Nugget is a Terror - Is there Hope?

[charlotteda]

My flock – Lyla 10yrs old & Nugget 2 yrs (LF Lavendar Ameraucana) – and 2 new hens.

After culling one hen due to a crop issue, Gertie started attacking Nugget without cause – Nugget was suffering a severe molt drop (don’t know if that had anything to do with it). But, Gertie was on her constantly.

So, I gave Gertie away, leaving me with Lyla and Nugget. Lyla is 10 and I was afraid of being left with only 1. So I drove a couple of hours and purchased a 1 yr old Copper Maran and 1 yr old White Ameraucana .


Not that friendly both seem calm and non-aggressive. But, the little ameraucana is tiny by comparison to mine(breeder says not a bantam though). After going through an introduction with the new hens in a cage – I let them out some.


If you can believe it – sweet victimized Nugget is being a terror!!! She is chasing the white one without ceasing. The poor thing flew out of the pasture and stuck her head under some debris and lay that shaking. I understand chicken pecking order but I just can stand this.

So now, Nugget is in chicken jail where I may leave her for a couple of weeks before trying again. However, she has attitude – if I flap my hand at her to tell her to get back she bites me! I hate a mean chicken – you don’t bite your mama.


My husband (who admittedly is not a chicken person) says he does not think she is going to change. Whether its her temperament or due to the stress of being attacked previously – he thinks I will have to rehome her – or the white one.

The funniest part is that – all of this effort is because we love Lyla so much and I wanted to have more like her. I’ve found that Lyla’s line came from Cackle Hatchery.

The Lavendar Ameraucana I’ve found locally and a bit smaller and darker than Lyla. Perhaps they are meaner too. I had a cousin who used to have some and she said the hens were okay but the rooster was satan himself.

So dear chicken peeps, I have a 10 yr old Lav Ameraucana that I love, a 1 yr old Maran who I would keep, a 1 yr old white ameraucana who looks like a little bird and Nugget.

My goal – a few sweet chickens that I can pet that lay eggs big enough to eat. I love blue eggs and the muffs and beards of the ameraucana – then Lyla stole our heart.

Suggestions:
Is Nuggets attitude likely to improve after a week or so in jail?
Perhaps I should give up on trying to replicate Lyla?
Try another type of Ameraucana or just order new chicks from cackle?

 

[thecatumbrella]

How long did you try to integrate them with see-no-touch? Some chickens need a long time (ie. several weeks) before you can start allowing them to mingle.

I'd release Nugget from jail and separate the two groups again. Face time is very important, but they should not be able to physically touch each other. Also, Nugget's behavior is exactly what you'd expect. She's the lowest ranking bird and doesn't want to drop even further on the pecking order with the new additions.

Also, I'm sorry to hear you had to cull over sickness. It's so hard to maintain numbers in a small flock, but I wouldn't give up on your 4 yet!

 

[charlotteda]

Thank you. I kinda hate to keep 2 hens in the smaller pen - it was intended for new chicks or broody hens. But, I will give it some serious thought - previously the new hens were in the see and no touch cage for about 5 days.

 

[thecatumbrella]

Thank you. I kinda hate to keep 2 hens in the smaller pen - it was intended for new chicks or broody hens. But, I will give it some serious thought - previously the new hens were in the see and no touch cage for about 5 days.

Can you carve out some space in your chicken run? Or something outside in their free range area? I've used a puppy play pen in the past. You can cover it with bird-safe netting to prevent fly outs. I certainly wouldn't keep them in the coop enclosure all the time, but that's a very nice setup for nighttime integration!

 

[charlotteda]

I might be able to do something in the run. But I’ve used up my coop renovation requests with my husband right now. lol

Can you carve out some space in your chicken run? Or something outside in their free range area? I've used a puppy play pen in the past. You can cover it with bird-safe netting to prevent fly outs. I certainly wouldn't keep them in the coop enclosure all the time, but that's a very nice setup for nighttime integratio

 

[charlotteda]

I might be able to do something in the run. But I’ve used up my coop renovation requests with my husband right now. lol

They’re having some supervised outside play but if Nugget could get over her she would be a jerk.

 

[thecatumbrella]

It will take time. Chickens do not readily accept new chickens, and the two groups will likely never bond. In fact, it would be odd if Nugget WASN'T asserting her place over the new girls. The goal is to get them "over" each other through this kind of introduction. Give it time. Nugget may always give the newbies a whack when they cross paths, but she shouldn't be obsessed and chasing them down.

Stay the course!

 

[Altairsky]

Chickens do not readily accept new chickens, and the two groups will likely never bond.

I had an unusual experience. I started my flock with 2 large fowl elderly hens. Then I got a broken incubator, fixed it, and got some random eggs to try it out. I didn't want to keep those chicks because I wasn't interested in bantams. I sold all the chicks except 2 pullets because they were too far from SoP.
The pullets and the grannies were 2 separate groups. Then one of the young hens (Peach) went broody and she became toxic, and turned aggressive to her sister (Little Hen) .
The 2 grannies opened their group to Little Hen, and now they are a trio. I never expected the 2 old dominant grumps get Little Hen rise from the bottom of the pecking order to the third place rank. Little Hen still thinks she's at the bottom, but the dominants treat her as third out of 13 other chickens.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I can’t tell from your photos how much clutter you have but I would suggest more. They need things to break line of sight so the victim can flee the aggressor. Another option is to free range them a couple hours a day where there is more space to escape. I am working on integrating two roosters right now. I alternate them on range so each rooster gets to spend some time out ranging with the hens. I also alternate which hens the cooped guy is in with. It’s been a week and they have still not officially met. Sometimes they need more time but space and clutter help when you do let them out together. I free range most of the hens all day and my integration with hens is very short (which I don’t recommend everyone do because I have different goals than most “backyard” chicken keepers) because they have LOTS of space. I have very few scuffles because they aren’t forced to commiserate.