Introducing Marans

[giantcrabman]

Hello!

Well I brought two 4/5 month old Marans home with me yesterday and introduced them to my two girls (speckledy & lohmanns). I spent a while making sure they were at least the same same size then I got home and introduced them and the Marans are bigger than them /o\\.


Now one of the Marans is top hen and will peck at my original girls as soon as one of them goes near it and seems a bit aggressive (but I'm not sure if how it's acting is aggressive for a chicken or just normal?) while the other one will run about like a lunatic trying to stay out of trouble

Should i take the more aggressive Maran out for a few days then put her back in to see if she stops pecking or just let them get on with it? But i don't that would do anything as she is that bit bigger than the originals that she'll just start it all over again once i put her back in.


I really hope they sort it out. I need some reassurances of you lovely people.

 

[hcppam]

I would watch and see if it calms down, as long as there is no feather pulling and blood letting. Give it a few days, ideally it's better to keep them divided but where they can see each other for a week or so.

PS

Hi, from big bear, you'll love all the info you get here!

 

[wolftracks]

If you take her out and then put her back in you'll just have to go through it again. They are working that pecking order. As long as she is not attacking and chasing your other girl down, they should be able to get better about who is who.

I know I have brought new birds home and it was like someone hit my kid when the new ones were introduced and took over. You learn to get over it, At least with chicks, LOL

 

[giantcrabman]

Quote:
She is doing that but it's only when one of the originals is close to her.

I thought it was supposed to be the new hens that got given a hard time not the other way round!

Should it eventually stop and be around each like best of friends?

 

[wolftracks]

Quote:
She is doing that but it's only when one of the originals is close to her.

I thought it was supposed to be the new hens that got given a hard time not the other way round!

Should it eventually stop and be around each like best of friends?

I have lots of breeds and I have Game hens out with some of my FBCMs. The Games have a separate pecking order. There's a young one that challenges every once in a while. The head hen lost her stop and one that I didn't think would be highest up is. My FBCMs have another pecking order, same thing. Then they have their combined order. I have never seen a Game hen challenge my BCMs. They are so much bigger and they through their weight around.

Then I have the same thing going on in the Bantam Wellie pen. There's always a top hen. They have to have enough room to make sure they lower knows it's place. Most of my others I have yet to figure out who is on top. They all have plenty of room, so the lower has space away from the top hen. My last flock I had Doms and Polish. Doms really like to torment those poor blind poof heads and they were always the lowest breed, but had a top hen.

And no they aren't always best friends. They are animals and this is nature to them. You can make sure the other knows you are at the top though, so if you shoo her away she should leave the other alone if it get too intense. Other than that, it's just the way it is.