Introduction problems with new flock into old flock

[akb77]

Background: I have 9 RSL hens who are 1 year old. 2 months ago I introduced a rooster and had no issues. The hens took to him and he became a great protector.


A month ago I purchased 5 Easter Eggers who were 12 weeks old. I quarantined them for the whole month in a run that was side-by-side with the RSL. Friday night, after dark, I transplanted the 5 EE's into the coop with the RSL. Saturday morning I opened the pop door to let them out into the run and all was okay. I checked on them several times an hour for several hours, until I had to go to town. I was gone for no more than 2 hours and when I came home I discovered that one of my EE's had been killed by the existing flock (I can't say if it was the RSL or if it was the rooster). The remaining 4 EE's were huddled in the corner of the run. I immediately moved them back into their old run.


My question is: What do I do? I thought I was doing the introduction correctly. Do I put the remaining 4 EE's back in with the RSL and let them work out the pecking order, and risk losing more? A larger concern of mine is I have expanded my flock this year with 80 new chicks who are currently in an adjacent run. I (was) planning on combining both runs into one larger one. Will the RSL still try to bully all of them?


Help!!! I don't want to risk losing more.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Sounds like you did a lot of things right. The only problem was not introducing like numbers and like sizes.

Put one RSL into the EE pen. Add another each day. When you have moved half, swap the two flocks so the EEs and their newfound friends take over the original pen. A couple days later start introducing the rest.

 

[akb77]

Thank you ChickenCanoe! My husband (a dairy farmer) said to do the same thing and I dismissed him. Now I have to swallow my pride and actually admit that he was right

!!! LOL!!!

Do I move a RSL in the dark of night?

 

[Bens-Hens]

I like Chicken canoe's advise, that seems like a sounds way to join the two small flocks.

In addition, if you see that's it's one particular bird doing the attacking, perhaps remove that one bird for a couple of days. From my reading, removing the dominant birds brings them down a peg or two in the social standings.

I probably would have first done it exactly as you did to begin with so don't feel bad about that.