Ok BYC Friends, I REALLY need your advice now!!!!!

[FlockO'Sheppards]

I just recently mixed about the same ages of chickens. I put the babies out in the main run and let them come face-to-face through the fencing of the coop/run that the older girls were in. I let the older ones out and immediately the top hens started attacking the younger ones so I got the hose and stood there for about an hour and squirted the attacker as soon as they were lunging. It worked, but I had to revisit the hose about two times a day for three or so days. Now they are intermingled and there are no problems.

It may be too cold for this method where you are at, though.

I find that our BR's are the most aggressive, but they are also the first ones to jump the chicken run and spend most of their day free-ranging away from the chickens that choose to stay enclosed.

 

[DawnSuiter]

mags.. if your worried about them picking before you get up, I'd shut the light off for the next morning.. one day of off light isn't going to set you back much if at all. Then you'll know you'll be up to see them interact in the a.m.

I find that 'disorientation' works best.. remove whoever is really bad about it... then switch it all up. I think you can put them side by side forever and it may not make a difference, so I prefer MYSELF to just put them all together and deal with the aftermath.. but if all but a couple can manage to get along, then you KNOW who the problem really is.

I've seen LOTS of threads where the muffs get picked on by other chickens.. so just keep an eye out for that. THere MAY be picking, pushing, stepping on, chest butting, pushy "get-away" kind of behavior, but until they draw blood it's just part of the experience for them. USUALLY the smaller and or less aggressive chickens, in your case your EEs will just learn to keep their distance from the bigger ones. This is why often we'll put an extra feeder or two in the coop just to be sure that if the "little ones" are being kept or choose to stay in a certain area... then they will have access to food & water too.

Remember, SOME fighting is to be expected.

One time, I removed the aggressor, and another stepped up... removed that one too and another stepped up to take her place. By the 4th removal I decided that it was just better to keep them seperate. How do you think we all end up with so many coops

I just threw 14 or so Black Australorps 3 months old, in a pen with big white 6 month old orps... the BAs out number the whites and so in this way I felt they were evenly matched. And.. it's all ok... certain times the whites are in charge and the BAs love them.. like at night when the BAs had to join the whites on the only perch.. they love & snuggle together then but now the BAs hoard the food... so I throw food at the whites when I feed them and fill the feeder for the BAs. Its not that there WON"T be things you can keep doing to make the transition easier, but they should work it out pretty quickly. And if the other girls are just falling in line behind the lead hen, and they don't have that example anymore, it's just possible they might like your little ones.

I wouldn't worry about the layer feed either really... a chicken has to do what a chicken has to do.. and if it means eat a little more calcium than normal.. so be it.

 

[DawnSuiter]

Quote:
Your welcome!!!

 

[thespinningcottage]

We'll be facing this issue for the first time, probably in a couple of months. We have 6 week olds in a separate enclosure within the same run as 8 month olds. We've talked about a lot of options and one thing I wondered about is to bring just one older chicken over to the younger side for several days, then another, and another, etc. until they're all together. Has anyone ever tried this?

 

[mags2009]

Quote:
Thank you so much for really taking the time to answer this question for me... You put so much thought and detail into it....I am very thankful! I think you might be right. Just put them in at night, and possibly remove the head hen. Let them work it out to a point. If I see blood, intervene, right? I will try.... Thanks again.

 

[DawnSuiter]

yes.. you want to remove the bloody/injured bird ASAP
I think mostly though within a few hours, you'll know if that is going to happen to anyone.
I would remove the lead hen though, if you already know she'll attack, and has before, she's likely just to repeat old behavior. I would IN MY OWN FLOCK want her to be 'knocked down' a few notches and give the other ones a chance to make their own decisions about each other.

Your very welcome.. these transitions can be stressful since we don't understand how chickens really do things naturally. I try to trust them to know what's best.. and even in the closest of families.. not everyone gets along so well.

I think putting them in at night just means they wake up together and maybe it doesn't seem so strange... but I do it in the daytime all the time

 

[DawnSuiter]

Well mags, how is it going?

 

[mstricer]

I'm in the same boat as mags except I have 5 different age groups, 8 month orps and 7 month black jerseys and 15 week old in main coop now. 13 wks in hoop house by main coop so everyone can see them while free ranging and 12 wks in attached garage. It took 15 weekers took along time, till I got tired of it due to our first below 30 night time temps. so I shoved them in after bigs girls and roo were all perched everyone survived next day was bad. but no blood so for the most part I let them find their place and they did have hoop house for a couple days for safety to run into when scared. Took about 2 weeks. The 13 weekers wont have that luxury, working towards winter, Ohio has messed up weather, Its the only place i know of that can go from 75 and sunny to omg its going to what tommorow. So today I might let them free range with others, I have day off and can watch them. good luck mags.

 

[mags2009]

Quote:
Thank you. My husband is just not on the same page as me, I think we need to do this, get it going, but he thinks we should wait another month, when they will be bigger, (17 weeks) By then we will be into winter. Its already winter-like here, 40 today/rain, but we have seen snow already a few times. I will now be off from work until Thursday, and then have Fri, Sat, Sun off too, I think I should just go for it, but DH says wait! The other kicker is that the bigger girls are getting ready to lay I think. They just started to do the "squat" last week. UGH!!!! F-R-U-S-T-R-A-T-I-N-G!!!!!!!!!

 

[mstricer]

I've been trying to get my out, due to the fact of last year I got to orps in febuary and had them in house in basement till they were over 17 weeks, Let me tell you bad plan, the dust was out of control, but it was just to cold i thought this year everyone will be out there. You can also make alittle area in the coop where you can put them to protect them from older birds. I'm using a puppy cage will poo board on top it extends to 6' x 2'. then the younger ones can get aquianted with everyone. I have found that my major underdog of the flock is the meanest to the babies and my jersey roo watchs over (when they are caged) maybe hes just thinking ahhhh new girls.

Oh by the way here in Ohio gorgerous day sunny and 62 yeah for us buckeyes. Lets here ......
GO BUCKS