YellowRoseFarm
Songster
Hi all!
I have a mixed flock of 9. They're primarily large but docile breeds, including 2 Black Giants, 3 Cochins, 2 Silver Laced Wyandottes, and 2 Easter Eggers. They're still young - around 13/14 weeks. I was brooding 4 Lavender Orpingtons from the straight run bin, which are now 7 weeks old. They've been in their own protected mini-run within the larger run for a week, and there has been zero pecking through the wires. The older girls all went to see the newbies, then completely lost interest and just went about their chicken things.
Unfortunately, of those LOs, I'm confident that 3 are cockerels. I only plan to keep the 1 pullet, but of course, I didn't want to throw her in there all by herself. So, I went ahead and introduced all of them to the larger flock yesterday. I was prepared for the big girls to peck the littles a bit. I WAS WRONG!
One of my LOs, Stormy, has already challenged the head hen (a white Cochin), won staring contests with the Giants, and gave my Black Cochin a taste of her own medicine (she's been a bit of a bully lately, but that's another post). He charges at any chicken that comes near his mini flock and regularly puts another LO cockerel, which is twice his size, in check. The third cockerel is timid, probably because he's still light years behind the others in development.
I was prepared for the older girls to attack the littles, but not vice versa. The bigger girls are avoiding the newbies, huddled in their dust bathing area, probably asking themselves WTF just happened. The littles went back into the brooder for the night and the big girls seemed to settle down.
Do I hold Stormy back from integrating so the pullet has a chance to acclimate? Do I let them continue trying to work it out? What is with this guy?!
I have a mixed flock of 9. They're primarily large but docile breeds, including 2 Black Giants, 3 Cochins, 2 Silver Laced Wyandottes, and 2 Easter Eggers. They're still young - around 13/14 weeks. I was brooding 4 Lavender Orpingtons from the straight run bin, which are now 7 weeks old. They've been in their own protected mini-run within the larger run for a week, and there has been zero pecking through the wires. The older girls all went to see the newbies, then completely lost interest and just went about their chicken things.
Unfortunately, of those LOs, I'm confident that 3 are cockerels. I only plan to keep the 1 pullet, but of course, I didn't want to throw her in there all by herself. So, I went ahead and introduced all of them to the larger flock yesterday. I was prepared for the big girls to peck the littles a bit. I WAS WRONG!
One of my LOs, Stormy, has already challenged the head hen (a white Cochin), won staring contests with the Giants, and gave my Black Cochin a taste of her own medicine (she's been a bit of a bully lately, but that's another post). He charges at any chicken that comes near his mini flock and regularly puts another LO cockerel, which is twice his size, in check. The third cockerel is timid, probably because he's still light years behind the others in development.
I was prepared for the older girls to attack the littles, but not vice versa. The bigger girls are avoiding the newbies, huddled in their dust bathing area, probably asking themselves WTF just happened. The littles went back into the brooder for the night and the big girls seemed to settle down.
Do I hold Stormy back from integrating so the pullet has a chance to acclimate? Do I let them continue trying to work it out? What is with this guy?!
