I had to rehome my 16 week chick :(

[Missouri 17]

I followed all the rules about introducing her to the 3 big girls in the coop, it did not work. She lived outside in an adjoining cage for 8 weeks, in the coop in a cage for several weeks at night and I introduced her in the middle of the night. They pecked her so much today she got bloody so I rehomed her to my sister who has more room and only free ranges. She is now happy.

History- these 3 big hens killed 2 8 week old chicks (her siblings)

I am rehoming the 3 big girls this spring and getting 6 new baby chicks.

 

[Chicks Galore3]

I am so sorry. : ( i know how attached you can get.

 

[SteveBaz]

Very sorry to hear that. There are times it works and then times it doe not work. I guess I was lucky and had the time to play referee. I had to do it for 2 weeks. I went out with the kids in the am with coffee and had obstacles all over the place like rocks, perches, boxes to run through the big girls could not get into. I even had a milk carton that was top down and put food in there and the kids could get in the cutouts on the side I made and the big girls could not. I put a rock on top and as much as they tried the big girls could not get in there. Then during the day I had a screen that divided the coop I slid it in the middle and put food right next to each other on each side of the screen so they could see each other while they were eating the treats and meals. That is the most dangerous time for the little girls bc the pecking order dictates who eats first and who eats last and if the little ones get inpatient the big girls will punish them for the error for sure and whack them but good. Now out in the run that I played referee I played the rooster and if one of the big girls picked on the little girls I would chase and run after and run down and corner that hen and pick on her big time. I would embarrass her so bad to the point I would carry her around so she even had to re-establish herself as the top hen. I would put her in jail the day while the others had fun. During the week of introduction I would take one of the lower pecking order hens that were gentle like my BO and let it go in with the kids. There is a thing maybe you are not aware of called a pecking mask to prevent the very same thing about bloodying other flock members and sometimes you have to go to the extreme and invest in that. At times you may introduce a great Rooster but he is very young and one of the top hens do not like him or give time a hard time and do not want to relinquish her roll as lead hen to a young rooster and beat the heck out of him. Well the pecking mask is great for that. Sorry it did not work out for you.