduction.

That could be true, as the boys learn to dominate.
But the combo of 2 females and 2 males could be chaotic and even injurious.
Hopefully the males establish a peaceful pecking order, or you girls could end up being ganged up on.
Keeping them separated is going only to prolong the integration and not necessarily ease it.
There's no magic age when they sing kumbaya immediately, there's going to be some 'fighting' to work it out. Often best to let them work it out, providing a safer habitat in which to do so.


Here's some tips about.....
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.
Good ideas for hiding places:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

 

[chickens really]

Docile birds don't do well with aggressive chickens. Silkie also have a different type of feather. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together.