New addition to the fellowship... not workin

[kbadkins]

Ok .. I guess I just never really believed that it was hard to add a new biddy to the fellowship.
I have 3 Cochins 2 red and 1 white about 12 months old... and I really wanted a black cochin and I recently got a 16 week old girl and she is sooooo precious and actually she is bred from a prize winning Hen and Rooster.. I guess I will have to keep her separate from the gals until she gets bigger and try to get my lowest ranking hen of my older three to befriend her...

anyone have any suggestions or techniques that worked for you??

I currently keep her in a rabbit hutch inside the coop during the day while I am at work and
then they all have yard time when I get home... she doesnt go anywhere near the older gals..
she is petrified...

help..

I guess worst case she will be a sole biddy ... and just be a little more spoiled.. I am also thinking of showing her... we will see...

 

[chookchick]

Don't be impatient. It takes weeks, sometimes months, for the pecking order to be reset and a new chicken to be accepted. Sounds like you have a good situation in that they can free-range. If no blood is being drawn, that is a good thing. Is the rabbit hutch low enough that they can see each other when in the coop? If you have a run, you might want to section part of it off so she has more room, but they can all see each other.

 

[enola]

If you are going to show her, she will probably need to be kept seperate from the other hens anyway.

Chickens are incredibly mean to each other sometimes and when show time comes around, you will definately want her to have all of her feathers. . . . .

 

[kbadkins]

my little one was practically decapitated today and I had to have her culled this evening...
I am soooo depressed..she was in the hutch away from the other girls and somehow the door opened

I feel sooooooo bad....... I was at work all day while she was being torcherde to death...

 

[007Dawn]

She is simply to small yet to be with the girls. Wait until she is of equal size to put them together.

They will without a shadow of a doubt peck her to death if you put them together.

They go for the eyes. I have lost two this way and NO OFFENCE to anyone but I was told to just be patient and watch over her.

After speaking to people and a vet out of state they said wait until she is of equal size so she can take her place in the pecking order.

EDIT: I'm sorry...I haven't had coffee yet and I just read your note. I'm really sorry for your baby!