Pecking order?

[Greenthumb83]

thanks... im trying to do right by them for sure, being new to chickens ( as i have been terrified of birds my whole life ) they seem happy and want to be polite when im in there, the orpingtons haven't really warmed up to me yet, so i just sit and wait and just spend tiem in there with a small amount of scratch or mealworms in my hand.... 1 came close to taking soem from me yesterday , so i think my "time" is helping just being present in there.

Really cool of you to make a home for some of those rescued chickens.

I do think you just being there with them is important. They may never be lap chickens, but having friendly human contact and affection will surely make them happier. They will likely establish their pecking order soon also. Good luck with your new chickens!

 

[mbrown413]

I'm a newbie. I have become addictive chickens. I only wanted 3 to start off with but got more of course. I have a total of 9 right now. 6 of those were a week apart and was raised together. I have them in the coop and got 3 more chicks in the coop but they are in little dog create. My older chickens are 8 weeks and the small chicks are 4 weeks. A couple of the older ones are still pecking at them. I put the baby chicks with them in their on cage hoping they would not do that. Is there something else I may could do so they all will get a long so i don't have to keep them separated.

 

[mommabird724]

I have the same situation. I adopted all four of my silkies from separate places within a week. They have been foraging together for two weeks. Bella (1 yr old) has established herself as alpha, then Willow (2 yrs old) , but Maizy (2 mths old) and Lucy (5 weeks old) are getting chased around when in their coop. There is an enclosed part attached to a covered run so I think there is enough space. Do I rescue the younger ones or just keep a close watch?

 

[ChickChick16]

mine seem to have "sorted it out" for now, feeding time is when most of the pecking happens.... if i am giving a treat or feeding out of my hand.... other than that i think after a full week they have established who belongs where.... i hope!

 

[mommabird724]

Since Bella won't let the two youngsters inside the enclosure and it's going to be on the cooker side tonight I decided to bring the two inside tonight. Are they losing ground by my doing this? Should I have placed a pet carrier in there for cover?

 

[mckngbrd]

I thought I would just hop on this thread.

I have 5 ladies (almost 5 months old) who are soon to be rooster less. As of now, they REALLY seem to follow whatever the roosters do and rely on them for everything....including going to bed (roost)

Is there anything i can do to help them through the transition of losing their leaders??? Giving away the roosters is so hard for us- it would be heartbreaking if the flock started having problems on top of it

THANK SO MUCH!

 

[juliebd]

giving away my rooster was such a non-event for the girls, it actually took away the stress in the flock. When I got home they had already figured everything out.

 

[Mrs. K]

I have had chicks raised by a broody hen in the flock. The flock accepts them, but when the broody hen quits taking care of them, they become a sub flock within in the flock, until they begin to lay eggs. Then the flock will be one flock. So that is perfectly normal behavior. Younger birds are lower in the order until they are old enough to lay. Then the old ones are like, "Oh you are like us!"

Often times in small set ups especially, getting rid of a rooster greatly reduces the tension in the flock. They are a bigger bird, and take a great deal of space.

Mrs K