Introducing lone banty to established flock - need help and advice!

[AccioSarah]

My family adopted a lovely new bird a while ago, a tiny little bantam of unknown breed, but she looks somewhat like a mix between a D'uccle and a Polish.

Well our current three birds (two Plymouth Rocks and a Rhodie) seem less then thrilled with the new addition. They are massive compared to Margaret's little body, and I'm terrifying they are going to kill her. Especially Lucy, the top hen.

((We've already been through the quarantine stage))
Right now, Margaret is out in the coop separated by sturdy chicken wire to prevent the girls from getting at her, but they are able to see, smell, and almost touch her. I took Margaret out to see the girls face to face the other day, and Lucy seemed hell bent on eating her eyes-- so back into the separation they went!

What can I do to introduce Margaret safety and have the other girls accept her? I heard that removing the head hen could be helpful, and that introducing them outside of the coop is a good idea too (but now with the snow, that proves difficult).

Thanks! I look forward to hearing how to add Margaret to my flock!

 

[AccioSarah]

I should add that Marge has been in the coop separated by the wire for about a week and a half now, and Lucy still seems to want to kill her.

 

[Buff Hooligans]

It's tough for a lone newcomer...especially if she's physically smaller. I don't know what to tell you other than to try to take the dominant hen down a peg or two through separation from her flock for a few days. Good luck. Margaret sounds lovely.

 

[spartacus_63]

Lone Banty introduction is a VERY tough one. I have a flock of Bantys that I kept in a separate run for about six months. They shared a common fence with the big girls and they all free ranged together. The Bantys finally decided they liked the Chicken Palace better then the Banty coop and moved in (after about four months). There were some squabbles but they have worked it out for the most part. I recently adopted a lone Japanese Banty hen and she is having a hard time. She is a good flier and I put a swing perch up for her that the big girls can't get to. She sleeps there during the night. I also have a large Banty Rooster of unknown linage who rivals my alpha roo. Those two fought for a very long time and I think they finally both decided to work out a deal rather than kill each other. The Banty roo does keep the big girls from bothering the little girls.

The best advice I can give is be patient and do not trust those big girls, especially any RIR alpha hens. The other bit of advice would be to get a Banty roo for her.

 

[AccioSarah]

Quote:
I would LOVE to get her a roo or a fellow banty friend... but we live in the city where only 4 hens are allowed. No roos.

It sounds like this will just be a very long, difficult and dangerous introduction.

I guess we'll start with moving the RIR out so Marge can meet the Plymouth Rocks.

Any other advice or words of encouragement are welcome!

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Idea: change your thread title to something more specific and you might attract people who could address your specific situation. (i.e. "Introducing long banty to established flock - need help")

 

[spartacus_63]

Bantys are only 1/5 of large fowl, so with my chicken math you could have three LF and five Bantys.

 

[AccioSarah]

Quote:

I love Chicken Math!!

 

[AccioSarah]

I'm just adding this post to bring the topic up. I really need more advice on this issue...

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

If it were me, I would choose the lowest hen in the pecking order and put her in with your banty (under close supervision at first, of course). Then, for a couple of weeks, they could make friends.

Then add the next chicken up in the pecking order. Now you have 3. Then add the top hen last. I would go SLOWLY with this, and take at least 2 weeks for each change.

Establishing the pecking order does NOT look like "they are going to kill her!"

It looks like- "I'm going to fluff my hackle feathers up and give you a peck, and you'd better move. Ok, you moved." In other words, if they look like they are going to kill her, they just might.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-adding-to-your-flock
this is a helpful page-scroll down for adding to the flock