Introducing a bullied chicken to new flock members

[ChickenMamaLissa]

Up until Friday, I had four chickens; two Isas, one amberlink, and one wyandotte. Since the fall I've been trying to mitigate some serious bullying of my amberlink. Someone plucked out all her neck and chest feathers, has stripped her tail feathers to the Rachis, and plucked at her thighs as well. She started laying soft eggs, and that led to everyone eating their eggs. The biggest problem? I couldn't figure out exactly who the culprit was. I separated the victim, I colored her exposed skin with Blu Kote, separated her at night (I thought perhaps she was getting picked on while they were in the coop because she couldn't get away). Finally I gave up and used pinless peepers on the Isas and the wyandotte. I hate putting them on, I hate taking them off, but combined with some separation from the rest of the flock, Marshmallow is finally starting to regrow her feathers a little at a time.

Marshmallow is the primary victim of bullying but the two Isas both have broken feathers around their chests and one of them has had some exposed skin now and then. Despite the pinless peepers, they will still pick at Marshmallow; hence the separation. The wyandotte seems like the most chill, laid back, and in charge bird and none of her feathers ever look picked, but I've never ever seen her do any picking. In fact, the other day it was Marshmallow I caught picking at her friend's neck feathers. I couldn't tell if it was grooming, picking up scraps, or straight up meanness.

On Friday I brought home two new girls--another Isa and what I was told was a silkie with no pouf (pretty sure she's a black cochin)--from a friend who can't take care of them anymore. Right now the two new girls are still separate. The day I brought them home, there was some posturing and jumping and flared feathers between the new Isa and the old ones. Fortunately they were on opposite sides of the fence. With the addition of these two new birds, I'm hoping that careful introduction will change the flock dynamic. When I start combining flocks, I'm considering introducing the new girls to Marshmallow first to see if they will accept her as one of them and maybe protect her from the other two Isas. Should I even try introducing one chicken at a time to the new flock? I think the two Isas make up a formidable pair. Should I try separating them? Or should I start with the most laid back and try the wyandotte first? We're also planning to move their run/coop to an entirely new location so I was going to hold off on combining anyone until that happens in the hopes that the novelty of the new location will distract from the idea of interlopers. Does anyone have insight on combining flocks one bird at a time, or one clique at a time? Does it help the bullied bird get a new standing? Will it make things worse for her?

 

[JedJackson]

I would wait until the coop move to combine them. In the meantime, keep them separate but so they can see each other, including the amberlink.

As far as the integration, I myself would add everyone together at once. There will be stress and fighting, but I think it's less likely that one will be singled out that way.

Now, there are things to consider regarding the feather plucking and soft eggs. Feather plucking can be a sign that the birds feel overcrowded. Boredom is also a factor. So think about these things and act accordingly. Adding ladders, swings, pallets, and other items can mitigate boredom.

The soft eggs might be related to losing feathers and having to direct nutrients toward regrowing them rather than toward the formation of egg shells. Make sure your birds are getting enough protein and calcium. 16% protein in their feed is the minimum, and if it is not fortified with calcium then a free choice dish of oyster shells is needed.

Good luck!

 

[ChickenMamaLissa]

Thanks @JedJackson,

They actually integrated themselves. Apparently one of the new girls is a real Houdini and escaped her side of the run. Everyone had gotten so used to seeing each other that no one cared that she was moving in on their turf. The new girls are still sleeping and laying separately, and there's an occasional chase, but no violence or harm so we'll remove the extra coop and let them all sleep together after we move the main coop.