Pecking Order, Chicken Time-Out and Adding Two Pullets?

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have four chickens, and I just got two more yesterday ! I am seperating the two new girls from the oldies for a week! When it's time to put the two new girls in with the others at night , do I have to worry about them killing the two new girls in the morning? Will I have to get up before they do and wait to make sure everything will work out? Or will the old girls already be used to the two new ones?

I would start my mingling with supervision from you during the day. Yes they could seriously hurt the new ones without a proper introduction. It might take more than a week, it depends on your birds personalities. Introducing new members takes some time, don't rush it.

 

[aart]

I have four chickens, and I just got two more yesterday ! I am seperating the two new girls from the oldies for a week!

Will I have to get up before they do and wait to make sure everything will work out? Probably a good idea.

Or will the old girls already be used to the two new ones? Not likely after just a week.

Here's some notes I've taken on integration that I found to be very helpful.......
......take what applies or might help and ignore the rest.
See if any of them, or the links provided at the bottom, might offer some tips that will assist you in your situation:

Integration of new chickens into flock.

Consider medical quarantine:
BYC Medical Quarantine Article
Poultry Biosecurity
BYC 'medical quarantine' search

It's about territory and resources(space/food/water). Existing birds will almost always attack new ones.
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. Integrating new birds of equal size works best.

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 blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down, 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 and/or up and away from any bully birds.

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

Another option, if possible, is to put all birds in a new coop and run, this takes the territoriality issues away.

For smaller chicks I used a large wire dog crate right in the coop for the smallers. I removed the crate door and put up a piece of wire fencing over the opening and bent up one corner just enough for the smallers to fit thru but the biggers could not. Feed and water inside the crate for the smallers. Make sure the smallers know how to get in and out of the crate opening before exposing them to the olders. this worked out great for me, by the time the crate was too small for the them to roost in there(about 3 weeks), they had pretty much integrated themselves to the olders. If you have too many smallers to fit in a crate you can partition off part of the coop with a wire wall and make the same openings for smallers escape.

Best example ever of chick respite and doors by azygous https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1069595/introducing-chicks-to-adults#post_16276224


Read up on integration..... BYC advanced search>titles only>integration
This is good place to start reading:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Quarantine first.

http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/agric...ry/quarantine-advice-for-small-poultry-flocks

 

[3Chickenlover3]

Thanks guys! One more question! I am free ranging all my birds (even the two new ones) one of them is being peck but staying relatively close to the others (don't mind the pecking cauz I know that's what they do) but the other one isn't staying close to the old girls (they won't let her close) but the other chicken that's also new , the old birds allow her to stay close ! Is this normal and okay! What should I do!

 

[3Chickenlover3]

One of the old chickens is going out of her way to attack one of the two new birds! Should I take the aggressive old bird away or is this normal as well! Sorry for all of the posts , freaking out this is my first time adding new chickens to an established flock!

 

[DawnKD]

I have four chickens, and I just got two more yesterday ! I am seperating the two new girls from the oldies for a week! When it's time to put the two new girls in with the others at night , do I have to worry about them killing the two new girls in the morning? Will I have to get up before they do and wait to make sure everything will work out? Or will the old girls already be used to the two new ones?

Is the aggressive old hen one that was lower in the pecking order? I'm finding that my lowest-in-rank hen is the one that is most intent on showing my young pullets who's the boss!

 

[3Chickenlover3]

Is the aggressive old hen one that was lower in the pecking order? I'm finding that my lowest-in-rank hen is the one that is most intent on showing my young pullets who's the boss! 

Yes! Yes! Yes!
What do I do? She was the lowest in the rank and now she's being a bully to one of the new girls

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Put the bully in time out for 3 or 4 days.

 

[DawnKD]

Yes! Yes! Yes!
What do I do? She was the lowest in the rank and now she's being a bully to one of the new girls

I've made it so the littles have some place to hide/escape with strategically placed waterers, a step stool, some logs and a semi-open 8ft round dog pen. When the introductions were new this weekend (after a week of see-no-touch), I sat in the run for hours and positioned myself between the new 'bully' and the young one she's most obsessed with. I do a low SSSSSSHHHH (and sometimes stick a foot out so she can't charge for a peck), when I can tell the hen gets that glint in her eye. She's really just trying to show she's more important and should get first dibs. If it gets really bad, you pull the bully, but then she'll be singled out and have to be reintroduced and potentially even lower in the pecking order.

I have to re-introduce my original bully as she's been in a dog crate in the garage for 5 days .... hoping to give my previously-lowest-ranked a little break while also introducing the 12wk chicks. It's gonna get interesting around here in a few days when 3 of my 6 chickens are 'new'!

 

[3Chickenlover3]

Should I put one of the old chickens to roost with the two new ones for the night on the second night the two new ones came?