Introducing 8 week chicks to flock- with a mean hen

[Panhandle chick]

Wow! So much good stuff here- thank you all! I am in process of building a temp out four space to look but can’t be bullied for a few
More months- it’s amazing to see my beloved girls turn into’ mean girls’ with the new chicks

 

[Iveta]

If you read through my link there is a lot of great information from multiple folks on here and you can see how it worked out for me

I have kept all my baby chicks in the house till they were 8 weeks old and moved them out in small groups of five depending on how many I have at the same age. I also have two coops that are separated by a gate as I used dog kennels to create their enclosures. The big chickens have a huge coop and there are 12 of them all different breeds and about 18 chicks outside right now. And what we do is let the little ones out in their side and the big ones out on their side and they mingle theu the fence. I also have one hen that is relentless with chasing and pecking at the babies. My daughter has taken that one hen and moves her to another area and we have no problems for awhile. We do let them all free range together and they seem to interact with each other of course the big chickens are all about the pecking order so frequently we hear a shriek and see a few feathers but other than that they seem to learn their place. I am just waiting till the little ones are a little bigger before they get moved into the big house. I also have 4 ducks in with the larger chickens and they seem to just ignore the chickens and do their thing.

I can see that-ducks seem to be the sensible ones from the flock; they go by natural instincts and reason; bickering chickens would do things just to be petty i.e roosters and broody hens will showcase a lot of premeditated acts; you don't really have that with ducks

 

[KCD]

My lowest ones in the pecking order were very aggressive, I guess they instinctively got to be that way or they will not get a chance to eat.

This is the same experience I’ve had. The lowest hens (and sometimes Roos) in the pecking order are the most bothersome to the new chicks/adults. I’m pretty sure, in my case, they are making sure they don’t stay at the bottom of the pecking order. I’ve got a hen now that is several years old but will still sometimes sleep in the corner of the coop to get away from a couple bullies I have. This particular hen will relentlessly harass any new additions. She’s never injured any, just the normal pecking but it’s constant. They learn to keep away from her or stand up to her and they figure out where they stand...she’s often back on the bottom.

 

[CNJ]

This is the same experience I’ve had. The lowest hens (and sometimes Roos) in the pecking order are the most bothersome to the new chicks/adults. I’m pretty sure, in my case, they are making sure they don’t stay at the bottom of the pecking order. I’ve got a hen now that is several years old but will still sometimes sleep in the corner of the coop to get away from a couple bullies I have. This particular hen will relentlessly harass any new additions. She’s never injured any, just the normal pecking but it’s constant. They learn to keep away from her or stand up to her and they figure out where they stand...she’s often back on the bottom.

I have one too, I call her sweaty. She was on the bottom, but now she has seniority.

 

[Iveta]

I have one too, I call her sweaty. She was on the bottom, but now she has seniority.

This may be the case with my black Australorp- she is otherwise so timid, checks in 2-3 times before making any move- only to charge in a ‘reflex speed’ when someone is in her territory, near ‘her food’ which means - she claims all the food I serve Every time I serve food. She was the last to come and doesn’t have the reason to feel primed; if I push her aside from other’s food she suddenly gets sulky again... or it may be her age too-she feels vulnerable as her beak is broken (bought her that way) and if she doesn’t otherwise intimidate the flock she doesn’t have a chance for grabbing and biting off food quick enough- my young roo makes a point to show her that !

 

[CNJ]

So far, out of all the different breeds that I raised from chicks, the Dark Cornish chicks from Mcmurray was the coolest. I just put them together with some younger chicks and they weren't hostile.