Integration question

[AngieDawn]

I only have 2 adult hens. One I call Angry Bird.
the 6 week old chicks have been together but separate for 3 weeks and Angry Bird still spends the entire day trying to peck them.
I mean she never stops.

if I use the “chicken jail” method of locking her up for a couple of days then that leaves only the one adult hen and I’m not sure if I should leave her without her flock mate.

I’m just not sure as I’ve never had such a persistent hen and I dint think that willl change.

 

[azygous]

It's not unusual for an adult chicken to pester chicks. But chicks understand this behavior and will quickly learn to avoid and evade this sort of bullying. As long as the chicks have plenty of space to dodge this hen, they will be fine.

I have a flock of two dozen chickens, including five four-week olds. My chicks have been raised in direct proximity to the flock since day one. At age two weeks, the chicks have been spending part of the day mingling with the adults while having access to their safe pen that the adults lack.

Now, at age four weeks, my chicks are spending all day with complete access to the entire run and even to the outside when the adults free range. There are occasional attempts by an aggressive adult to "mess" with the chicks, but the chicks are fast and easily outmaneuver the bullies.

It's normal for this to occur in most flocks. It lasts until chicks reach adult size around four to six months, then everyone seems to finally get on an even footing. Until then, I feed the young ones on a shelf above the ground so they aren't bullied away from food. It's part of being young in a flock and chicks learn very quickly how to deal with it.

 

[AngieDawn]

It's not unusual for an adult chicken to pester chicks. But chicks understand this behavior and will quickly learn to avoid and evade this sort of bullying. As long as the chicks have plenty of space to dodge this hen, they will be fine.

I have a flock of two dozen chickens, including five four-week olds. My chicks have been raised in direct proximity to the flock since day one. At age two weeks, the chicks have been spending part of the day mingling with the adults while having access to their safe pen that the adults lack.

Now, at age four weeks, my chicks are spending all day with complete access to the entire run and even to the outside when the adults free range. There are occasional attempts by an aggressive adult to "mess" with the chicks, but the chicks are fast and easily outmaneuver the bullies.

It's normal for this to occur in most flocks. It lasts until chicks reach adult size around four to six months, then everyone seems to finally get on an even footing. Until then, I feed the young ones on a shelf above the ground so they aren't bullied away from food. It's part of being young in a flock and chicks learn very quickly how to deal with it.View attachment 2144974

How does feeding them on a shelf prevent the big girls from bullying away from food? Can’t they get up there also?
Thanks

 

[Mrs. K]

Just looking at your beautiful set up, what I see is a wide open space. No hide outs, nothing to block the line of vision. Your run is pretty only two dimensional, with no use of the vertical space. Add some roosts, add some pullets, put them up on blocks so they can get under them or on top of them. Add mini walls and tuck a feed station behind them so that a bird eating at one station cannot see any birds at another station. This will look cluttered to you, but will be much more interesting to your birds.

When a lower hen approaches a higher hen or vice versa - the lower bird must give ground. Now what will help with that is for the lower bird to move out of sight. If the younger bird cannot get out of sight, some birds take that as an insult, and become more and more violent.

If all else fails, you can try pin-less peepers. People have had pretty good success with them, but always solve for peace in the flock, and it might be just easier to get rid of her.

Mrs K

 

[AngieDawn]

Just looking at your beautiful set up, what I see is a wide open space. No hide outs, nothing to block the line of vision. Your run is pretty only two dimensional, with no use of the vertical space. Add some roosts, add some pullets, put them up on blocks so they can get under them or on top of them. Add mini walls and tuck a feed station behind them so that a bird eating at one station cannot see any birds at another station. This will look cluttered to you, but will be much more interesting to your birds.

When a lower hen approaches a higher hen or vice versa - the lower bird must give ground. Now what will help with that is for the lower bird to move out of sight. If the younger bird cannot get out of sight, some birds take that as an insult, and become more and more violent.

If all else fails, you can try pin-less peepers. People have had pretty good success with them, but always solve for peace in the flock, and it might be just easier to get rid of her.

Mrs K

You may have seen pics while in the middle of working on it
We were putting new sand and mulch so we removed everything so I could back the trailer and get the wheelbarrow in
The chicken playground is not totally done but we are working on it

 

[AngieDawn]

T

Just looking at your beautiful set up, what I see is a wide open space. No hide outs, nothing to block the line of vision. Your run is pretty only two dimensional, with no use of the vertical space. Add some roosts, add some pullets, put them up on blocks so they can get under them or on top of them. Add mini walls and tuck a feed station behind them so that a bird eating at one station cannot see any birds at another station. This will look cluttered to you, but will be much more interesting to your birds.

When a lower hen approaches a higher hen or vice versa - the lower bird must give ground. Now what will help with that is for the lower bird to move out of sight. If the younger bird cannot get out of sight, some birds take that as an insult, and become more and more violent.

If all else fails, you can try pin-less peepers. People have had pretty good success with them, but always solve for peace in the flock, and it might be just easier to get rid of her.

Mrs K

thank you

it’s getting there

 

[Mrs. K]

haha - look at the first picture, just open area, I thought the whole place was like that. Try the pin-less peepers

 

[rosemarythyme]

How does feeding them on a shelf prevent the big girls from bullying away from food? Can’t they get up there also?
Thanks

So I also do this with chicks. The funny thing with most hens is they're a bit lazy (and some a bit too fat) to go UP in order to get to food, so long as there's also food on ground level.