Mean Chickens!! - Introducing New Roosters to the Hens.

[BBsChicks]

I have 6 five month old pullets; 2 buff orpingtons, 2 silver lace and 2 rhode island reds. They were all purchased when they were 3 or 4 days old and have been raised together. My problem is one of the reds. I am close to adding her to a stew pot. She is mean to the other chickens and mean to me. If she gets out (apparently her 70 X 15 enclosure is too small) and I try to put her away she puffs up and comes at me. All this and no eggs from any of them :-/
Any hints?
Frustrated Chick Mom

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Are you sure she is a SHE? Also, the no eggs thing. How old are these birds?

 

[davidpent76]

i brought in a Minocra roster today to mix with my leghorn hens(6) HE IS IN HIS OWN PEN ATTACHED TO THEIRS. they are fighting. i hope they can ajust. i want chicks this year. my rooster got a bloody beak, but he can walk away if he wants too. the hens fluffy up on him too, but he fluffs back. will they be ok?

 

[Den in Penn]

i brought in a Minocra roster today to mix with my leghorn hens(6) HE IS IN HIS OWN PEN ATTACHED TO THEIRS. they are fighting. i hope they can ajust. i want chicks this year. my rooster got a bloody beak, but he can walk away if he wants too. the hens fluffy up on him too, but he fluffs back. will they be ok?

Given time they will adjust. Give them enough time to get familiar through the wire, to work out that stranger in our coop thing. When they finally do get together there will still be a period of adjustment which may cause a few feathers to fly, but they will calm down.

 

[PimentoPlymouth]

I recently introduced a GLW pair ( hen&roo) to an established flock of 8. I cut them loose out in the yard together and at first a couple of the older hens went after the new hen. The new roo immediatly put an end to that. About an hour later the top hen of the old flock had a little wrestling match with the new hen. Nothing to serious just a little pecking order establishment. During the spat the roo almost watch over the whole thing, anytime it would like a little rough he would puff up and step in between them. The first couple nights I left the coop open in case they needed to get away from each other but I never came out to any messes. They seem to be getting along now after about a week together. I think the outcome of introuducing a new memeber to a flock really depends on the flock itself. Make sure you have a good idea of your flock and pecking order. Knowing your chickens can be your best friend in most cases.

 

[Duck77]

Today I introduced a 6 month old Ameracauna rooster to my four 7 month old girls. The top two hens took their turns challenging him and both beat him into submission at first. Then he said enough was enough, went another round or two and before noon he was cuddling in the sunshine with his new harem. That actually went much smoother than I anticipated.

 

[CAjerseychick]

Good to read this thread (I know its alittle older).... my hens are 18 months and 6 months (2 from the summers hatch).... am in the market for a new roo, I see alot of 1 yr olds or younger Roos on CL so just thinking through the options.... the hens are Jersey Giants, they lay ok for a small family of 3 and dogs that love eggs -- so just going for some breed that would pair up well the JGs (something not so huge, my Roo could not or would not squeeze thru cattle panels to get at the feeder so that was a bit of a pain to hand feed him seperate-- the dogs and goats would come running and fight for the feed)....

 

[PimentoPlymouth]

I introuduced a year old GLW Roo to my flock of 12 hens and he did pretty good. There was a little pecking order issues at first but he came from a flock that had 6 roos and 6 hens and he was a pretty dominant roo in that flock so he didnt put up with much. He is really good with the hens and is docile towards humans too. I had a BR roo that would not even let me in the run or coop without flogging me.

 

[Rach123]

I'm not too sure if this thread is still live but its worth a shot! I have 3 Dutch bantam hens, my roo died a few months back and my breeder hasn't had an unrelated one available until now. I'm away to pick him (and possibly a new hen) up tomorrow. I have had terrible trouble with my lot regards introducing new hens in the past. My girls have been brought up together from 'chickhood' and when one went broody last year i took her out the run and into her own pen along side the others to hatch and raise her chicks, however when i reintroduced my hen and her chicks (who were the same size as the others) into the flock they got beaten up for weeks! So much so i had to give the chicks to a friend my little hen wasn't accepted for ages after. Any tips to help this go smoother would be much appreciated!

Cheers in advance,
Rachel

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I hate to say this but the chicken dating scene has little in common with a Marlene Detrick or Gregory Peck flick, sorry. Anytime a new rooster is introduced, especially if there wasn't an alpha male recently on the premises, the new roo will either become the bulling target of every hen or older pullet on the premises, or he will from necessity have to knock his hens around some to establish his place in the flock or other words in that D_E_A_D_E_D pecking order. In this important respect chicken society is gender neutral.

If that offends some of you then don't hatch and certainly don't keep roosters. The problem is that every time you introduce a new hen, the same old problem to one extent or the other raises its ugly head So if you can't keep roosters and you can't keep hens (plural) because of the likely hood that they'll hit or peck one another, then how are you going to keep more than one chicken except that you must house them all in separate battery cages?