Peckingh order or plain violence?

[looneyrooster]

So i have a hen and a rooster and i thought that id go ahead and buy another hen and that is what i did but when i put it with the hen and rooster they started fighting,the hen tried to run away and the hen and rooster tried to run after it.My rooster has a tendency to just attack new chickens like the first hen but when i put them in a smaller coop from a big one they stopped so i put both the rooster and hen in confinement i the washroom outside in the yard because it isnt used and has enough space for them to be able to walk around but little enough so that they have to live with each other and get along but my worry is whether the other hen will fight with it once i put the hens and rooster all in the same coop or whether the rooster will stop them or if nothing at all will happen and they will just continue life peacefully or whether i then have to put the 2 hens together or whether that will just start fight between the new hen and rooster again so please help with this problem and tell me whether i can just relax with my current plan which is to keep the hen and rooster together for a week and put them together back in the coop or should use a different plan IF and only IF this wont workl.

 

[RedDrgn]

As far as your original two chickens are concerned, the new girl is an invader and an upheaval of their pecking order. Their reaction is perfectly normal and any time you throw new birds in with established ones, aggression is a likely outcome.

You can either let nature take its course and let them be (they'll either work it out or someone will end up dead), or you can actually do what most people do and organize a more gradual introduction (e.g. new bird within sight of the others, but not able to be reached by them, such as in a large crate or fenced off portion of the coop/run....then start letting them free range together for portions of the day) over the course of a few weeks.

A few things to keep in mind, though; make sure you have enough coop/run space for them. A lack of space can lead to angry, irritable birds that will attack each other (even to death). Also, you have very few hens for your roo. A recommended number is 8-10 hens per roo. We're doing fine with 5 hens for our one roo, but they do wear saddles to protect their backs.

 

[looneyrooster]

thanks