Rehoming chickens

[Nicci0110]

I have 6 rhode island red chickens. 3 are mixed with something else. They are 18 weeks. They have been bullying my smaller chicks and I have been working on integration for a month now. Everything had calmed down. Yesterday one of my 8 week Olds was scalped. She's doing ok. I'm considering rehoming all of the rir to a farmer across the road. I want to keep one of the them and the rooster. She is lowest in pecking order. Do you think she can adjust and calm down with them since she will be highest in pecking order? I'm torn up about this and have worried myself sick but I cannot think of a better situation for my others to prevent more injuries and the older ones would have an excellent home. But what do you think about keeping the one? I have tried look don't touch, extended my run, and separated food and water. Everytime I think its calming down something bad happens. Also they feee range all day everyday from 9am to 7 at night.im not close the ones I am wanting to rehome but feel so guilty. I'm all they've ever known.

 

[FunClucks]

Do what you'd like to do. If you keep one hen and the rooster, you can always rehome them too at a later date if things don't work out.

I put my lowest pecking order hen in with my 8 wk pullets, and she loved lording it over them. There are 8 pullets, so she had plenty of folks to chase. Half of the pullets would draw her off while the other half ate the food/water/grit, etc. Also, I have 150 sq ft covered run, with some run clutter, and places the pullets can escape to, where it's hard for head hen to chase. After a month or so, everyone calmed down. There are still pecking order squabbles, but no one gets hurt.

How long have you done look no touch for? I needed up to a month sometimes, and still lots of clutter for younger ones to hide around/under during integration after they got out of the dog crate.

How many birds do you have total, in what size of run (and coop)? I've found mine need a total of 15 sq feet in the coop+run to be calm enough not to pick at each other.

I have a few ISA brown bullies myself, and can't wait until I get a few more layers so I can rehome them. It's all about peace in the flock, and isn't always easy to figure out. Have you tried pinless peepers? Those helped us, but my head bully hen wouldn't keep hers on. I'm going to try those again after I rehome her.

 

[Nicci0110]

I currently have 13 total. 12 hens one rooster. I did the no touch for 2 weeks. Then moved on and they all free ranged. They stayed in separate flocks but after a bit of this, the big ones laid off and stopped chasing. Sunday we extended their run and forced them to be together in it. No issues at all. We supervised and thought we were golden. I was still not ready for the littles to coop with them but run time I assumed would work. My littles still come inside my house to sleep for now. I junked up the run but I'm told it wasn't enough junk. I cannot remember my run size but ill attach a picture. It was too small so we extended it and now they have plenty of room. I have to go out of town of the memorial day weekend and need everyone co existing by then. My rooster has actually been well behaved.

Do what you'd like to do. If you keep one hen and the rooster, you can always rehome them too at a later date if things don't work out.

I put my lowest pecking order hen in with my 8 wk pullets, and she loved lording it over them. There are 8 pullets, so she had plenty of folks to chase. Half of the pullets would draw her off while the other half ate the food/water/grit, etc. Also, I have 150 sq ft covered run, with some run clutter, and places the pullets can escape to, where it's hard for head hen to chase. After a month or so, everyone calmed down. There are still pecking order squabbles, but no one gets hurt.

How long have you done look no touch for? I needed up to a month sometimes, and still lots of clutter for younger ones to hide around/under during integration after they got out of the dog crate.

How many birds do you have total, in what size of run (and coop)? I've found mine need a total of 15 sq feet in the coop+run to be calm enough not to pick at each other.

I have a few ISA brown bullies myself, and can't wait until I get a few more layers so I can rehome them. It's all about peace in the flock, and isn't always easy to figure out. Have you tried pinless peepers? Those helped us, but my head bully hen wouldn't keep hers on. I'm going to try those again after I rehome her.

 

[Nicci0110]

Do what you'd like to do. If you keep one hen and the rooster, you can always rehome them too at a later date if things don't work out.

I put my lowest pecking order hen in with my 8 wk pullets, and she loved lording it over them. There are 8 pullets, so she had plenty of folks to chase. Half of the pullets would draw her off while the other half ate the food/water/grit, etc. Also, I have 150 sq ft covered run, with some run clutter, and places the pullets can escape to, where it's hard for head hen to chase. After a month or so, everyone calmed down. There are still pecking order squabbles, but no one gets hurt.

How long have you done look no touch for? I needed up to a month sometimes, and still lots of clutter for younger ones to hide around/under during integration after they got out of the dog crate.

How many birds do you have total, in what size of run (and coop)? I've found mine need a total of 15 sq feet in the coop+run to be calm enough not to pick at each other.

I have a few ISA brown bullies myself, and can't wait until I get a few more layers so I can rehome them. It's all about peace in the flock, and isn't always easy to figure out. Have you tried pinless peepers? Those helped us, but my head bully hen wouldn't keep hers on. I'm going to try those again after I rehome her.

I have 7 littles and 5 big ones. The littles are orpington, barred rock, red sex link, Easter egger, and white leghorn. All extremely sweet compared to the RIR. They scalped the weakest yesterday. The orpington and I may kill them myself if they get my Easter egger or leghorn.

 

[Ridgerunner]

When and where did the scalping take place? While they were free ranging or when they were enclosed in a smaller space? With mine, the different ages groups tend to form separate sub-flocks until they all reach maturity. That's usually about the time the younger start to lay. If the younger invade the personal space of the older, the older often peck at them. It usually doesn't take the younger long to learn to avoid the older.

I'm not sure what is going on. It is possible one of your older ones is a brute and a bully that goes on a search and destroy mission but since they coexisted for a while that is less likely. My guess is that the scalped chick got caught where it could not run away, maybe trapped in a corner or against a fence. When that happens the older one doesn't know the younger one is trying to get away so it keeps attacking.

Can you identify the bully? I'll mention that I had a two-week-old chick kill its sibling by pecking it on the head. I could see a predator scalping the chick and the chick still getting away, especially it the rooster reacted. Say a hawk or crow attack. Still, it is most likely one of the older birds.

If you can identify the bully you can isolate her from the flock for several days before letting her back with them. That often messes up their spot in the pecking order so they have to sort that out instead of attacking the chick. I would keep that injured chick separated until it heals, the others sometimes will peck at a wound and kill the chicken. I have had success changing behaviors by isolating a chicken.

Other than that I don't have any suggestions. As far as I'm concerned you are doing everything right, including letting the young sleep elsewhere. Until it repeats I'd consider it more of an accident than an all out war. You probably can't tell where the scalping took placed, if the chick got trapped and could not get away. It's just hard to know what really happened.

 

[Nicci0110]

We didn't witness it but they were all locked in their run. My husband also thinks the baby got cornered and the big hens pecked and possibly the littles ones picked and made it worse but she has no skin at all and it happened in a matter of an hour because he was checking in on them often. The run door opens at 9 am and they were all out free ranging like nothing happened including the scalped one. Crazy how resilient they are. I am not sure who did it. I have a few guesses but not really sure. I feel bad separating the older one from her flock but I'm struggling with giving her up. Is that being selfish? Should I let her go too? I really do not want to and thought about separating the rooster for a bit and letting the littles in the run with the one big girl.

When and where did the scalping take place? While they were free ranging or when they were enclosed in a smaller space? With mine, the different ages groups tend to form separate sub-flocks until they all reach maturity. That's usually about the time the younger start to lay. If the younger invade the personal space of the older, the older often peck at them. It usually doesn't take the younger long to learn to avoid the older.

I'm not sure what is going on. It is possible one of your older ones is a brute and a bully that goes on a search and destroy mission but since they coexisted for a while that is less likely. My guess is that the scalped chick got caught where it could not run away, maybe trapped in a corner or against a fence. When that happens the older one doesn't know the younger one is trying to get away so it keeps attacking.

Can you identify the bully? I'll mention that I had a two-week-old chick kill its sibling by pecking it on the head. I could see a predator scalping the chick and the chick still getting away, especially it the rooster reacted. Say a hawk or crow attack. Still, it is most likely one of the older birds.

If you can identify the bully you can isolate her from the flock for several days before letting her back with them. That often messes up their spot in the pecking order so they have to sort that out instead of attacking the chick. I would keep that injured chick separated until it heals, the others sometimes will peck at a wound and kill the chicken. I have had success changing behaviors by isolating a chicken.

Other than that I don't have any suggestions. As far as I'm concerned you are doing everything right, including letting the young sleep elsewhere. Until it repeats I'd consider it more of an accident than an all out war. You probably can't tell where the scalping took placed, if the chick got trapped and could not get away. It's just hard to know what really happened.

 

[Nicci0110]

When and where did the scalping take place? While they were free ranging or when they were enclosed in a smaller space? With mine, the different ages groups tend to form separate sub-flocks until they all reach maturity. That's usually about the time the younger start to lay. If the younger invade the personal space of the older, the older often peck at them. It usually doesn't take the younger long to learn to avoid the older.

I'm not sure what is going on. It is possible one of your older ones is a brute and a bully that goes on a search and destroy mission but since they coexisted for a while that is less likely. My guess is that the scalped chick got caught where it could not run away, maybe trapped in a corner or against a fence. When that happens the older one doesn't know the younger one is trying to get away so it keeps attacking.

Can you identify the bully? I'll mention that I had a two-week-old chick kill its sibling by pecking it on the head. I could see a predator scalping the chick and the chick still getting away, especially it the rooster reacted. Say a hawk or crow attack. Still, it is most likely one of the older birds.

If you can identify the bully you can isolate her from the flock for several days before letting her back with them. That often messes up their spot in the pecking order so they have to sort that out instead of attacking the chick. I would keep that injured chick separated until it heals, the others sometimes will peck at a wound and kill the chicken. I have had success changing behaviors by isolating a chicken.

Other than that I don't have any suggestions. As far as I'm concerned you are doing everything right, including letting the young sleep elsewhere. Until it repeats I'd consider it more of an accident than an all out war. You probably can't tell where the scalping took placed, if the chick got trapped and could not get away. It's just hard to know what really happened.

We thought we had it going in the right direction as we were down to minor regular pecking here and there and nothing mean.

 

[Tonyroo]

When problems occur inter mixing 2 different flocks. Dividing the coop with a wall/partition or having a 2nd coop helps a lot.

 

[Nicci0110]

When problems occur inter mixing 2 different flocks. Dividing the coop with a wall/partition or having a 2nd coop helps a lot.

My Husband offered to do this but I really just hate the thought of anymore being hurt by another chicken. All of my little ones are so much more docile and sweet than these first ones I got. I think I had no idea they were mean until having other breeds. The older ones are very stand offish all but one and the rooster. I still feel so guilty at the thought of sending them away and cannot seem to make my mind up.

 

[FunClucks]

I currently have 13 total. 12 hens one rooster. I did the no touch for 2 weeks. Then moved on and they all free ranged. They stayed in separate flocks but after a bit of this, the big ones laid off and stopped chasing. Sunday we extended their run and forced them to be together in it. No issues at all. We supervised and thought we were golden. I was still not ready for the littles to coop with them but run time I assumed would work. My littles still come inside my house to sleep for now.View attachment 3498758 I junked up the run but I'm told it wasn't enough junk. I cannot remember my run size but ill attach a picture. It was too small so we extended it and now they have plenty of room. I have to go out of town of the memorial day weekend and need everyone co existing by then. My rooster has actually been well behaved.

You need some stuff to break up the line of sight. You (chickens) can see all around the run by standing in one spot. Need to make that not possible. The littles will be able to hide and run away better if they can run around things or under things that break up the line of sight. But no dead ends. So like an ally. A couple pallets leaned up against the walls of the run with old feedbags zip tied across the flat surface so they can't see through the pallet. Or old garden gates or something, with old feedbags zip tied to block the line of sight through the gate. Old boards/plywood, leaned against the walls, so it's like a tunnel, with free access on both ends.

ETA: this will help the littles "hide" and not offend the bigger ones with their presence

Also add another feeder and waterer station (I only see one set in the run). That way the big chickens can't prevent the littles from getting fed/watered, and if you can break the line of sight between the two sets of feeders/waterers, and put them on basically opposite ends of the run, that would be perfect.