New chicken scaring off the flock

[ElliottFlock]

Hi BYC, I have owned 3 chooks for about 6 months now. They are free range chooks and were doing very well, laying lots of eggs, etc. until today.

My friend has a large property, and used to have about 50 chickens. However, they had to let them go to make room for another horse. They sent them all to a farm in the country, but one was hiding and they left her behind. We said we'd take her in since she had nowhere else to go.

Problem is, this chicken (her name is Millie) seems to be scaring off the flock. She's quite a small girl, half wynedot and unknown other breed, but she's very fierce. She's challenged the dominant chicken, and now the girls are scared of her. I keep finding them huddled together on the other side of the yard, while Millie wanders alone. Millie seems to be lonely now, and obviously I want them all to get along so there won't be dramas with them sleeping in the coop.

I think this should get better with time, but all the same I don't want my flock separated or outside the coop. Any ideas on how to get them to make friends more quickly? I'm a novice, so I'm no expert on these sorts of situations. Thanks!

 

[Pork Pie]

I'm not sure how you introduced them, but heres a few links that may help on the topic. If you feel that any or a combo of approaches seem appropriate, you can remove her and "start again" and see how she fits in.


https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1015820/reintegration-by-supervised-visits#post_15742910

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/introducing-a-single-hen-to-an-existing-flock


https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/introducing-new-chickens-using-the-see-but-don-t-touch-method

CT

 

[aart]

Curious too how you 'integrated' her.
Might want to crate her for awhile, a 'time out' so to speak.
Wire dog crate in the general area of coop and run.....so she can observe the the chooks, and they her.