How long does it take to establish pecking order? Reintroduced mama after 5 weeks with her chicks.

[shaelyn]

Hey there, I've read through some great threads on pecking order and wanted to see if anyone could speak into this situation. I have four hens, 2 BR, 1 RIR and 1 BO. One of my BR went broody and I let her hatch some fertile eggs. After 5 weeks with them, she was done. My big girls were in a coop at night and free range during the day. The mama and babies were in a coop and run in the yard with the big girls. I brought my mama BR out with the big girls 4 days ago. It appears she is 3rd out of 4 in the pecking order with my big BR on top and and my RIR second. My big BR will peck her away from food and water and be noisy until she leaves the nest box. My RIR consistently chases her, and even though mama runs away, she will still jump on her or pluck a few feathers out. Mama did have a little cut on her comb. It didn't really bleed at all, looked more like a little scrape and I just put neosporin on it. At nighttime, mama is very timid about going into the coop with the big girls and will pace for a while before hopping up on the roosts. There are two roosts and last night she slept on the 2nd one all by herself. My question is, is this all typical behavior that just needs to work itself out or do I need to separate out my RIR? My problem is that I really don't have a great setup for that. I have 3 dog crates zip tied together that I had used as a brooder early on for mama and the hens, but it's not too big. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Mrs. K]

Yes it is normal, and you really should just wait it out, unless they are killing her. A rule of thumb is if there is no blood, leave them to it. Most interference just prolongs the whole deal. Make sure there are multiple feed stations.

Now the next time you have a broody, leave her with the flock. She won't be a stranger to the flock, and she will protect the chicks, the chicks will grow up right in the flock and you don't ever have introduction problems again!

Right now, I have a hen and chicks in the flock, the older ones just ignore the babies, and they all get along great.

Mrs K

 

[Peeps61]

Great advice Mrs. K! I could not have said it better myself. The less work I have to do, the better. I leave them with the flock too.

 

[donrae]

Yes it is normal, and you really should just wait it out, unless they are killing her. A rule of thumb is if there is no blood, leave them to it. Most interference just prolongs the whole deal. Make sure there are multiple feed stations.

Now the next time you have a broody, leave her with the flock. She won't be a stranger to the flock, and she will protect the chicks, the chicks will grow up right in the flock and you don't ever have introduction problems again!

Right now, I have a hen and chicks in the flock, the older ones just ignore the babies, and they all get along great.

Mrs K

x2

 

[shaelyn]

Thanks for the great advice. Have you guys ever lost a chick due to one of the other hens? Probably my biggest concern is that they are in a coop, but no enclosed run because they just free range in our yard during the day. We lost a 4 week old to a hawk recently while they were ranging in the yard, so I put mama and babies back in the grow out coop so they wouldn't get snatched up. Babies are still in there until they get big enough to be ranging in the yard, but mama is back with the big girls. It's just sad because she roosts all by herself and the other 3 get all snuggled up.

 

[donrae]

I've never lost a chick with a broody momma to another hen in the flock. I have lost some to a predator (my own stinkin' barn cat

).

 

[Mrs. K]

My broody hens have their chicks out in the area in front of the coop well before they are 48 hours old. So much more healthier than in a confined space, more exercise, more varied diet. I have had a hen peck at a chick, but the mamma hen blows up and charges screaming... and the layers leave them strictly alone. By week 2, they are running under the legs of all the layers and are just part of the flock.

If you have had a hawk get a chick, that bird of prey will be back. They are horrible day time predators, and will get full size hens. If you really start getting losses, you will probably need a run for at least part of the time. A full grown rooster, more than a year old, will also help with birds of prey. I think they are more aware of their surroundings, and a little too big for a hawk to get away with.

Mrs K

 

[shaelyn]

Great advice Mrs. K. My husband is a tough sell on a rooster. I also have three young children that go out back with the chickens and am fearful of the rooster hurting one of them. Right now, my 8 year old daughter is the chicken whisperer and is out back as much as she can be with them. I think I will eventually invest in a run of some sort, but don't have the $ at the moment. After locking the babies back up in their coop & run, we haven't had any hawk losses of our big girls and hoping it stays that way. I know there are no guarantees unless i have a fully secure run.