How to introduce a new chicken?

[Joey8765]

okay, so I have just recently bought a white silkie. her name is pearl. i put her in with 1 hen, 1 rooster (bantams) and one baby chick about 2 months old

they are all attacking her. even the baby is joining in on it!!

i thought they were very nice chickens until now!!
what can i do?

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Quote:
Sometimes, there's nothing you can do...a lot of the time the "funny-looking" chicken (like a silkie or a crested) will always be pecked.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-adding-to-your-flock
Here's a nice page for you!

Don't let them bully your silkie- silkies have a soft spot on their heads like a baby. If the silkie is less than 3-4 months old, you might have to put her in a dog crate in the coop at night and set up a small run for her separately until she gets older.

But there is a difference in a normal pecking- establishing the pecking order (which looks horrible to us) and true bullying. True bullying looks like they are going to KILL the new chicken. And they might.

You will have to decide if it is bullying or just establishing the pecking order.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

If the silkie is old enough to join the flock, you can remove one of the flock members and put the two in a dog crate together (in the coop at night or the garage for protection from predators) for a couple of weeks with a separate little fenced in area.

This will knock down the chicken you took from the flock in the pecking order. Then, when you put the two chickens in with the flock, there will be two new faces.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Yes...picking on another bird--you may have the occasional peck at them, the victim will squawk and run...but no blood or damage--except some feather pulling on occasion.

This is bullying:

 

[sheilawagner]

How about setting up a false wall, maybe out of chicken wire or fencing material within your set up? Isolate the new silkie on the smaller side, and allow the flock to get to know her through it. After several days, add the lowest ranking bird to her, and let them be friends, and then slowly add the next lowest ranking one, etc. At the same time, because they are just separated by a fence/wall, the old flock can see her, smell her, sense her, and your silkie stays safe. After some weeks, you can take the divider off, and see how it goes.

I'm about to add 3 splash Cochin hens to my flock tomorrow, and I plan to do what I described to you. My flock free ranges all day, from morning till dusk, and then they go home to their house. But there is an attached enclosed run, so I plan to set up a divided area in there for the newbies, allow them all to get to know one another, with no bullying allowed.

I plan to segregate them for at least 2 weeks, then let the newbies out to socialize with the established flock. My established flock has silkies and cochins who are very gentle, so hopefully this plan will work out for us.

I wish you good luck.