Mixing a flock

[mldlm]

I have a single Speckled Sussex that is one year old this week. I have a friend who has 5 pullets. Can they live together safely, if I give her the speckled? My speckled is very sweet, but just spends most of her time running/avoiding the other 5 in my flock. There 2 that peck her and chase her a lot. No blood drawn, just annoyance. I think it might be better for my speckled, as she will be the oldest hen in that flock. Any suggestions or help is appreciated. I am also trying to break my speckled of broodiness, so the move would be after she is back to “normal”. Thanks!

 

[Theorrin]

try slow intros and see. it really boils down to the personalities of the chickens

 

[aart]

Being the oldest is really not much of an advantage.
Territory and resources are everything and she will be the 'new bird' invading the territory and likely to be attacked by your friends flock without very careful integration.

Would be better to solve the issue you have in your own flock.
If you do more to describe that scenario(ages, housing dimensions and pics, etc) we may be able to help.

 

[FunClucks]

How old are the pullets? I had a yr old Prairie Bluebell Egger who was the smallest/lowest on the pecking order in the big eggers coop, and I had 8 pullets approximately 8-10 weeks old. I put my PBE in with the young pullets, and she loved it! She was twice their size, and lorded it over them gleefully. They left her alone. I put another full grown hen (Welsummer mix) from the big eggers coop in there about a month later (after a week in the dog crate to integrate). The Wesummer is now head hen, and the PBE is second in command. They are gleefully lording it over everyone, where before they were the lowest two in the pecking order. Now, at 12-14 weeks, the pullets are almost the size of the Welsummer mix, and about the size or larger than the PBE. Once they start to lay, we'll see how things change, but I've been very happy with the results of mixing these two hens with my pullet flock. Their eggs got quite a bit bigger cause they weren't stressed anymore in the main flock. The pullets just get out of the way of the older ladies and really want to join them on the main roost. There are enough pullets that half of them draw off the older hens while the other half eat the food, or water, or whatever the hens try to guard.

Both my older ladies stick up for themselves. It would probably be another story if they didn't have confidence in themselves and the pullets hadn't been half their size to begin with.

 

[mldlm]

Being the oldest is really not much of an advantage.
Territory and resources are everything and she will be the 'new bird' invading the territory and likely to be attacked by your friends flock without very careful integration.

Would be better to solve the issue you have in your own flock.
If you do more to describe that scenario(ages, housing dimensions and pics, etc) we may be able to help.

My flock: 2 Blue Australorps, 2 White Leghorns, (all four are 14 months) and 1 Speckled Sussex 1 Black Australorp (both one year old this month). My coop is 8’ x 10’ shed attached to an 8 x 14’ enclosed run.

 

[aart]

My flock: 2 Blue Australorps, 2 White Leghorns, (all four are 14 months) and 1 Speckled Sussex 1 Black Australorp (both one year old this month). My coop is 8’ x 10’ shed attached to an 8 x 14’ enclosed run.

Looks like plenty of space.
Was the SS bullied before she went broody?

 

[mldlm]

Looks like plenty of space.
Was the SS bullied before she went broody?

Yes. She sort of stands out in the flock, so I attribute it to that. She is very sweet and that seems to make her more of an easy target. I had another speckled and another black australorp along with them, but they turned out to be roos, so I had to relocate them to a nearby farm…no roos allowed where I live, so then I integrated just the two.

 

[aart]

Yes. She sort of stands out in the flock, so I attribute it to that. She is very sweet and that seems to make her more of an easy target. I had another speckled and another black australorp along with them, but they turned out to be roos, so I had to relocate them to a nearby farm…no roos allowed where I live, so then I integrated just the two.

Well, there's always a low bird...as long as she's not getting pinned down and beat bloody and is able to eat and drink without harassment...let them work it out.

...or move her along, knowing it might not work out.