My flock has splintered into 2 flock HELP

[willkatdawson]

I have 7 adult chickens 6 hens and the sweetest standard cochin roo. I let one of the broody BO hens to hatch 4 eggs on 3-25-09, 2 boys and 2 girls. All was well. The mother took the chicks out to freerange under my watchful eye because we had a nest of hawks in a tree over the coop. All the adults freerange all day long but, I worried that the hawk would get one of the chick so I would for most of the day put the mother and chicks in the covered run. After about 6 weeks the mother wanted out all day long and the chicks didn't act upset at all, so I let her out from then on with the other hens and roo. The babies eat drink and sleep with the adults but now that they are old enough th freerange with the adults the hens take turns attacking them and mean really grabbing their wings and throwing them around. The roo couldn't be any sweeter to them and they run to him when they can. Their mother finds treats and calls them over then attacks them for coming to her. It's soooo sad. What ends up happening is the 4 babies head off in the other direction and can end up far away from the house( we live on 30 acres) where the dog the watches the adult chickens can no longer see them. Help me bring peace to my family I love each and every chicken and I can't stand these poor little darlings being run off from the flock everytime they try to fit in.

 

[damselfish]

The only idea I can think of is probably a bad one: confine them together and get the fighting over with. They have to work out membership and pecking order somehow.

I'll be here under my chair waiting to see if someone has a less extreme answer.

Good luck!

 

[willkatdawson]

Thanks for the advice. You would think that would work but they are all in an 8x9 coop all night long. I shut the pop door so they don't can't get to the run. You would think that would be plenty of togetherness to work this out. When I come at night to check on them all 3 babies will have stuffed themselves into 1 upper nest box. For about 2 wekks now I have been taking them out of the nest box and placing them on the roost. They stay up there but still on cease fire.

 

[ROC4K]

I too may also be crazy....but my method of integration goes through the stomach. Get a handheld spreader for lawn seed or salt...the kind that you turn the handle and the wheelie spins inside the scoop and spreads the seed even. out on the ground. Start dispersing scratch grains out from this. The little seeds and the spinning sound brings the chickens in but you spread your scratch out better...and space your feeding chickens out evenly. They rarely fight when I feed them with this. I would ad another feeding station if you only have one. I have severl factions spread across the property here but they return to the same camp at sundown...and not a second before....

Time and growth will reorder the peck as well.

 

[willkatdawson]

I don't like having them move off in different directions. I worry about them on their own. At some point soon I need to rehome the 2 cockerels and that means the 2 pullets will be all alone. The chances of something happening to them is great.

 

[Lolliegee]

I'm sorry you're having troubles. One thing I can add, is that if you're going to be removing part of the flock (by rehoming the roos), the pecking order will shift again. I recently had to remove a young pullet and noticed that there was aggression where once there had been none. After 5 weeks (I thinks that's how long it's been) now, things seems to be settling back down, but there are definitely two who have moved to the bottom of the pecking order that I don't think were there before. You may find that removing the two will actually help things rather than hurt them. Hope that helps.

Good luck with your flock!

 

[willkatdawson]

I was wondering the same thing last night. Maybe the older hens are trying to make the cockerels leave before they start amking trouble. Maybe it's natures way.