Integrating birds

[Serena Morgan]

I know it’s a slow and patient process but I just don’t ever see it working out. My 21week white star (who has not started laying eggs yet) and my 18 month Warren do not get on at all. I have to have another chicken as I only had one before my white star because the previous one had died. My Warren hates my white star, she makes a racket about her and her jumps of dominance are seeming now, very aggressive (she is a very docile bird but with a confident personality). Making matters worse; my white star is absolutely terrified. Both my hens are from the same place but clearly the white star has never been handled (when I got my warrens they were very submissive already at 20weeks) which means I am having to get her comfortable with me and another chicken, this does not go hand in hand. So I am very very upset as my poor white star is terrified of this bird who keeps jumping and pecking her aggressively. Moreover, she cannot seek me for comfort because she doesn’t completely trust me. And my Warren is not happy at all with her being there and is having to sleep in the kitchen because I don’t have another coop and the coop I have now has a very small run because my hens free range. Please, please, please help me I don’t know what hat to do, I’ve tried different methods of intergration But it’s been less than a week and yes I am impatient but I have a busy life and need them to be friends

 

[Mamatomany123]

You never want to just throw random chickens together. Always do a see but no touch setup. How long will depend on the birds. A few weeks at least.

 

[rosemarythyme]

You simply can't expect to integrate (and befriend) 2 birds in such a short period of time. If a stranger suddenly moved in to your bedroom, would you really be ok with it after less than a week?

If this is too stressful, another option is to simply start over - rehome the two you have and start over with very young chicks, and then you won't have to deal with integration and should have a easier time socializing them.