Introducing new chickens

[Annaafranqueza]

i have 3 barred rock and introduced two new ones a month ago and they all got along fine from the start. Just added two more 5 week old chicks and now one of my 7 week old chicks keeps pecking them and trying to pull out a few feathers. Not sure if I should Isolate them

 

[Ridgerunner]

Where are you located or at least describe the weather? What does your set-up look like? Photos might be real helpful. How big, in feet or meters, are your facilities? It's hard to make suggestions that suits your conditions when we don;t know what you are working with.

My guess is that they are relatively crowded and you did not house them across wire for any length of time so they could become acquainted. Sometimes you can just put them together and it works but sometimes it doesn't.

 

[Annaafranqueza]

Where are you located or at least describe the weather? What does your set-up look like? Photos might be real helpful. How big, in feet or meters, are your facilities? It's hard to make suggestions that suits your conditions when we don;t know what you are working with.

My guess is that they are relatively crowded and you did not house them across wire for any length of time so they could become acquainted. Sometimes you can just put them together and it works but sometimes it doesn't.

I have a 7x7 enclosed shed with a 8x8 run attached. I seperated them for a few days before meeting. I’m in georgia, so hot weather. They are still smaller then a guinea pig so they def are not crowded, plenty of room with plenty of perches on all sides of the outside coop as well.

 

[Mrs. K]

If the chick is not cornered, not trapped, not bleeding then I would leave them alone. If the victim is still active running away, getting out of reach, I would not separate. Separating causes more problems than it solves.

Instead, it would be better to create hide outs, blind spots, extra feed stations where as a bird eating at one, cannot see another at a different feed bowl. Add some roosts. These allow birds to get out of sight, to get away from each other.

Too many runs I see on here, is just an open area rectangle. In any position in the run, an bird can see all the other birds. Just asking for trouble.

Mrs K

 

[Annaafranqueza]

If the chick is not cornered, not trapped, not bleeding then I would leave them alone. If the victim is still active running away, getting out of reach, I would not separate. Separating causes more problems than it solves.

Instead, it would be better to create hide outs, blind spots, extra feed stations where as a bird eating at one, cannot see another at a different feed bowl. Add some roosts. These allow birds to get out of sight, to get away from each other.

Too many runs I see on here, is just an open area rectangle. In any position in the run, an bird can see all the other birds. Just asking for trouble.

Mrs K

Thank you! No cornering, just following around and pecking at certain times. I have roosts inside of the coop and well as roosts/ a swing outside in the run.i’ll try to add another hiding spot as well

 

[Ridgerunner]

Thanks for the info, that helps. I agree with Mrs. K, as long as no one is getting hurt let them work it out. The two or more different feeding and watering stations are a good idea also, maybe one in the coop and one in the run. As far as hiding places maybe something on cinder blocks or up enough that they can get under them, lean a piece of plywood on a wall or fence (making sure the wind cannot blow it down), or even a table or such so they can get up high.

That's a good amount of space for seen birds even when they grow up but sometimes it takes a bit more room for integration. Good luck!

 

[Annaafranqueza]

Thanks for the info, that helps. I agree with Mrs. K, as long as no one is getting hurt let them work it out. The two or more different feeding and watering stations are a good idea also, maybe one in the coop and one in the run. As far as hiding places maybe something on cinder blocks or up enough that they can get under them, lean a piece of plywood on a wall or fence (making sure the wind cannot blow it down), or even a table or such so they can get up high.

That's a good amount of space for seen birds even when they grow up but sometimes it takes a bit more room for integration. Good luck!

Heres some photos of the run! I have perches on each corners, swings in the middle and the black thing in the corner is a waterer. I have a waterer outside/inside and same with feed already so that should help. I have a large strip of land in my backyard i can’t grow grass on so we decided to go big!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Is that black corner roost or swing high enough that the older ones can't peck their feet? Not sure.

It might help to put something in here to block line of sight at ground level. You don't want a tripping hazard or something that will make it hard for you to walk in there, but maybe something off to a side maybe a foot high.

 

[Annaafranqueza]

The older ones just turned 7 weeks two days ago and the new two are 5 weeks and 3 days so the size isn’t that big in comparison. The roosts are fairly high, they can’t fly any higher then that yet. We plan on raising the swing up higher as they grow. They have those roosts on every corner of the run so they arent all on the ground and the inside of the coop which stays open has a bail of hay for them to jump onto/nesting boxes I set up, and a roost going all the way to the top like a ladder. Only one of the chickens is picking on them, none of the others even peck them.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Looking at the run I'd take something like a few pallets or panels of scrap wood and lean them against the run walls to form little hideaways underneath. Or put some smallish items like a couple of small wood chairs towards the middle, to break up line of sight from one side of run to the other.