Incorporation takes a turn.

[ManOverBoard]

We've been incorporating our fully feathered chicks into our main flock,as we usually do with a separate pen inside the main run and coop. Everything had been going great, no signs of aggressive behavior. A week of through the wire visiting, a couple days of free range time together and a day of having a small gap in the dividers so the two could intermingle all throughout the day/ night. Then finally the removal of dividers. A day of peaceful co-operation only to wake up to the older hens mobbing the chicks this morning!
We tried to shoo them off a chick and get in there to help, and they were almost as stubborn as a mink, not backing off and/or coming right back at it. When we finally got in there and picked up the chick,it was not injured, but they were ripping its feathers out. And eating the feathers. We quickly fed them although it was much earlier than we usually do, and over fed them even providing three pounds of chopped up steak + lots of other goodies. We feed them a higher than average protein grain.

They devoured it faster than normal and we went about our business I checked back in at lunch time and the young-ins we're all huddled in a corner of the coop, another one with evidence of feathers missing on it's back but not blood. I immediately replaced the dividers to try to give them a break and some safety.

I'm assuming we should keep the dividers up another week and try again, but what in the world happened?

My husband and I had just been saying the night before what a nice chill batch of hens we currently had, but this morning they went all dinosaur on us!

There was plenty of extra feed left over tonight as is usual most nights so what's up?

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

It sounds like the little ones couldn’t get away from the big ones. You need clutter to break line-of-sight or more space before you try again. Maybe only let them out in the yard next time. Do that for a week or so before you try letting them out in the run or coop together again

 

[ManOverBoard]

We'll add some clutter, but even when the chick had a chance to flee it Maintained it's submissive stance.

 

[Mrs. K]

Put a pallet flat up on small bricks. Just high enough that the chicks can get under it from all four sides. Out of sight, out of mind.

I am not quite understanding what the dividers are, but if it is a fence, I would just pull it up a couple of inches off the ground. This way the chicks can get to safety. I like to set it up so that the chicks can go where they want, but the chickens can't follow them and get them cornered.

I don't think they were eating feathers because they were hungry, this was about dominance.

 

[ManOverBoard]

Put a pallet flat up on small bricks. Just high enough that the chicks can get under it from all four sides. Out of sight, out of mind.

I am not quite understanding what the dividers are, but if it is a fence, I would just pull it up a couple of inches off the ground. This way the chicks can get to safety. I like to set it up so that the chicks can go where they want, but the chickens can't follow them and get them cornered.

I don't think they were eating feathers because they were hungry, this was about dominance.

Thank you for the pallet tip.
The dividers are wire fencing. Hardware cloth and deer fencing.
We had pulled it up so that just the chicks fit through, but we've got them completely separate again now.

I tried another free range mingle today, but it didn't go well. The chicks were terrified and some of the hens targeted them. We've had great success in the past with chicks even smaller than these, but I'm thinking we maybe just need to grow these chicks out full size and try again. Meanwhile we're going to expand the run an add some clutter.
Thanks everyone

 

[BurbCoop]

Put a pallet flat up on small bricks. Just high enough that the chicks can get under it from all four sides. Out of sight, out of mind.

I am not quite understanding what the dividers are, but if it is a fence, I would just pull it up a couple of inches off the ground. This way the chicks can get to safety. I like to set it up so that the chicks can go where they want, but the chickens can't follow them and get them cornered.

I don't think they were eating feathers because they were hungry, this was about dominance.

I really like the raised pallet idea, going to try that out with our next batch!

We also create all sorts of zigzag obstacles with temporary kennel fence sections in the run area, along with tight choke points that the larger hens can get through. We also increase food and water stations and place them at opposite ends of the run with barriers and multiple escape routes to help prevent dominance behaviors and the larger hens from blocking resources from the new pullets.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

How's your space? How big is the run, in feet, L x W, and how many adullt and how many young chickens are we putting in this space?

 

[ManOverBoard]

How's your space? How big is the run, in feet, L x W, and how many adullt and how many young chickens are we putting in this space?

It's 140 sq feet. In an L shaped run that goes around their 8'x6' coop.
We've got 16 hens and 8 young ones.
We're hoping to add another 14 x 4 foot branch this weekend.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Okay, I am sorry to tell you, you are overpopulated for the size of your coop. Your 8x6 coop is 48 sq ft. At the recommended 4 sq ft per bird, that's enough room for 12 birds. But 16 + 8 is 24. Birds that crowded may be stressed enough to engage in destructive behavior such as bullyng, feather plucking, vent pecking, or in a worst-case scenario, even cannibalism. I am not saying this would happen, only that it could and you should be aware of it.

 

[ManOverBoard]

That explains why they seem happiest with numbers in the low teens.
I had a feeling the other day that maybe this was just the girls saying 'we like things as they are, thank you very much!' since the girls seemed so calm and chill prior to this. We have a mobile coop that needs some repairs. Perhaps it's best if we fix it up and put the new chickens in there with there own run.
Thanks for the advice everyone!