Introducing Chicks/Dealing With Aggressive Flock??

[amandarenee]

Hi all!

I keep reading on the best ways to introduce new chicks to my flock, and keep getting such varying opinions on the matter. I have 6 10-12 week old chicks I need to introduce to my flock ideally before this Friday, when we are leaving on vacation and having a friend care for the chickens. They're fully feathered, at least half the size of my hens, and have been living in the coop in a very large dog crate for about 2-3 weeks. I tried letting them out this morning, and one chicks was all for it, ran out to the run, and was immediately attacked by my hens. Now, for the record, picking is something we've been having a hard time with lately. The hens, even with ample room due to some flock loss early in the summer, are still picking on each other pretty frequently. What do I need to do to minimize the picking so my chicks can live with the flock??

 

[Ridgerunner]

It may be too late to manage by next Friday. You can try but you'll need a certain level of confidence that it will work before you dump that on someone else.

How big, in feet, is your coop? How big, in feet, is your run? How are they arranged? What does the coop look like inside. How many adults? Basically, what do you have to work with? Photos can often help us understand a lot.

That picking is another concern. You say you have plenty of room, how much do you actually have? In feet? For how many chickens? What do you mean by "picking"? Are they pecking each other, trying to hurt each other, or are they plucking feathers from each other, possibly eating them? I'm not sure what you are talking about.

Have you checked them for mites and lice? That can lead to feather picking.

Is it just one chicken doing the picking? Occasionally you get a bully and a brute that instigates all kinds of problems. You said the chick was immediately attacked by the hens. Was that really several or just one? Did the chick run away or did they not let it?

With what you have done I'd have expected a much better outcome. There is something going on that I don't understand.

 

[BOKONH]

I also have 8 ~ 8 week olds 4 Bar Rock & 4 NH Pullets ...split outside pen. Big girls have coop ( they still lay ) closed in it at night . Baby chicks have enclosed outside pen with 2 rubber made / hay filled bins. Everyone is happy . Introducing 3 RH Island reds fine ...then move back then 2 black giants ( no problem at all ) 1 Bully RH Island Red ...turned upside down...doesn't stop her ...she comes at me .....I know I have a while to go . Can I reward good Big girls with Meal Worms ... would Bully cHen get better if I keep doing this daily ! ( 2 weeks now ) I figure maybe by 12 weeks ?? Any other suggestions . I also use a squirt bottle for aggression ( big girls)

 

[amandarenee]

This is the first time I've tried this, needless to say, and the info I found on the internet made it seem *much* simpler than it apparently is. I am not "dumping" anything off on someone else to manage; if I can't get them integrated, they'll stay in the crate, I was just hoping I could get it done as they are just starting to get almost too big for it.

I have 9 hens, mixed flock. They have a 120sqft coop with nest boxes & roosts, plus 2 waterers and food. In AZ, the best way we've found to keep our hens healthy and drinking water during our 110*+ summers is plenty of water in the coop, which we keep iced throughout the day. Their run is 200sqft, with some stumps/tires/roosts to hang out on, plus misters, a waterer (not in use during the summer, gets too hot, they won't drink it, attracts pigeons). They get scratch every morning, and fresh fruit/veggies at least a few times per week.

The picking started when we had more hens and roosters. We originally started with 19 birds, 17 hens, 2 roos. When we realized this was really the absolute maximum birds for our space (didn't expect all of the chicks from the hatchery to survive), we sold a few hens. The roosters went not long after that, because they were too rough on our hens, and many had bare necks.

Even with the roosters gone, many hens still have bare necks, and some even bare bottoms (on their backs at the base of their tails). Every time I see feathers growing back in, they get plucked out. So far as I can tell, most of the hens are guilty of feather picking. The only one I can be certain I haven't seen doing it is our black Cochin. My Anconas are perhaps slightly more aggressive than the rest. I do also see them preening each other, so certainly not all of their interactions are nasty. They are all mite and lice free, I check at least once per month. They have an area in the run for dust baths.

As for the chick that was attacked, she was the only one who left their cage, so I'm hoping it was exacerbated by this. I was trying to encourage the others out when she booked it out of there, and was beset upon by my flock.

My main thought it that, because the chickens already have bare skin, they can't help themselves but to peck at it? Is there some sort of skin salve I can put on to discourage this? I have checked at my local Tractor Supply, but their stock of chicken supplies has been picked clean ever since we were first quarantined and hasn't yet recovered. I has so far just kept adding "environmental enrichments" to try and get them to stop, but obviously that simply isn't working.

It may be too late to manage by next Friday. You can try but you'll need a certain level of confidence that it will work before you dump that on someone else.

How big, in feet, is your coop? How big, in feet, is your run? How are they arranged? What does the coop look like inside. How many adults? Basically, what do you have to work with? Photos can often help us understand a lot.

That picking is another concern. You say you have plenty of room, how much do you actually have? In feet? For how many chickens? What do you mean by "picking"? Are they pecking each other, trying to hurt each other, or are they plucking feathers from each other, possibly eating them? I'm not sure what you are talking about.

Have you checked them for mites and lice? That can lead to feather picking.

Is it just one chicken doing the picking? Occasionally you get a bully and a brute that instigates all kinds of problems. You said the chick was immediately attacked by the hens. Was that really several or just one? Did the chick run away or did they not let it?

With what you have done I'd have expected a much better outcome. There is something going on that I don't understand.

 

[amandarenee]

My current plan is to introduce them again tomorrow with extra goodies in the run to distract the hens, plus a water bottle to squirt bottle any aggressive hens, and see how it goes.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I haven't used it but many people suggest Blu Kote for that.

If any piece of the shaft is left in the feather won't grow back until they molt. Otherwise it should grow back fairly soon. But you've seen them picking feathers so they are trying to grow back. You have enough room for those hens, they are not crowded. Overcrowding is a normal cause.

Some people believe feather picking is a sign they are not getting enough protein so they add high protein treats like BOSS (Black Oil Sunflower Seeds) and cut back on low protein treats. I'm kind of skeptical on that but some people really believe in it.

Since it is practically all of them doing the picking isolating the guilty one is not an option.

I think they just got in the habit of feather picking when it was overcrowded. I don't have any great suggestions.

What might have happened with that chick is that it surprised the hens by running right up to them. I've seen them react that way before. The chicks need to learn to stay away from the hens. It may take them getting pecked a time or to to learn that. Once they do maybe the hens will leave them alone. All you can do is try.

 

[rosemarythyme]

At this point I think it's unlikely they'll be completely safe with one another before you leave for vacation. Integrating CAN be simple, but you really need to set up for it... the downside with the chicks being as old as they are now, is you can no longer use panic doors to safely let the chicks mingle, so they need to fully rely on clutter/obstacles for safety.

Really would love to see photos of your run and coop. Sounds like there's some clutter but maybe not enough to provide optimal coverage for the babies?

What's the protein % of your current feed? As noted feather picking can be a sign of low protein in diet so wouldn't hurt to bump it up by mixing in some higher protein feed or some occasional cat food, canned fish, etc.

Might want to consider pinless peepers on the adults here as well.