Introducing new chicken

[akchickenman]

I am in the process of introducing a new chicken and am seeing behavior that I didn't expect. The new hen is replacing a young 5 month old Cockerel who was in the middle of the pecking order as far as I could tell. I only have 3 chickens so removing one is 33% of the flock. The new bird has been in a kennel next to the run for 2 weeks. Today I tried to put the new hen in the coop which is when the unexpected behavior happened. Instead of the old birds pecking at the new one, the new one went after the old birds. Is this normal? Is there anything I could do or should I just let it happen provided there is no blood drawn?

 

[Pork Pie]

I'm don't know the age of your existing pullets / hens, but it's likely that your new bird is older, judging by her reaction to the cockerel and the others.

I would personally say your thoughts to leave them to sort things out is the best way forward.

Adding a feeding station should ease tensions, as most domination behaviour / aggression is food-based.

 

[akchickenman]

Thanks! You are spot on with the age bit. The new hen is just under a year while the other two are right around POL. Right now I still have the new lady sleeping separate as I read that night time is when most pecking happens. Should I continue to do that or just let them be together 100% of the time?

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

It's always best to have a good ratio of new hens to old. Also, age/weight should be comparable. You've done good keeping a fence between them till they become acquainted. Then, it's actually safer if you put the new hen into the coop at least 3-4 hours after the hens have gone to sleep. Wait outside a couple of minutes, quietly, listen for any aggression. Make sure you get up before first light, just in case they get rowdy in the morning.
I am merging 5 new hens next weekend. My old flock of 4, are 2.5 years old, the new hens are 9 months. I have Summered them 4 months in another pen/coop for quarantine, to let them mature, to put weight on, and have my rooster teach them about chicken etiquette. My alpha hen does not play around. She manages the flock very well. Now...I have successfully integrated a single hen to a flock of 5. She was a small game hen, who is still at the bottom of the pecking order. She still gets pecked at if she doesn't move out of the way, but, they all do fine together.
In a few months your hens age difference will balance out. You can either wait or move forward with the merge. Just keep an eye that the new one isn't vicious. You don't want any serious injuries or fatalities. Good luck.

 

[akchickenman]

Thanks a ton Hen Pen Jem! It is getting cold here and we will be getting freezing temps at night in the next week or two so I would like to get the single lady in with the other girls sooner rather than later to ensure she is warm at night. I will give it a shot and see what happens!

 

[akchickenman]

So, I left the girls together yesterday and everything seems to be working itself out. I have a somewhat small run, 4'x8' and a 4'x4' coop which I think is exacerbating the behavior. Everything went well for the most part. Definitely some pecking, but no bleeding or anything like that (honestly, I think one of my chickens is too stupid and keeps going up to the new, aggressive hen, and in turn gets pecked). The two lower pecking order girls are spending a lot of time huddled in the corner, but they are still eating and drinking when they have the chance to do so. The pecking got worse prior to bedtime, so I separated the new girl, put the other two on the roost and then a few hours after dark, placed the new girl on the roost with the other two. There was a roost shuffle after that, but no pecking or squacking. This morning they are back at it with the new girl eating her ration of scratch and the other two hiding from her with the occasional peck. If needed I will separate again before bed, but am hoping that they are past the worst of it!

 

[sharlysharlss]

I need advice myself:
I have 2 Rhode Island Red Hens and 1 RIR Rooster who are about 23wks old. I found a beautiful Sumatra Hen wandering around and wanted to keep her. I took her to the vet and she is not laying age yet so shes still a teenager. Weve quarantined her for about a week and put her next to the coop during the day. Each night I would bring her in. I then put her in a small dog crate inside the run for a week and the rooster seemed to wanna "get in there" one of the hens starts squawking every morning when she sees her. Jealousy I assume bc she is beautiful. Anyways, I kicked the rooster out of the run and let the new hen roam with the others to see what happens. I left them for about 30min and came back to a bloody beak. So I brought her inside to clean off the blood and sleep for the night. We live in NY and the temp right now is 25 so I cant keep her in the run overnight and she wont go in the coop to roost. Today I let all the chickens together and the rooster kept pecking at her and the alpha hen gave her another bloody beak. So my question is- should i keep bringing her inside every time she gets a bloody beak or should I just let them be? When is enough enough? is it going to eventually stop? i just feel really bad

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

So, your sumatra is maybe 4 months or younger? I gotta tell you...those RIR's do have a bit of spice to them. They will become aggressive if you let them. Sometimes you have to represent as the "Big Rooster" of them all!

Many chicken keepers say you shouldn't interfere with the pecking order trials. And I agree, up to a point. However, chickens are intelligent creatures, and can have their behavior modified. I know, I have done it...time and time again.

First of all, all of the pullets and the cockerel, are the equivalent of teenagers. You know how teenagers are, all those hormones! So, this is the perfect time for you to establish some order among them. Bleeding chickens is not a good thing, even deaths can happen.

The chickens should be of similar weight and size, it's just easier for them to defend themselves, or run away, if they are of comparable size. So, you may have to let the Sumatra mature a few more weeks. I have always had the best success integrating newbies, by placing them in the coop 3-4 hours after sunset. That means you'll have to go out in the cold, quietly, in the dark (with a flashlight of course), and place the Sumatra on a perch. Then, you have to be up at dawn just in case there is any drama. Remember, you are Big Rooster! You'll have to use your voice at some point. In the morning, open the coop door and say, "Good morning, how are my chickies!". Then observe, they will see the newbie and be confused at first. They may be sort of stand offish or they may start to grumble and some may peck. And they will look at you, wondering "why is she staring at us?". If they display any unwanted behavior, you can clap your hands, use your voice again, "A-a-a! No! No, no peck!

Make sure you have plenty of feed stations when you introduce a new chicken. One station for every three chickens is best. Also a couple of places where they can get water. Places where the newbie can get out of sight. Distractions, like hanging bottles with holes at the bottom, filled with scratch. A pile of leaves or straw in the corner, toss some scratch in, for them to keep busy with. Your brain is bigger than theirs, gotta stay one step ahead of them.

Because there is only one hen being introduced, it will take some time. You'll have to be vigilant. The rooster...kick him out into the yard every morning, if you can. Till the girls are all OK with each other. Or maybe you have another pen where he'll be safe. He won't be fully mature till he's over a year old. He too will need to be trained, away from the girls, always. Or, he will become hard to handle, may even attack you when you try to collect eggs, etc. I have a RIR rooster "Mr. Frito", he is 8.5 lbs. of pure rooster. And it took me almost a year and a half to train him and teach him words and phrases. He is the best rooster, I tell everyone he is my other son! LOL!

Here is Frito and the girls, notice the hanging distractions.