Introduction Turned Ugly

[BapNGmr]

We have 3 hens who are about 8-9 months old that live in our coop. We have a leghorn, a rhode island red, and a golden laced wyandotte. We also have 2-3 month old hens. A barred rock, a black sex link, and an ameracauna.

We had been keeping the three younger hens in the garage in their own pen; but, my dad, who has raised chickens most of his life, came over last weekend and said they were big enough to merge with the older ones and he told us we should be able to just put them in. Yeah, he was wrong. I'm thinking since he didn't see them side by side he misestimated the size difference.

The first day went okay; but, today the Leghorn just went crazy. The little ones have been hiding behind a board in the coop that the big ones can't get behind. At some point the Americauna ventured out and I caught the Leghorn chasing her and than standing on her pecking. The Leghorn didn't get off until I shushed her with my boot. I went inside for five minutes, came out, and my poor little Americauna is missing a ton of neck feathers and is bloody and exposed. Probably in about an inch by inch patch. I immediately removed her back to the garage because I've heard once they draw blood they won't stop. I locked the Leghorn into the roost part of the coop...but now what? How can I help the injured hen? She's eating and drinking so I think she'll be fine. It just looks terrible.

Do I remove the little ones again and put them in the garage? Won't they peck the Americauna now too? Will the Leghorn have a taste for blood and go after all of them now?

Clearly, we received bad advice and I feel horrible as it is, so I could really use some good advice now. Who would have thought someone who raised them all his life didn't really know what he was talking about.

 

[chickendreams]

I have a Buff Orpington who was horribly pecked when I tried to integrate my old flock with my new flock too soon. Yes, her age mates will peck her now that she is bloody. Cover the wound with Blu-Kote. I would bring the young ones back to the brooder. Keep the injured on apart from everyone else. It might help her rejoin the group if they can continue to see each other while she is in confinement.

 

[bj taylor]

put blu-kote on the wound (@ tractor supply). it helps the wound & it camouflages it so the others won't pick at it. get the little ones back together again so they stay a unit.
if your place allows it, set up a place for them to be side by side, but the big ones can't get to the little ones. let them live like this until the little ones are considerably bigger. when you think ready, make a little hole in the separating fence that the little ones can go through but not the big ones. the little ones will start venturing into the bigger's pen but can run for safety when the big ones go after them.
that's how i did it, & it worked super well. it took about 3 wks.

 

[sharol]

A variation on a theme: I put the new chicks in a tractor coop and put it in the same yard as the big girls when they were out free ranging in the yard. They could see each other and do all the chicken things, but not touch each other. After the little girls were bigger (about 4 months old, I think) I started letting them all out to free range together but put them back in their own coops at night. Once they seemed to be getting along well, I let them all in the big girls' run with the gate closed for a while.

The key here is gradual and slow.

put blu-kote on the wound (@ tractor supply). it helps the wound & it camouflages it so the others won't pick at it. get the little ones back together again so they stay a unit.
if your place allows it, set up a place for them to be side by side, but the big ones can't get to the little ones. let them live like this until the little ones are considerably bigger. when you think ready, make a little hole in the separating fence that the little ones can go through but not the big ones. the little ones will start venturing into the bigger's pen but can run for safety when the big ones go after them.
that's how i did it, & it worked super well. it took about 3 wks.