New Mom! Multiple Questions...Please help!

[andrinaden]

HI from SW FL and thanks in advance to anyone willing to help us out.

First some background info....

I have raised one mixed flock of six hens and one Roo. They are currently about 7 months old.

It's been so great, that we decided to add a few to the flock.

A month ago we bought 2 baby chicks from a local guy ( One Americuana and one Buff Orpington). Once they reached 4 weeks, I put them in a rabbit style cage out in the yard for others to get acquainted. The day of the eclipse I came home to find my Buff dead. No marks, missing feathers, or blood. The Americuana was super rambunctious from day one and was much larger. ( Maybe a week older?). I believe she trampled her and killed her.

We have heard you shouldn't introduce just one bird to the flock so I went back and got another Americauana about the same age. She is smaller though, and the other chick immediately attacked her. I moved her to a small dog crate on my back porch, and left the other bird in the cage in the yard.

We have been letting the chick free range with the others for over a week now and although the others NEVER interact with her, they tolerate her. We tried putting her in the coop after dark and the Roo went crazy on her and we had to remove her.

Now for the Questions:

In all of this, all but one of my hens has completely stopped laying for 2 weeks now. ( Sad face). Is this related, or just the time of year when they stop for awhile?

We plan on keeping her separate at night and building a larger coop and moving them all in there when they are the same size. I realize this all takes time. Sound like a good plan? I'm too nervous at this point to put the 2 new chicks together.

The newest chick is truly a different, amazing bird. From the first moment, I noticed she was unique. Her personlaity is super calm, sweet, and friendly. I hold her daily, and she has literally taken a nap in my arms. She sits on my shoulder and snuggles with me making sweet noises. I have NEVER, and probably will NEVER find another like her. If anything happened to her I would not be OK.

This being said...weird poop today.


Does it look like just intestinal lining? Should I worm her?

Integrating new birds is so much harder than I expected. I love this site and am on daily seeking advice.
Thanks to all and sorry for the log read.

 

[azygous]

Does the rabbit cage have screening that a chick's head would fit through? If the answer is yes, the chick was likely brained by either one of the large chickens or a passing predator as it stuck its head through the mesh. It's not at all likely the other chick killed it, even though it's coincidental. Look carefully at the top of the head or around the neck area and you may find a wound.

You now face integration issues. You have two of them. The first on the list should be to integrate the two chicks so they will tolerate one another. You need to give them more space than just a rabbit cage. Allow them to work out their social relationship with space to run away and also some place to hop up to to be above the aggressive one. When they're getting along peacefully, then go to the second phase which is integrating into the flock

When integrating new chickens, I like to set up a safe pen withing the run. this keeps the newcomers safe while everyone becomes acquainted. Chickens will observe all of the personalities and temperaments of the other chickens during their confinement, so when allowed to mingle after this get-to-know-each-other period, they will then know whom they need to avoid and which ones they can relax around.

When you let them mingle, free ranging is a good way to do it since they'll have plenty of space. If you do it in a run, have more than one feeding and watering station and places to fly up to to avoid aggressors. They will all work out their social standing eventually, but keep an eye out for a bully that may be intent on serious harm, though this is rare.

Is that chick an EE? Mine are all super tame and people friendly, too.

 

[andrinaden]

Thank you for this.

 

[rebrascora]

I agree with azygous that integrating the two chicks is the important first step. I would add to that, in that it needs to be done in neutral territory, or the new chick's home territory to give it the advantage. I would also do this initial integration of the chicks away from the main flock, so that it is in the interests of both chicks to get along as there are no other chickens about. Plenty of space to get sight or reach of each other is important and probably 2 feed and water stations, but neutral or home ground for the newer chick should make a big difference as the Americauna will be less territorial.
Once the two of them are palled up, then go back to the see but not touch introduction to the main flock for a couple of weeks and then as suggested integration during free range time, so that there are more interesting things to do than chase chicks.

Any change in environment can cause chickens to stop laying, so it may be the new chick, the weather or any other number of factors.

That looks like shed intestinal lining to me. Bloody poop is usually blood red whereas intestinal lining is a pinky brown flesh colour. I would not worm as I find it normal for this to occur around the 7-9 weeks age range.

Good luck.

Barbara

 

[andrinaden]

Barbara,

Thank you for taking the time to give me advice. I appreciate it!