How to give treats to the lowest members of the flock?

[Justicedog]

I've got 3 old hens (6 years). I got 5 chicks this year, they're now 14-15 weeks old. My old hens associate me with treats. The little ones don't.

The littles wander the yard in a pack, scampering here or there. The old 3 will wander generally together, but will also split up and go their own individual places.

When I open the back door, the old ones will rush to me, hoping for treats.

If/when I do have treats, only the old ones get any as they chase the littles off.

How do you make it so the lowest members of the flock get treats without overdoing the treats for the higher ranking members? Or is this just not something to worry about - they're chickens not commune members?

I want to be able to have the littles run to me, or at least run to where the treats are when I need to rather than chasing them around the yard. We had severe thunder storms come through our area and I had some trouble getting the littles back into the run/coop as they haven't been trained to run to the treats like the old ones have, mainly because the old ones will block their access.

 

[Perris]

use treats to get the oldies into the run and shut them in there, then do the 'here chick chick chick' with treats for the newbies in the yard. They'll soon learn, and everyone will get their share of the treats

 

[3KillerBs]

I toss treats like watermelon rind or canteloupe guts into the run in multiple piles to make sure everyone gets some.

I'm getting remarkably good at rapid-fire Dubia roach tossing -- aimed for specific groups of chickens so that at least one or two of the young ones will get a bug.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I try to throw treats out in a wide spread. The chicks watch and see the hens going bonkers for them, then eventually one or two get brave enough to run in and try, and if they like them, they'll start joining in the fray. I find it easier to teach the chicks most things with adults around, rather than teaching them without the adults, because they'll naturally try to copy what they see the adults doing.

 

[Lady Clucks-a-Lot]

Well we just got 3 new chicks this year. They're now almost (just a few days) 3 months old and they get picked on by my elder chickens a lot (mainly Yellowie, my Buff Brahma, who is the lowest on the Pecking ORDER, but yes, my dearest little Jelly (or JellyFish) is always brave enough to snatch a piece or two of treats out of the big one's mouth, but not the other two, Peanut and Butter, together Peanut Butter and Jelly, so that's still a problem), what I do is just shut the big chickens in the coop and just leave some treats outside for the chicks and I'll just go off playing and after a while I come back and now give the big chickens treats. We also have the chick's cage RIGHT BESIDE the big chickens coop so that they could get familiar, even though that doesn't seem to work very well, except with my Dark Brahma, GreyWhite, who also happens to be my Alpha Hen, or Lead Hen, so perhaps they'll still get a bright future.

 

[Lady Clucks-a-Lot]

By that I mean GreyWhite is very gentle with the little ones. Maybe because she's been broody last year. We were hoping that maybe one of our big chickens (really really hoping that either Biggie (my original Alpha Hen, now second place in the Pecking ORDER, very sweet, smart girl, always lays a big white egg with a golden yolk) or GreyWhite (now my formal Alpha Hen, very very gentle, sometimes a little confused at how to beat other chickens on running to get treats (I usually throw treats out, and let them fetch it), Also some times cannot find the coop door and gets stuck inside (the coop door is supposed to be very obvious). She was the second lowest member in the Pecking ORDER, and I have no idea of how she was even brave enough to challenge my Alpha Hen, Biggie, since that she was just on top of Yellowie, whose's place has always been the same (lowest on the Pecking ORDER)) or GreyWhite would adopt one of the little ones, since that they're both at the top of the Pecking ORDER (Biggie is not a good fighter. She is plainly at the top of the Pecking ORDER because she was the biggest chick when we first bought them. The other chicks probably just recognized as the big sister) and if one of them gets adopted by either Biggie or GreyWhtite, no chicken would probably dare to pick on them. Dreams are always wonderful, but the real world is always horrible on you. Picks and be cruel on your wonderful dreams. Non of my chickens were willing to adopt ANY of our chicks. In fact, they were literally TERRIFIED of them. Especially GreyWhite! I ended up raising them myself, and very unwillingly cleaning all their poops they pooped in our bathroom (it was disgusting. The poops sticked together and formed "poop-mud" and it smelled terrible).

 

[K0k0shka]

I spend alone time with my new chicks almost every day to make sure they're bonded to me and to teach them to come. Otherwise the adults flock to me and chase the chicks away. I had part of the run sectioned off for when I was integrating the chicks with the flock. I'm done integrating and don't use the sectioned off area for its initial purpose anymore, but I left it there so now I use it for my alone time with the new chicks. At first I would carry them in there by hand and put them in the sectioned off area, then go in with them and close the gate, sit down and give them treats. First I'd give the rest of the flock treats so they'd be occupied with that and not follow me into the enclosure. Very soon the chicks figured out that they are safe from the flock in the enclosure and won't have their treats stolen, so they could relax and enjoy their snack. It only took a few days for them to learn, and now as soon as they see me start walking in the direction of the enclosure, they run ahead and go in there on their own and wait for me to catch up and close the gate. I don't even have to call them anymore. They know that that's our special place, and we can enjoy some treats and cuddles in peace.

 

[Justicedog]

So my girls are getting a little better. They're still separate. I did manage to treat them both at the same time. The old girls were given their treats in front of me, while they were busy snacking, I tossed some to the girls behind me.

Thanks everyone. I will have to lock the old girls up as I work with the littles to train them to come running when they hear me and the treats.

 

[Justicedog]

Update: it’s going well. I had everyone on my patio eating treats.

bottom center is the tail of a little, the white, speckled and red are the old girls. The grey one is a little right there in the middle of it. Now red is definitely top hen and the littles will defer to her - get out of her way. But the littles are able to partake in the treats.

They are not one flock. The new ones, my gang of 5, hangs out together, two of my oldies hang together or alone and then my white one is a loner mostly.

I’d been having different treat stations and that helped the littles get treats. I’d give the old girls treats and then go where the littles were and give them treats. My littles will even come hang out at my feet. They don’t hate me anymore.

 

[MageofMist]

With mine, they were roughly the same age but there was some initial drama with the introduction. The two cockerels took to the new hens just fine, but Dolly... She went evil!

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She’d chase the new hens aggressively and bite at them, didn’t help that her man Jeremy was flirting with the new hens as well. The two new hens were even afraid to go out the hutch at first if Dolly was in the run... But then Snowbell took control of Betty and Boo and places himself between the new girls and Dolly, while he is skittish of Jeremy, he gives Dolly a bonk on the head if she tries to bully his girls.

Ever since Snowbell started standing up for them, they have become more confident in themselves. Also Dolly has become more tolerant of the new girls since, but Betty and Boo still keep a distance from her.