The troublemaker is in jail

[clinkski]

I am in the process of integrating my 4 one year olds with my 3 thirteen week olds. We put the one hen who was causing the most trouble in jail yesterday afternoon. How long should we keep her alone before we put her back? We are leaving on vacation Saturday so I don't have too much time to get them all settled. Any ideas you all may have that would help me will be greatly appreciated!

 

[saladin]

This was a mistake.

Now they have to start the whole pecking order over again. You should have just let them work it out the first time.

Secondly, you integrated the chicks too early. It's best if you wait until they are between 16 adn 20 weeks old: 20 is better.

Third, always have a place the newcomers can run to and hide. Don't take out an older one.

 

[clinkski]

I've read on previous posts to take out the trouble maker so that's what we did. Didn't have a choice about waiting to integrate - the little girls are almost as big as my golden comets and too big for their separate area.

 

[saladin]

The previous post was incorrect.

As I said, now the whole pecking order has to rework itself.

You can separate hens that have been together for 3 or 4 years for say 2 days and when they come back together it will be as if they have never seen one another before (excepting extremely docile breeds: which I know nothing about).

There is always a choice. Size is not the issue. Age is the issue. The hens have developed resistance to microbes in the surroundings. It helps the pullets to be older before they are bombarded with those microbes.

You may not have a problem and I certainly hope you do not. It's just something I would never have done.

 

[SarniaTricia]

Hi
I don't have much experience, but I was successful in an operataion similar to yours.
1. Get branches and create a "run and hide" area of your run/coop.
2. two food and water areas, the big girls will get tired of chasing the littles from one feeder to the other. If your smaller feeder is by the branches, the big girls will likely leave it alone.
3. two roost areas away from each other is good too, but sometimes not possible.

Here is my branches:
The little girls will run and duck and the big girls have to slow down so much they always get away.
Eventually they stopped chasing them and only one has issues with the littles.

The littles resting during the day:

The Big girls:

Soon to take a vacation at freezer camp.

Hope that helps.
Patricia

 

[clinkski]

Love your coop with the branches! Yes, I have 2 feeders & waterers and the little ones have their own perch in the area that had been totally blocked off. 1 of my golden comets is the bully & chases them, the other 2 jmostly just yell at them. My barred rock is a sweetie. My newbies are rhode island reds & getting quite big.

 

[SarniaTricia]

My Barred Rock is my trouble maker.
The kids and I like to call her "Billie pot pie" when she gets a big mouth full of the littles feathers.

I don't know if you can see it from the picture, but:
The branches are arranged so the littles can run under quickly. Either end has escape routes in the event Billie (the Barred Rock) just decides to crash her way through or squat and shuffle under.
The branches are loosly aranged and change every week when I rake out the coop.
The highest branch is the only one screwed in. (can't see it in this picture)

Top branch in this picture:
My little Roo to be likes to sit up here and watch the girls.

Good luck and you will have to let them figure things out for themselves. (just give them places to hide!)
Patricia