Please help!! Pecking order

[kennedy_humphrey_kennedy]

I cant tell of this is excessive when establishing the pecking order, it’s been the one hen attacking the other very aggressively for the vast majority. She won’t let her into the coop as well. They are similar in size but the one hen just keeps attacking her even though she’s clearly stronger. This is the amount of space they have right now. I also let them out to free range frequently but haven’t today due to the new hens.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

How many birds do you have? How long have they been together?

What are the dimensions of your coop and run?

I'm afraid that your setup looks very small and that the subordinate hen has nowhere to go to show appropriate submission to her flock leader.

 

[Miss Cheep]

If the hen that is getting attacked is new, then its normal. I had some ducks do this for a couple of days, and then they were just fine together. If it doesn't stop after a couple of days then you could separate the one that is getting attacked until the attacker loses interest in her.

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

My chickens that i had got March of 2021. Started fighting about october out of nowhere. The two that were fighting i ended up getting rid of. They wouldnt stop fighting.

 

[rosemarythyme]

This may have started as a pecking order issue but if the dominant bird is not allowing the other to go into the coop, or preventing them from eating or drinking, it's a problem.

When they were free ranging did you have issues?

Can you fence off a larger area for them to use during the day? Doesn't have to be anything fancy if you're not concerned about predators, just something to keep them in an area.

I'm afraid that your setup looks very small and that the subordinate hen has nowhere to go to show appropriate submission to her flock leader.

Just to add to that, on average a submissive hen needs to get about 5-6' away from a bully/dominant bird to no longer be in their personal space.

 

[kennedy_humphrey_kennedy]

Welcome to BYC.

How many birds do you have? How long have they been together?

What are the dimensions of your coop and run?

I'm afraid that your setup looks very small and that the subordinate hen has nowhere to go to show appropriate submission to her flock leader.

There are 6 chickens that have been a flock for quite some time and we added 3 more and today was the first day of them being together. Also the hen that was attacking isn’t the flock leader which is why I am even more confused. The run is about 8x5

 

[rosemarythyme]

There are 6 chickens that have been a flock for quite some time and we added 3 more and today was the first day of them being together. Also the hen that was attacking isn’t the flock leader which is why I am even more confused. The run is about 8x5

How long did you let the old ones see the new ones before letting them meet?

Your run is way too small for that number of birds. At minimum, for a well integrated flock, you'd want closer to 90 sq ft and you're at 40. Integration takes more space because birds need to be able to get away from each other, plus extra space is needed for adding clutter to provide hiding spots and distractions to help reduce pecking issues.

 

[Iluveggers]

There are 6 chickens that have been a flock for quite some time and we added 3 more and today was the first day of them being together. Also the hen that was attacking isn’t the flock leader which is why I am even more confused. The run is about 8x5

Your hen that is attacking is trying to keep the new hens above her because she is low and wants to make sure she is above them. The flock leader is probably secure enough already.
You could:
Give them more space in a closed out area as someone suggested
Sit with them for a few hours during the day to let them mingle in your presence and prevent problems of blood is drawn
Let them sleep in a different place at night and integrate during the day only
Take out the old hens and pen them during the day, giving the new girls a chance to explore without being bothered, and adding one of the old hens at a time to monitor for problems
Most posters integrate with see/no touch for a few weeks before letting new birds mingle with old birds. I think that integrating in a small area is much more difficult.

 

[3KillerBs]

There are 6 chickens that have been a flock for quite some time and we added 3 more and today was the first day of them being together. Also the hen that was attacking isn’t the flock leader which is why I am even more confused. The run is about 8x5

Here are some useful articles on integration:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/introducing-new-chickens-using-the-“see-but-don’t-touch”-method.67839/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/adding-to-your-flock.47756/

I agree that your space is too small.

8x6 is only 40 square feet -- enough run for 4 chickens. Your original flock was probably OK because they'd been raised together but integration takes extra space above and beyond the 4 square feet in the coop and 10 square feet in the run.

Can you add to the size of the enclosure? You're going to want at least 90 square feet for 9 birds.

Also, it will be helpful to add "clutter" to the run so that chickens have a place to get out of sight of each other. Here's a helpful thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

It's often the low hen in the pecking order who bullies newcomers in hope of not being low hen anymore.

 

[McChooky]

There are 6 chickens that have been a flock for quite some time and we added 3 more and today was the first day of them being together. Also the hen that was attacking isn’t the flock leader which is why I am even more confused. The run is about 8x5

This coop is too small and explains why they started fighting when they got older.Adding more hens was a mistake.