Integration oddities or normal behavior?

[Phoenixxx]

If the one hen has adopted the chicks, just let them be with her. She'll protect them against the ornery hen.

 

[vantain]

If the one hen has adopted the chicks, just let them be with her. She'll protect them against the ornery hen.

She kind of does. If one of the chicks gets into a tussle with Gwyneth, she runs to her aid. She doesn’t peck at or attack Gwyneth, just intervenes and moves the chick away from her.

 

[jsr5]

Despite the breathing issues, It isn't preventing Gwyneth from resuming her aggression toward the littles. She is back to chasing them away from her, and pecking at them as much as possible. I would say it is slightly less than before. She is being so anti-social.

Additionally, Daisy is broody, and will now intervene if any of the chicks get into a scuffle with Gwyneth. She runs to stand between them, then herds them away from Gwyneth, to another part of the run.

I'm reluctant to put the pinless peepers back on her, due to the breathing issues. I did start her on some Terramycin I have, just in case there is another issue at play here. Will see how that helps, if it does at all.

No one has been injured by her aggression, from what I can tell. She does grab some feathers from the chicks when she pecks at them, but hasn't drawn any blood. If it gets worse, I will jail her. She has been laying, though I don't think she has laid an egg today. That isn't uncommon though, as she hasn't laid every day. She usually lays eggs for about 3-4 days, then a day off..then repeat. Then again...I see on my cameras that she is headed into the nest box now, so.....maybe....

....to the littles...quick everyone..Gwyneth is in the nest box...PARTY ON!

could the problem with the peepers be the removed upper part allowing them to fold down far enough to be injurious? perhaps trimming the eye flaps on the bigger pair to more resemble the smaller pair would be better for her. I hope she didn't inhale too much blood I'd think her body would clear it out if it doesn't kill her too fast. Is removing her totally from the flock for 4 or 5 days possible. I know that will be time consuming as you will have to give her alot of attention to fill in for a flock but maybe it will move her far enough down the pecking order she will let the littles and poor Precious alone.

I had a 6 week old hen a black star I think is the term for her mix of Rhode island and barred rock that had a crooked leg. (wish I'd known then what I have learned here about fixing it) That was left in the brooder after her siblings went to the brooder in the coop for integration she was way smaller for not being as competitive with food. Anyway I was thunderstuck by bantams at the farm store Rather than a separate brooder we decided to try them in with her. And that is how I come to have Gimpy Mamma in my Bantam Coop she immediately started mothering them letting them get under her and under her wings on top of her etc. She was never mean from the get go. Now when they got moved out by the big coop she was no defense and actually had to be put with my Blind Rooster for a while to recooperate That leg slowes her down to much to fight for babies or even for herself After she recouperated though she was and has and is good to go. She ev3en started laying again on occaision. Love that you don't automatically cull your weak or damged birds.

Edit to add my theory is that with no roo in the mix Daisy will likely be mothering much longer and separation will be more about when the chicks quit coming automatically when she clucks and get naturally independent.
Theory only I have no direct experience with your exact situation.

 

[aart]

Yes. She spends all day showing them food and clucking about it. She is puffed up and making herself look large, especially when Gwyneth is nearby. In the evening, she retreats to the nesting box, flattening herself like a pancake, and growling. The chicks all go to the roost. I think Daisy would like them to come into the nest box with her, but they are obviously too big. In the morning, when we open the door, she gathers them all up and hustles them to the feeder...clucking all the way.

How interesting!
Had to drag my chicks out of the nests last night, sharp little toenails.

 

[Michellemcg]

Almost two hours with the pinless peepers. So far, there is peace! Here they all are within feet of her while she dust bathes.
View attachment 2182082

Im so happy it’s working What do you have on the floor of your run?

 

[vantain]

Im so happy it’s working What do you have on the floor of your run?

For the most part, the run is just a sandy mix with dirt. It’s just the type of soil I have here. I do dump pine shavings in it for the cold winter months, just to keep the poop load more manageable, and maybe provide a little more warmth if they decide to lie down in it. Kind of a deep litter. You can still see a lot of that in the run. Now with the new run, I’m not sure yet what I will do. Seems like I should consider wood chips or something.

 

[mctom]

We too had chicks that we tried to integrate into our older flock. They had been hen raised in a separate coop and run but could and did socialize with each other through the fence. One of our chicks was also blind. When the chicks were older and were put in with the big girls and roo, the seeing chicks did fine. There was some pecking and they were put in their place by some of the older hens, but they could always run away and were never actually hurt. Our problem was with our blind chick. She could not run away. When the older hens would peck her, sometime she would run until she hit something, then hunker down in submissive posture, but mostly she would just go into submissive posture and cry loudly. This seemed to enrage the hens and then they would really go after her. I think they wanted her to run away and hide like a seeing bird would do. I am certain that they would have killed her. We only tried to put her with them twice (and never without us there to break things up) because, even supervised, they were brutal. We tried to let them work it out themselves and calm down -- but did not let them kill or maim her. She always came away bloody and traumatized. Twice was enough. The roo and mama hen did not step in to protect her. We decided that she needed her own space but, of course, couldn't be alone. No chicken should be. Her hatch mates were and are very good to her. We enlarged our hatching yard and coop so that they have a nice separate space. We did not want two groups of chickens but our blind girl required it. Today she lives with her hatch mates and is the most exceptionally beautiful bird. She knows her way around her yard and where to find her food and water, etc. We never re-arrange things. She is happy and lives pretty much like a seeing hen. She runs to help the other hens when they squawk. She comes out of her coop on her own in the morning but can't navigate the ladder to go back up at night. We carry her to her coop, cooing, every night.
Anyway, I hope that your Gwyneth mellows out and accepts your blind chick. Maybe she will since Daisy is not on board with going after the chicks. But Gwyneth is just being a normal chicken and they can be brutal to each other, especially when they don't get the chicken behavior they expect from an outsider. Your blind chick, even when full grown, will never be able to defend herself. Yet, while your Gwyneth is being a problem, she isn't being a "bad" chicken. Somehow you need to let both Gwyneth and your blind chick have good lives. Good luck !!!

 

[vantain]

We too had chicks that we tried to integrate into our older flock. They had been hen raised in a separate coop and run but could and did socialize with each other through the fence. One of our chicks was also blind. When the chicks were older and were put in with the big girls and roo, the seeing chicks did fine. There was some pecking and they were put in their place by some of the older hens, but they could always run away and were never actually hurt. Our problem was with our blind chick. She could not run away. When the older hens would peck her, sometime she would run until she hit something, then hunker down in submissive posture, but mostly she would just go into submissive posture and cry loudly. This seemed to enrage the hens and then they would really go after her. I think they wanted her to run away and hide like a seeing bird would do. I am certain that they would have killed her. We only tried to put her with them twice (and never without us there to break things up) because, even supervised, they were brutal. We tried to let them work it out themselves and calm down -- but did not let them kill or maim her. She always came away bloody and traumatized. Twice was enough. The roo and mama hen did not step in to protect her. We decided that she needed her own space but, of course, couldn't be alone. No chicken should be. Her hatch mates were and are very good to her. We enlarged our hatching yard and coop so that they have a nice separate space. We did not want two groups of chickens but our blind girl required it. Today she lives with her hatch mates and is the most exceptionally beautiful bird. She knows her way around her yard and where to find her food and water, etc. We never re-arrange things. She is happy and lives pretty much like a seeing hen. She runs to help the other hens when they squawk. She comes out of her coop on her own in the morning but can't navigate the ladder to go back up at night. We carry her to her coop, cooing, every night.
Anyway, I hope that your Gwyneth mellows out and accepts your blind chick. Maybe she will since Daisy is not on board with going after the chicks. But Gwyneth is just being a normal chicken and they can be brutal to each other, especially when they don't get the chicken behavior they expect from an outsider. Your blind chick, even when full grown, will never be able to defend herself. Yet, while your Gwyneth is being a problem, she isn't being a "bad" chicken. Somehow you need to let both Gwyneth and your blind chick have good lives. Good luck !!!

Thanks for this. It’s the track I’m planning to take.

 

[vantain]

So, Gwyneth was sentenced to permanent incarceration. This morning, before we got them out of the coop for the day, she had apparently gone after Precious in that confined space. I found the poor girl hiding in terror. She would not open her right eye, and it appeared that her face had been pecked. I had enough.

I reworked the coop to give Gwyneth her own space on the roost, a section of the floor, and a laying box. For now, she has the entirety of the 8x8 run to herself, as I am keeping everyone else, including Daisy, in the bigger 8x14 run. The plan is to further reduce the 8x8 run to give Gwyneth a section of about 4x6. The remaining will be open to the other birds from the bigger run.

I hate to do this, but she cannot be trusted. I noticed today that there was so much more peace in the bigger run. All of the littles and Daisy, were quiet and just enjoying life today. They can see and interact with Gwyneth at the boundaries, but she cannot get at them.

I will try integrating her again when the littles are more her size, if she even lives that long. Maybe then, when everyone is the same size, or bigger, They can put her in her place.

 

[jsr5]

Sad to hear but I think most will agree it's really the only thing left to try. I feel terrible for for Precious. I remember such incidents with my own Micro Roo. Driven in terror up onder the pool deckuntil he couldn't get any farther. Big dumb human not smart enough to know any better at the time. He is stillthe most loveable cuddly Roo ever pecks at door when he hears me IF he wants dad cuddle time. I'm sure Precious will be or already is just as loveable.