Introducing chickens under...unusual circumstances

[Apis_cerana]

Hello! I'm new here but not totally new to keeping chickens. But I definitely could use some input about this from knowledgeable chicken keepers like yourselves.

So we have kind of a weird situation going. We have four hens already and decided to get two ducks and two chickens (all still babies) to add to the flock. We are still keeping them in the brooder since they're only a few days old, but in the meantime a random feral hen decided to show up.

She's an Americauna and is still a bit skittish; neighbors have seen her wandering for some time. I don't want her to get eaten by raccoons (we have a lot of them!) So I put her in her own pen for a few weeks and recently let her meet the flock through the cage doors -- they are constantly trying to attack her and it's been a week already. I made the mistake of letting her out once and the top hen led the way in bullying her so much they chased her to the point of exhaustion. I felt awful.

I was wondering if I should maybe let her meet the new chicks first once they're bigger but smaller than her and *then* have them all meet the existing flock as a group so they're less inclined to bully her?

Another thing I was thinking of trying was to isolate just the top hen who seems to instigate all the bullying for a while.

They're not free range but they have a good sized run to themselves with lots of hiding spots.

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[Weeg]

I think thats a good idea. If it still seems like the others aren't warming up to her by the time the chicks are bigger, then I would introduce her to the younger ones, then introduce them all to the flock at the same time.
Its much easier to introduce hens when they have other being introduced with them.

If you don't want to wait that long, or your lead hen is causing problems when you introduce them as a group, then separate her in a no see, no touch area for a few days, while you integrate the babies/feral hen. Then, once they're integrated, reintroduce the lead hen.

 

[Acre4Me]

Integrating a single hen is the hardest integration usually!! It’s good if you to give this hen a home, and it’s good you have plenty is space with areas to get away from each other. make sure all “ hiding” areas have two ways in/out, otherwise, they can corner her.

you have a few options:

1. keep going as you are, integrating one via see/no touch.

2. Add one if your existing hens in with the new one so they make friends then after a period of time (2 weeks or longer) introduce them to the flock. The existing hen may help integrate her friend.

3. Do as you suggest, and add new hen to the chicks in a couple of weeks so they become a flock. But, the only caveat here is that until the chicks lay eggs, they aren’t going to be integrated really with the flock. But, it would still be introducing several at once, and the younger chicks may get more pecking order treatment than the laying hen.

good luck.

 

[Apis_cerana]

Thank you both for your help and encouragement! I feel better about trying these methods now

 

[Cryss]

Just wondering how this turned out.

 

[Apis_cerana]

Hello!
The new chicken ended up being okay in the flock without the lone bully chicken, but the bully chicken is now in "solitary confinement". Every time I've tried to introduce her to the flock it just does not go well and she's out to kill her old second in command now. Argh.

 

[Cryss]

Sorry about the bully. But I’m glad the poor lonely feral girl now has a home and family. I had a bully chicken that eventually I just had to rehome to a much larger farm where she was kind of over powered by the enormity of it all and she’s doing very well there being very productive for the lady that took her in and has calmed down. Hopefully you’ll be able to re-introduce yours. I hated to give her up but mine was just not having it and she almost killed one of my others so I had to do what I had to do. Good luck to you and Your flock.