oh so painful to watch....

ladybug99

Songster
9 Years
Aug 10, 2010
359
26
124
Monroe New Jersey
well today after work I decided to put my single pullet in with the big girls....they were fine with her at first until she wanted to be friends and then came the pecking, pecking and more pecking... I set up a few places for her to run and hide under and she used them very well... She is a bold little chickie pecking right back at some of the girls. After a few hours the pecking had subsided and she was holding her own. I was very surprised with my very mean rooster.. he paid her no mind at all.. even protected her a few times. I put her back in her cage for the night.. to let her rest up a bit for tomorrow.. I am going to leave her out there all day with the big girls....and maybe even let her sleep with them on the roost.

But I have to admit working out the pecking order is really hard to watch!!! I am sure they will all be fine in the end!!! and she seems to be happy with her own kind.. even if they do peck her on the head once and a while!!
 
Its that exact reason that I always try to introduce them in pairs or a group. I tried it once with a single polish pullet and had to take her and another bird into the house for a few days so they could bond. She spent three days completely isolated from the rest of the flock getting picked on constantly. After they shared a cage for a few days they became friends and all worked out.
 
I had no chioce we had hatched out two but lost one at around 3 weeks and could not find anothr the same age.. she will be fine I am sure.. I think it hurts me more
smile.png
 
I've read that putting the new one in at night when everyone is sleepy works. They wake up in the morning and figure that the new one has been there the whole time.
 
ladybug, I had great success once with an older pullet, I put her in a run alone to heal after she got pecked badly. Then after she healed some i added my RIR roo for a few days. After she was well enough to go back to the big run I put them in there together.Soon I was able to remove the roo all together with no problems with the hens. I truly believe a good roo can help with the pecking order. I have a tiny OEGB in with the big girls now and have had no problems with feather loss from pecking.
 
Ladybug, if they are not drawing blood it really is best to let them work it out. Human interference frequently prolongs the whole process.

Life is hard in the chicken yard, but to them it's just life.
 
I had to introduce and new ONE to the coop last year. I used plastic hardware cloth to make a nifty little apartment/baracade within the coop so they could see her and smell her, but not attack her. I kept her in it at night for about a week and a half, then they were all good.

My sister put two newbies in her coop and one had the crest nearly ripped off and was totally bloody the next morning.

Sounds like you are protecting her and giving her a slow start. That will help a lot!
 
I know she will be just fine after today.. she was out there with the big girls for almost 5 hours by herself last evening....my ladies are really gentle with each other.. I do have a dominate hen and she is the one who is being a little stern, The little one does not understand how to use the ramp at this time... hopefully she will understand it after today.. she kinda looks at it sideways..watches the others go in and out but has not made an attempt to use it yet.

I do agree that sometimes human interferance is the worst in the animal world.. they don't think like we do...
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom