How long does establishing the pecking order last?

[koohlman]

So I have introduced some new hens into my flock, did everything that I could to make it run as smoothly as possible. Took the new girls and had them separated from my other two doing the whole look but don't touch for just over two weeks. I gave them time to free range together and was starting to get some pecking but nothing more than normal. So after a week of doing that I thought it safe to add them to the coop, I knew it was going to be hard so I followed the advice that was here of adding them at night, making a change to the coop so I added some more perches to the outside run, and even adding in a game for them where they have to jump up and peck at a bottle to get some chicken scratch to come out. Well it has been over a month and the older hens are still going after the new hens, it is too the point that they will not let them into the coop at night, they are being chased away from the food and water even when I am putting multiple out, the only time my younger hens catch a break is when I open the door to let them free range for a bit, the older hens will go out and let the younger girls down from their hiding places before they will come back and chase them out of the coop just to chase them back in. At first I thought that this was normal but with this going on for almost a month I am getting worried. Any advice?

 

[PD-Riverman]

You got some hens that are like some of mine----Just Mean. No thats not normal, but it happens about every time with my older Rhode Island Reds. One thing that I have done that seems to work is take the peckers and put them in another location, allowing the new ones to get use to the new place---then in a week or two put the less mean hen in with them and see how she does----if good then I add another back per day until they are all back in----that has worked most of the time. Then other times I have moved them all to a new pen and that worked good----because then they are all in a new place not Owned by certain ones. If none of this worked for me----I would just use two pens and keep them separated so they are Not being pecked/chased/kept away from their food/etc. Good Luck

 

[adcockfarm]

hmm... well, not to be a thread stealer, but i have the same problem but with all 3 original hens targeting only one of the new hens. her head and comb has taken a beating! i can't move coops and i dont have anywhere to separate more than one hen... any other suggestions?


the original hens are: Welsummer, Wyandotte, and Americana
the new one getting pecked(out of the tree new ones[she's the oldest]) Barred Rock

 

[PD-Riverman]

her head and comb has taken a beating! i can't move coops and i dont have anywhere to separate more than one hen... any other suggestions?

'' Please don't let your chicken get picked on, repeatedly, torn up, tormented----if you can not round up a cheap place to put her away from the others----give her away or at least wring her neck and put her in a pot of stew---at least she want be tortured every day---anymore---Sorry.

 

[adcockfarm]

i kinda see your logic but... thats not really something we want to do, and i dont want them to be separate FOREVER, but thanks for the input anyways. As of yesterday they are together again and she is mostly camping out up by the nesting boxes on the perch in front of the boxes.