Introducing new hens. Old hens chasing them

[Henfla]

Hello!
I have a flock of 5 girls that are two year old. I am trying to introduce 3 new girls to my flock.
I have kept them in a fenced off area both in the coop and during daytime in the run. It's now day three, and it is a bit of a challenge to keep them fenced off, because the new ones doesn't get to go inside in the coop to lay their eggs during daytime when they are outside in the run.

So first I tried to put them all outside to free range (my old hens normally free range every day), but the new ones just stay far away from the old ones so they don't really get to know each other that way. Also the new ones haven't been here long enough to know what's home, so they run away and I am scared they might get lost.
After that I tried to put them all in the run togheter without a fence between them, and that resulted in the new ones just getting chased around (two of my old girls are very aggressive towards them) and they went inside the coop to get away. Then weather got really bad so everyone went into the coop. I removed one of the fences where the new girls stay so they could be with the old hens if they wanted, but they just get chased inside their little space underneath the perches if they try to come out.

The new ones are very scared and don't fight the old ones, they just run away from them. Is that normal, that the new ones don't fight, just run away?

Now I have fenced them off again inside so they can relax for a while.
Here is a picture of the coop with the new girls under the perches.

 

[aart]

Is that normal, that the new ones don't fight, just run away?

Yes....and 3 days is not long at all.
It takes time.

Are there other roosts than the ones shown?
Coop might be a bit small even for the 5 you have.
Integrating new birds works best with lots of space.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Yes it’s normal unless they are drawing blood or injuring the new ones. The longer you keep intervening the longer it will keep happening. The pecking order must be sorted out otherwise the squabbles for who is top chicken will continue. You mentioned them staying separate while out in the yard as if it was a bad thing, but that’s the best spot to introduce and a good thing when they maintain space. That space allows them to feel more comfortable which will make the transition easier and less stressful on all of them. The thing to remember is that friendships can never be forced or it will have the opposite effect. Instead they should be allowed to happen gradually, naturally and with plenty of space.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You don't say how old the new ones are. It sounds like they are laying eggs. Are they?

So first I tried to put them all outside to free range (my old hens normally free range every day), but the new ones just stay far away from the old ones so they don't really get to know each other that way.

Excellent! Outstanding! That's the way it is supposed to work. Until they are accepted into the pecking order they keep their distance to keep from getting pecked or worse.

After that I tried to put them all in the run togheter without a fence between them, and that resulted in the new ones just getting chased around (two of my old girls are very aggressive towards them) and they went inside the coop to get away. Then weather got really bad so everyone went into the coop. I removed one of the fences where the new girls stay so they could be with the old hens if they wanted, but they just get chased inside their little space underneath the perches if they try to come out.

Until they are accepted into the pecking order they try to stay away from the older ones so they don't get pecked or worse.

The new ones are very scared and don't fight the old ones, they just run away from them. Is that normal, that the new ones don't fight, just run away?

Totally. Until the young ones mature enough to join the pecking order they are afraid of the older hens. Size has nothing to do with it, it is purely maturity.

I can't tell how big that coop is, can you please provide dimensions in meters? It looks tight for eight hens. As Aart said, integrating works best with lots of room. That's why they get along so well outside.

If your new ones are laying they will probably be accepted into the pecking order fairly soon. That may involve some fighting but with mine that is usually fairly peaceful. Each chicken has its own personality so you don't always get the same results. If they are not laying yet, they will probably not gain full acceptance until they start, though things could improve.

During the day having them range outside is what you want. When they are ready they will merge on their own. Your issues are at night. Where do they sleep so the others don't beat them up and they are also predator safe? I don't see a good solution. It's highly unlikely they will sleep on the main roosts with the older hens. Where can they go in that coop? They probably will want to sleep outside instead of going into that coop at night. The options I see are to either build a predator-safe area for them to sleep outside of the coop or stick them in the coop after it is too dark for the older ones to hurt them. Then be out there early when they wake up to see if they are getting beat up or they have found a safe place to be.

My coop is a lot bigger than yours. I put them in the coop after dark and am out there at daybreak until I'm comfortable they are safe. What I usually find is that the young ones are on the roosts out of reach of the older ones. Everything is peaceful since they are separated so I go back to sleeping in. And they put themselves to bed in the main coop at night.

Good luck!

 

[Henfla]

You don't say how old the new ones are. It sounds like they are laying eggs. Are they?


Excellent! Outstanding! That's the way it is supposed to work. Until they are accepted into the pecking order they keep their distance to keep from getting pecked or worse.


Until they are accepted into the pecking order they try to stay away from the older ones so they don't get pecked or worse.


Totally. Until the young ones mature enough to join the pecking order they are afraid of the older hens. Size has nothing to do with it, it is purely maturity.

I can't tell how big that coop is, can you please provide dimensions in meters? It looks tight for eight hens. As Aart said, integrating works best with lots of room. That's why they get along so well outside.

If your new ones are laying they will probably be accepted into the pecking order fairly soon. That may involve some fighting but with mine that is usually fairly peaceful. Each chicken has its own personality so you don't always get the same results. If they are not laying yet, they will probably not gain full acceptance until they start, though things could improve.

During the day having them range outside is what you want. When they are ready they will merge on their own. Your issues are at night. Where do they sleep so the others don't beat them up and they are also predator safe? I don't see a good solution. It's highly unlikely they will sleep on the main roosts with the older hens. Where can they go in that coop? They probably will want to sleep outside instead of going into that coop at night. The options I see are to either build a predator-safe area for them to sleep outside of the coop or stick them in the coop after it is too dark for the older ones to hurt them. Then be out there early when they wake up to see if they are getting beat up or they have found a safe place to be.

My coop is a lot bigger than yours. I put them in the coop after dark and am out there at daybreak until I'm comfortable they are safe. What I usually find is that the young ones are on the roosts out of reach of the older ones. Everything is peaceful since they are separated so I go back to sleeping in. And they put themselves to bed in the main coop at night.

Good luck!

Thanks for the reply. Two of the new hens are 25 weeks and one of them are 1 year old.
I have had eight chickens before without problem in my coop. Its 3x2 meters. The new flock sleeps inside under the main roosts, they have done so for two days now. They have a roosting bar there.

 

[Henfla]

Yes it’s normal unless they are drawing blood or injuring the new ones. The longer you keep intervening the longer it will keep happening. The pecking order must be sorted out otherwise the squabbles for who is top chicken will continue. You mentioned them staying separate while out in the yard as if it was a bad thing, but that’s the best spot to introduce and a good thing when they maintain space. That space allows them to feel more comfortable which will make the transition easier and less stressful on all of them. The thing to remember is that friendships can never be forced or it will have the opposite effect. Instead they should be allowed to happen gradually, naturally and with plenty of space.

Ok, thanks! Tomorrow I will let them out again to free range. Today there has been a storm, so they have been inside.