It’s been a week

[Rosangeldelmar]

It’s been a week now since I added two new pullets. I have 4 isa brown/novagen 3 silkies and now the 2 new barred rocks. The browns are 14 weeksish, and silkies and barred rocks around 11weeks. There’s not any massive conflict (blood, wounds). Most of the day the barred rocks are down in the run with the rest but off to their own side. They’re still not “allowed” to eat. They only get a change when I let them all out to free range and they eat before coming out after everyone else is out. Any ideas? I really want to avoid separating them

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome!
Have at least two feeders and waterers, in separate locations, and places to be out of sight of each other. Things will settle down, but it's always best to offer choices and space.
Mary

 

[sourland]

It sounds as if things are going quite well. Just provide multiple feed and water stations until they have settled their rank in the social order.

 

[rosemarythyme]

x3 more feeders, and definitely more clutter - your run space is a big empty box and does not allow bullied birds to get out of line of sight of others or to eat out of sight of the others.

 

[Mrs. K]

Do NOT separate them, while separating does have to be done occasionally, separating causes more problems than it fixes most of the time. Your lack of blood and wounds is one of those cases where separating will make this worse, not better.

I am a big advocate of clutter - things that birds can get under, behind, or on top of something. This uses more of the vertical space, allows birds to get away from each other, allows birds to eat in peace. It stops the running clear across the pen to attack most of the time.

Add ladders, chairs, pallets, cardboard boxes, roosts, sawhorses, plastic totes on their sides, little mini walls with a feed bowl tucked behind, so that while eating at one place, birds cannot see a bird eating at another.

In chicken society, a bird needs to be able to give way to an upper bird. They do that by moving away and out of sight. If they stay within sight of the other birds, it is often taken as a sign of aggression, and the fight is on.

I rearrange the clutter too, especially when adding new birds, or chicks. Just seems to help distract them.

Mrs K