Mean Chickens?

[CookieChicken18]

Hello! So recently I had to introduce 3 new chickens to my 4 older chickens, and they are so mean! It has been almost two months now and the older hens are still chasing the new ones around. And it is really just one hen who is causing the most damage, she chases them around and pulls out feathers, even if they are bowing! I have to introduce 3 new pullets to them soon and I am worried how they will respond.

It is also worth metioning that I didn't have these problems the last time around...they were introduced just fine.

Any advice? Why are they so mean and unaccepting?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Actually it's quite normal. Some hens are rougher than others. I find the young ones make more noise than necessary, probably to get the older ones to let up. If you actually see true aggression like drawing blood and cornering and pecking I might get worried.

Make sure there are places the littler ones can slip under or through. The more room the better, the more crowded your set up gets the more you see aggression.

 

[azygous]

Look at it this way. Let's say you start out with two chickens. They only need to each relate to one other chicken. Then later you introduce two new chickens. Now each chicken needs to relate to three other chickens.

So then you bring home three more new chickens after the first two groups have all established their relationships, known as The Pecking Order. Now the four chickens already there have to get to know three new chickens, and each chicken you now have will need to figure out where they stand with six other individuals.

You can see how much more complicated the social order in your flock has become with each new addition. On top of this, one chicken decides it's great sport to be a jerk to several of the new ones. It disrupts the whole apple cart.

All of the above is completely normal, as complicated as it sounds. It's also very normal that occasionally an individual decides to challenge the social order and act out. Feathers fly, chickens squawk and screech, and it's upsetting to the human watching the conflict. But it's all normal for your chickens.

You can manage things to minimize the conflict when you need to introduce new chickens. Having a lot of space is a big help. It allows the chickens being bullied to get away from the bully.

You don't mention how old these three new pullets will be. If they're small, you can use a panic room set-up so the chicks can have a safe refuge from the big chickens. If the new ones are the same size as the original flock, adding some vertical get-away spaces such as tables and chairs or stumps will supply safe refuges. Multiple feeding and watering stations will also be a huge help.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Look at it this way. Let's say you start out with two chickens. They only need to each relate to one other chicken. Then later you introduce two new chickens. Now each chicken needs to relate to three other chickens.

So then you bring home three more new chickens after the first two groups have all established their relationships, known as The Pecking Order. Now the four chickens already there have to get to know three new chickens, and each chicken you now have will need to figure out where they stand with six other individuals.

You can see how much more complicated the social order in your flock has become with each new addition. On top of this, one chicken decides it's great sport to be a jerk to several of the new ones. It disrupts the whole apple cart.

All of the above is completely normal, as complicated as it sounds. It's also very normal that occasionally an individual decides to challenge the social order and act out. Feathers fly, chickens squawk and screech, and it's upsetting to the human watching the conflict. But it's all normal for your chickens.

You can manage things to minimize the conflict when you need to introduce new chickens. Having a lot of space is a big help. It allows the chickens being bullied to get away from the bully.

You don't mention how old these three new pullets will be. If they're small, you can use a panic room set-up so the chicks can have a safe refuge from the big chickens. If the new ones are the same size as the original flock, adding some vertical get-away spaces such as tables and chairs or stumps will supply safe refuges. Multiple feeding and watering stations will also be a huge help.

Real or 100% pure game roosters will NOT run together. But another old friend of mine knew how to do it. He had a rather large farm with a big dog pen, a milk barn, a mule stable, an old home place, a new house place, an apery, an orchard, and I forget what else. At each location there was a good source of water, big trees for the hens to roost in etc. He ran a rooster free range at each location with maybe 200 hens accompanying each roo with at least 300 feet between runs or walks.

You could tell from their body language that these roosters were itching to pitch into each other, they incessantly patrolled the borders of their kingdoms crowing and challenging each other, but they seemed overwhelmed with the necessity of keeping all their hens in line. Even when a hen bolted from the reservation the cock-of-the-walk was loath to run her down and return her to his harem less he lose 10 more hens while trying to wrangle one wayward pullet. Like azygoes said, if you want peace in your flock you need lots of space and enough hens to allow each chicken to play out its chicken Ethos without zeroing in on the weak sisters in your flock.

 

[aart]

I had suggested this in your other thread:

How old are the 6 hens and 1 rooster?

Yes, it takes more than a few days.

Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.

This used to be a better search, new format has reduced it's efficacy, but still:
Read up on integration..... BYC advanced search>titles only>integration
This is good place to start reading, BUT some info is outdated IMO:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock