INTEGRATION PROBLEMS!

[brood mother]

I am having an issue integrating my 4 hens with my chicks. They are in desperate coops but their runs connect to where they see each other. The chicks have had a temp run the at shared two fence walls with th big girls. It ha been this way I've 2 weeks. Yesterday we took down one of the temp walls to try inter-mingling and well, the hens were less than welcoming!!! They jumped on a few chicks an there was speaking an feathers, it wasn't pretty. So back to seperation it went. Later I tried taking just one chick in with me, well that went about the same. My big girls at being bullies, an that's gotta stop. I have 12 older chicks outside, and more inside that will be sharing common open free ranging yard w made them, so they have to be along!!! PLEASE ADVISE!!!!!

 

[gardengirl4288]

I have heard bringing a single adult hen in with the chicks, preferable the top of the pecking order girl, will allow the hen to be outnumbered and have a more peaceable introduction as they tend to all follow her lead. She is less likely to be aggressive alone.

 

[brood mother]

Well we haven't put laying boxes on the new coop yet so don't know if I could just move her in but I might could put her out with the bitties, and leave the other hens in the enclosed run. I'm not ABSOLUTLY positive who our head hen is either. But I know who it isn't, so I can go from there. They have to learn to all get along! Lol! I am open to all suggestions!

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

 

[gardengirl4288]

Just going in for a short time period should help and you could do it individually with more than one or all of the big girls