Solo rooster: integrating 1 yr pullet & 4 wk chick

[Bibinko]

Hello! I searched but couldn't find anything that matches my situation, so I'm asking here. I'll keep it short in hopes of making it an easy read.

- We had 2 hens and 1 rooster (silkie roo), but recently lost the 2 hens.
- Roo was solo for a couple weeks, but he seemed lonely (as were we).
- We got a 1 yr silkie hen, and a 4 wk Cream Legbar chick, hoping the silkie hen would "mother" the chick
- We are 4 days into the integration
- The silkie hen is very aggressive to the chick (pecks her hard), but the chick wants to be next to her
- She is also aggressive toward the roo right now, but that seems OK for the time being (assuming it will pass)
- The roo seems stressed but shows interest in the hen, and ignores the chick (well, kind of eyeballs her, but doesn't do anything)

Questions:
- Is the silkie hen going to chill out and stop pecking the chick so hard when she feels settled in?
- Should we get a couple more 4 wk chicks to keep the Legbar company while everyone is assimilating? Will that just add to the stress?

Thanks!!

 

[Kiki]

Keep an eye on that chick..
Your hen can kill it.
I personally, would get more chicks (chicken math) for the baby to grow up with and move her away from the big ones for now.

 

[aart]

Did you just toss them all in together or.....???
Agrees that a couple more chicks might be a good idea.
Provided you have space for them all not to be crowded.
Separate but adjacent enclosures are a good idea for integration.

 

[centrarchid]

I would pair chick with rooster for a while placing hen in a different pen. Hen aggression towards rooster indicates he is either immature or sick or possibly the hen is actually a rooster assuming 1 year old is accurate.

 

[Bibinko]

Hi everyone. Thank you so much for the thoughts/advice.

An update for the last week: we've been keeping the rooster separate (fence) for the time being, and dividing the time with the chick in an isolated place and with the hen outside. The hen has chilled out quite a bit, and the chick knows when the hen is about peck (growling, body language, etc.) We still don't want to leave them alone together but they are getting better.

The relationship between the hen and the rooster, though, is an evolving situation. She still acts aggressively toward him, but it's getting better.

We decided not to get more chicks and will actively work to integrate this motley flock...

I'll update this thread as things progress (for the sake of collective "data gathering"...)