Introducing single chick to flock :(

[padavali]

A week ago I started to turn the chicks (3.5 months old) out with my 3 hens, and it was going great. I left them with my hens over night 5 days into being introduced, went great, the following night, chicks were dead in the corner the next morning. Later that day we find one survivor and put her in with the flock. Never crossed our minds that it was our ISA Brown that had killed the other 4 chicks till we walk to the coop and find the chick cornered with the Brown attacking the one chick the afternoon we found the chick.

We ran out and got one of those small urban coop/run pens from a farm supply store and put our chick in that to keep her safe from the Brown. This is not ideal, keeping the baby on her own, but I really have no idea what to do now since we appear to have a bully in our Flock. The other 2 hens are Buffs, the chick is an Easter Egger.

Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated!

Now I worry I rushed introducing them, but in years past, I have never had an issue

Dianna

 

[Den in Penn]

You never really can predict how an integration ins going to go. Sometimes it goes well and other times it just doesn't. And sometimes there is one bird that just never accepts the new comers easily. You could try putting the bully in the new coop and see if you can get the others will accept her.

 

[padavali]

One thought I had had was putting one of the buffs in with the chick, see if she would help protect when the time came to attemp the Brown and chick again... But the buffs are pals, also would hate to break them up, even for a short while...

 

[Den in Penn]

If the new coop is big enough for three maybe give the pullet (she is getting older after all.) a few days in it then put the buffs in it with the pullet. If you can give them a lot of space beside the coop that would help.