Meshing new hen into tiny flock of two?

[Ponyfeather]

I have a new bantam hen Lulu, who I rescued from being beaten up by the other hens in the flock and possibly squished to death by the new rooster who grew much larger than his father had been.

Now she used to live with and be buddies with one of my flock of two I have left after losing another hen. Now when I brought her home they all want to fight, Lulu after being attacked a few times is trying to show she isn't going to take it anymore. But Lulu is phoenix bantam who maybe is a pound, she wasn't being allowed to eat enough by the previous flock.

Am I just going to have to monitor these three until they stop trying to fight eat other? Lulu has got my original hen Jet, backed down but now Dot the hen that was once part of her flock wants to fight her. I've been using a moveable dog pen to try and introduce them, and Lulu keeps walking back a fourth trying to intimidate the other two.

We never had this type of issue when I brought Dot into the flock. But then another hen was in charge but sadly she was lost in a hawk attack a few months ago. So Lulu is living inside until I know they're not going to try and kill each other...

 

[azygous]

Here's an article on introducing a single hen to a flock. http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/introducing-a-single-hen-to-an-existing-flock

With only two hens, and Lulu being familiar to one, it shouldn't take the full three weeks as it took my introductions. I've done it twice, and the method I describe works very well.

It should just be a few days and your three will settle the new pecking order, deciding who will be first and last. The more chickens in a flock there are, the longer it can take because each chicken has to figure out where they stand in relation to each other member. In your flock, each one only has two others to relate to, so it should settle down very soon.

 

[Ponyfeather]

Here's an article on introducing a single hen to a flock. ww.backyardchickens.com/articles/introducing-a-single-hen-to-an-existing-flock.719

With only two hens, and Lulu being familiar to one, it shouldn't take the full three weeks as it took my introductions. I've done it twice, and the method I describe works very well.

It should just be a few days and your three will settle the new pecking order, deciding who will be first and last. The more chickens in a flock there are, the longer it can take because each chicken has to figure out where they stand in relation to each other member. In your flock, each one only has two others to relate to, so it should settle down very soon.

That is a very well written article I guess it'll just take time, it might take a bit longer since it has been pouring down rain so I can't set the dog pen outside to help integrate her. But I have been bringing the other two in off and out to let them be less miserable.

 

[Chickens_4Life]

I haven’t read the article, but I think it is something to do with the pecking order.