Someone started crowing this week....

[drumstick diva]

the red one

 

[jwyles]

White skin and slightly feathered legs. I'd speculate a Marans hen had a tryst with a red rooster of some sort.

I didn't even notice the leg feathering until you pointed it out.

 

[clktex]

White skin and slightly feathered legs. I'd speculate a Marans hen had a tryst with a red rooster of some sort.

Just talked to the breeder. We are exchanging him (confirmed it was the red one this morning). He says he is a black tailed buff throwback Marans not a Wheaten Marans. I must have misremembered.

Thank you all for the help.

 

[clktex]

Update. I may start a new thread since I can't find any recent threads or anything directly on point.

We dropped off Lucy/Luke with the breeder on Sunday and he gave us a new, this time really Wheaten, pullet. She's a sweetie and very docile, doesn't have an issue with us handling her at all.

However, she's only 6 weeks old and probably half (or less than half) the size of the other two. I waited until nearly dark to introduce her, and they wanted no part of her, chasing and pecking her viciously. I then waited until bedtime and added her to the roost. I thought that was going to go okay but by the next morning she was stuffed in the concrete block in the run hiding from the others and had been pecked pretty good.

We got a chicken "play pen" to create a separate area for the older ones and let the new one get used to her new home. However, when we brought them back together again around dusk the pecking renewed in earnest. Once again I tried to keep them separated until bedtime and then introduced her again to the roost. She got pecked off and ultimately spent the night huddled in one of the nest boxes.

Breeder thought maybe she needed another friend her size to even things out but I'm skeptical that adding another bird to a relatively small coop and run (4x8 run with 3x4 coop) would only create more problems.

I'm continuing to try to slowly get them used to each other but I'm really worried this little gal is going to get hurt or worse. Today she got the play pen and I plan on putting the big girls in there tomorrow; I don't really think putting up a fence within the run would be good as the space would be pretty limited; likewise there really aren't many good hiding places for the little one other than the nesting box (in which they could get to her) and the CBS block, and not enough room to create one.

I did put an extra waterer and feeder out so that hopefully they wouldn't have to fight over the main ones.

Suggestions?

 

[BantyChooks]

Update. I may start a new thread since I can't find any recent threads or anything directly on point.

We dropped off Lucy/Luke with the breeder on Sunday and he gave us a new, this time really Wheaten, pullet. She's a sweetie and very docile, doesn't have an issue with us handling her at all.

However, she's only 6 weeks old and probably half (or less than half) the size of the other two. I waited until nearly dark to introduce her, and they wanted no part of her, chasing and pecking her viciously. I then waited until bedtime and added her to the roost. I thought that was going to go okay but by the next morning she was stuffed in the concrete block in the run hiding from the others and had been pecked pretty good.

We got a chicken "play pen" to create a separate area for the older ones and let the new one get used to her new home. However, when we brought them back together again around dusk the pecking renewed in earnest. Once again I tried to keep them separated until bedtime and then introduced her again to the roost. She got pecked off and ultimately spent the night huddled in one of the nest boxes.

Breeder thought maybe she needed another friend her size to even things out but I'm skeptical that adding another bird to a relatively small coop and run (4x8 run with 3x4 coop) would only create more problems.

Suggestions?

Let them see her through a fence for about a week before attempting introductions. Your situation is less than ideal since single birds are hard to introduce anyway, much less young single birds.

You could still fit another bird in at 3sq feet each. Where do you live? If you're in a southern climate just enlarging the run would be fine and you could go ahead and pick up another pullet to be a buddy.

 

[clktex]

I'm in Dallas but expanding the run would be a challenge. The breeder also suggested a water bottle to try to help discourage the pecking/aggression. I've read in another thread that tends to work too.

I went ahead and started a new thread in the appropriate forum. Thanks for the advice!

 

[BantyChooks]

I'm in Dallas but expanding the run would be a challenge. The breeder also suggested a water bottle to try to help discourage the pecking/aggression. I've read in another thread that tends to work too.

I went ahead and started a new thread in the appropriate forum. Thanks for the advice!

Any way you could free range? Birds often accept others more when they're occupied with eating yummy stuff. Plus, the newbie can get away if needed.

 

[clktex]

I'd like to let them range but we have hawks and coyotes so I'd have to do it supervised. The plan is to start letting the larger ones range for a little while before dusk so I can get them back into the coop, but I really can't let them range all day.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

It takes a long time to get an individual accepted into an existing group of young birds. They are worse than adults would be, so expect bit to take some time.

You might want to try to pair it up with one of your more gentle ones first, after keeping it penned separately but within sight of the others.

Do not add it at night anymore, they could kill it.