Integrating, Segregating and and Downright Racial Birds!

[ILikeBoots]

Hello, hello! So, I see many topics about integrating chicken flocks together, but I’m not finding much about my situation and if I’m onto something about my flocks.

I have 10 brown leghorn hens that are 3.5 months old. They are a quirky, sweet and curious bunch. They are friendly enough to hop on my lap in the lawn and eat grass from my hand (because my grass is the best grass within 75 acres! LOL). Really they’re a well adjusted and acclimated bunch of chickie babies.

I couldn’t find a local farm selling brown leghorn roosters, so I ordered my gent from Cackle Hatchery (I will certainly order from them again), with the stipulation that I had to order an additional 3 brown leghorn hens… I had a total of 6 birds when they came; one rooster.

While out at my local farm, I saw they stocked white leghorns and thought it would be fun to get two white ladies for my flock and see how long it would take my husband to notice that two of these birds aren’t like the others. Unfortunately, I ratted myself out before leaving the parking lot. The white girls are about 2.5 months old now and the brown leghorn babies are about 2 months old. They immediately all flocked together and we have no issues with the 8 of them being together.

I have tried several times to introduce the two flocks together, without success. The older gals are very territorial. This past weekend, they got so aggressive, they pecked one of the white hen’s neck so bad, she was bleeding. They were free- ranging when this happened. I immediately separated the 8 little ones from the 10 big ones. I cleaned the injured hen and separated her from the babies, as they were trying to peck at her injury. Two days later, she’s fine and back with the young ones and I kept cleaning and checking her wound. She healed nicely.

The big girls seem to target the two white hens, particularly. I’m curious if it’s because of the white feathers and it’s something that appeals to them and how am I ever going to merge the two flocks without losing a bird in the process?

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

 

[vibackyardchicks]

Interesting! I’ve noticed that I have 3 babies the same age … and the two buff Orpington X don’t like to hang out with my cream legbar, poor girl!

 

[ILikeBoots]

Interesting! I’ve noticed that I have 3 babies the same age … and the two buff Orpington X don’t like to hang out with my cream legbar, poor girl!

It’s kind of odd, no? My big girls will pick on all of the babies, but not go after the little brown leghorns as they do the white leghorns. And they’re both very sweet birds, that will protect the little ones. It’s not as if their appearing as weak to the big girls.

 

[3KillerBs]

Yes, when you have a flock of chickens who all look alike and introduce chickens that look different -- a different color, a crest, feathered feet, etc. -- they often get picked on. They see strangers as either danger or competition.

LOTS AND LOTS OF SPACE might help, along with plenty of "clutter" in the run.

 

[Ridgerunner]

So there is about a month difference in the age of your two groups and they are still juveniles. Sometimes that age isn't a problem but sometimes it is, as you are seeing. I often have three or four different broods of juveniles in with the adults. Sometimes some of them mingle and join but usually they each form their own sub-flock and avoid all the others, adults and older juveniles. What you are seeing with them forming two flocks is normal to me.

You said this happened when they were free ranging so space wasn't a problem. Usually with that much room you don't have these problems. The younger run away from the older if they are threatened and the older ones don't go to that much trouble to chase them down. But each chick or chicken is an individual with its own personality. You can get one that is a brute and will go out of her way to attack the others. These make it harder. I haven't ever had one of those that was that bad but other people I trust on here say they have. I believe them.

One way that chickens have learned to live together in a flock is that when there is conflict the weaker runs away from the stronger and stays away, avoiding them. That's why room is so important when integrating especially.

If one that is being attacked doesn't run away, the attacker just doesn't quit. Say they are trapped against a fence or wall so they can't run. They usually hunker down and try to protect their head while the other stands over them and tries to kill them pecking the head. Is this what you saw? I've seen this a bit, not all that much, but I had a 15 week old cockerel kill it's sibling when the loser of one of what is usually a skirmish got trapped against a fence. What was usually an everyday event became deadly.

I'll tell my story about chicken racism. I had a broody hen hatch out a few eggs, by luck all the chicks were red. At the same time I hatched some chicks in an incubator, some red and some black. When I tried to give the incubator chicks to that hen to raise she accepted the red ones but not the blacks. I had to raise those myself. She bonded with her red chicks and would not accept any other color. The strange thing about that is that this was her second brood for the year. Her first brood included both black and red chicks, she raised all of them fine. In your flock they are going after all the birds, not just the black ones, so it is not totally racism. Are the ones male? Sometimes pullets or hens like to pick on males. Sexism, not racism.

So what can you do, especially since this happens when they are free ranging and room isn't the issue unless that one got trapped against a fence or wall? Try to avoid locking them in tight quarters, this might happen more often in a run or coop than when free ranging. Give them as much room as you can. Have separate feeding and watering stations well spread out so there is no competition for food or water. It's best if there is no line of sight between those feeding and watering stations.

Often there is a specific one or two chickens that leads these attacks. It's not always the dominant chicken either, it is often the least dominant who sees her chance to be a bully. If you can identify which of the older ones are the ones doing the attacking you can often change their behavior by isolating them from both flocks for several days. That doesn't always work but if has a few times for me.

I don't know enough about what your facilities look like or how you are managing them when they are not free ranging so I can't offer anything more specific. Good luck with it.

 

[ILikeBoots]

Yes, when you have a flock of chickens who all look alike and introduce chickens that look different -- a different color, a crest, feathered feet, etc. -- they often get picked on. They see strangers as either danger or competition.

LOTS AND LOTS OF SPACE might help, along with plenty of "clutter" in the run.

I bed them separately, but free range them together. They have 10 acres to “socially distance” if they don’t like each other. LOL.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I've heard this can happen. My flock is (and always has been) all different colors, shapes, and sizes, so I think my birds are used to weirdos.

I do have a question, though: Did you do the "look but don't touch" introduction first? If so, for how long?

 

[ILikeBoots]

So there is about a month difference in the age of your two groups and they are still juveniles. Sometimes that age isn't a problem but sometimes it is, as you are seeing. I often have three or four different broods of juveniles in with the adults. Sometimes some of them mingle and join but usually they each form their own sub-flock and avoid all the others, adults and older juveniles. What you are seeing with them forming two flocks is normal to me.

You said this happened when they were free ranging so space wasn't a problem. Usually with that much room you don't have these problems. The younger run away from the older if they are threatened and the older ones don't go to that much trouble to chase them down. But each chick or chicken is an individual with its own personality. You can get one that is a brute and will go out of her way to attack the others. These make it harder. I haven't ever had one of those that was that bad but other people I trust on here say they have. I believe them.

One way that chickens have learned to live together in a flock is that when there is conflict the weaker runs away from the stronger and stays away, avoiding them. That's why room is so important when integrating especially.

If one that is being attacked doesn't run away, the attacker just doesn't quit. Say they are trapped against a fence or wall so they can't run. They usually hunker down and try to protect their head while the other stands over them and tries to kill them pecking the head. Is this what you saw? I've seen this a bit, not all that much, but I had a 15 week old cockerel kill it's sibling when the loser of one of what is usually a skirmish got trapped against a fence. What was usually an everyday event became deadly.

I'll tell my story about chicken racism. I had a broody hen hatch out a few eggs, by luck all the chicks were red. At the same time I hatched some chicks in an incubator, some red and some black. When I tried to give the incubator chicks to that hen to raise she accepted the red ones but not the blacks. I had to raise those myself. She bonded with her red chicks and would not accept any other color. The strange thing about that is that this was her second brood for the year. Her first brood included both black and red chicks, she raised all of them fine. In your flock they are going after all the birds, not just the black ones, so it is not totally racism. Are the ones male? Sometimes pullets or hens like to pick on males. Sexism, not racism.

So what can you do, especially since this happens when they are free ranging and room isn't the issue unless that one got trapped against a fence or wall? Try to avoid locking them in tight quarters, this might happen more often in a run or coop than when free ranging. Give them as much room as you can. Have separate feeding and watering stations well spread out so there is no competition for food or water. It's best if there is no line of sight between those feeding and watering stations.

Often there is a specific one or two chickens that leads these attacks. It's not always the dominant chicken either, it is often the least dominant who sees her chance to be a bully. If you can identify which of the older ones are the ones doing the attacking you can often change their behavior by isolating them from both flocks for several days. That doesn't always work but if has a few times for me.

I don't know enough about what your facilities look like or how you are managing them when they are not free ranging so I can't offer anything more specific. Good luck with it.

Thank you so much for such a well thought and thorough answer, Ridgerunner!

So my big girls- the older ones, just started laying the last two weeks. I don’t believe all of them are layers yet and I walk around with my found eggs asking, “Is this yours? Did you do that?” No one answers more than a snarky cluck. The aggression has been there since day one, but seems more deliberate since they started laying.

I do have two mean girls. They are whom I suspect kicked off the egg dropping and they are very “in your face” social and undoubtedly the flock bosses. Those are the two that hurt the little girl.

My set up is simple- coop in a large caged (overhead as well) pen. As many here, I live in the middle of nowhere on 75 acres. I have a good 10 acres for them to do their free ranging, but we only let them out to do so when someone is outside. We a have a rich population of hawks, buzzards, bald eagles, bear, mountain lion, fox and coyotes… and that’s just to name the animals I know will harm them.

The younger birds are being raised inside my garage in a huge water tank. They get plenty of outside time during the day when we’re out there, but at night they are in there until I figure out the best way of getting everyone along.

I’m thinking I may have to build a transitional coop and get the babies in the cage with the big girls, but use a chicken wire divider so they can, but no pecking! I need this to work itself out before fall comes. The warm season is shorter here and I am not willing to lose a single bird… I just love them all too much!

 

[ILikeBoots]

I've heard this can happen. My flock is (and always has been) all different colors, shapes, and sizes, so I think my birds are used to weirdos.

I do have a question, though: Did you do the "look but don't touch" introduction first? If so, for how long?

Guilty… I did not. I did a supervised (in the pen) introduction and removed the little ones when I saw aggression start.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Guilty… I did not. I did a supervised (in the pen) introduction and removed the little ones when I saw aggression start.

Don't feel guilty! And I am the LAST person to judge! Maybe give that a go for a bit, if you can. In my experience, it works. They get used to being around each other while eliminating (or nearly eliminating) possible injuries.

I've even used a dog crate for larger birds and a small animal/hamster type cage for littles. Just plunk them in the pen for a week or so. Then let them out to free range together while supervised.