Old hen attacking new pullets

[Anaf]

My brown shaver hen Coco lost her sister last year and had been showing clear signs of depression ever since. She wouldn't go to sleep at night and kept pacing up and down the ladder. After she finally recovered from an illness (thanks to the help of you guys on a previous thread), I decided to bring her some company. Two weeks ago, I brought home three pullets (a gold-laced wyandotte, a speckled sussex, and a light sussex). The youngest is 11 weeks, and the oldest is 14 weeks. I kept them separated from Coco for a week and last week allowed them to see each other through the chicken wire. In the past few days I have tried to allow them to free range together, under supervision, but it has been a failure. Coco charges after them and tries with excessive force to put their back feathers out. She managed to put a few new feathers out of one of them and I am terrified to let them together again. I have had chickens for a while now and always had the boss hen chasing the new ones for a few days, but I've never experienced one to have such severe determination to attack. Long story short, does anyone know what I can do to get my chook family to happily co-exist??

 

[aart]

Can take longer than a week or so of 'see no touch'.
2-3 weeks is generally recommended.

Here's some tips and link that might help:
Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.

This used to be a better search, new format has reduced it's efficacy, but still:
Read up on integration..... BYC advanced search>titles only>integration
This is good place to start reading, BUT some info is outdated IMO:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock

 

[Lelilamom]

My pullets are separated by a fence from my hens for 16 weeks. They can see eachother but they have separate coop, run, feed and water and my hens can't pick on them. They don't coop, roost together or share food and water until the pullets are nearing time to lay. I let them free range together for short periods of time for 2 to 3 weeks prior to the pullets laying. Then they are put in the same run and coop.

 

[Anaf]

My pullets are separated by a fence from my hens for 16 weeks. They can see eachother but they have separate coop, run, feed and water and my hens can't pick on them. They don't coop, roost together or share food and water until the pullets are nearing time to lay. I let them free range together for short periods of time for 2 to 3 weeks prior to the pullets laying. Then they are put in the same run and coop.

Thanks for the help, I'll have to separate them for a while longer then.

 

[Anaf]

Can take longer than a week or so of 'see no touch'.
2-3 weeks is generally recommended.

Here's some tips and link that might help:
Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.

This used to be a better search, new format has reduced it's efficacy, but still:
Read up on integration..... BYC advanced search>titles only>integration
This is good place to start reading, BUT some info is outdated IMO:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock

Great thank you! I'll keep them separated for a couple more weeks. At the moment, the mesh is big enough for coco to stick her head through and tug at the neck feathers of the pullets.

 

[aart]

At the moment, the mesh is big enough for coco to stick her head through and tug at the neck feathers of the pullets.

Smaller mesh might be a good idea then....if coco is obsessed.