To keep or not to keep...URGENT QUESTION

[Skooterjenn]

I have 5 hens ( 2 Rhode Island Reds, 2 barred rock, 1 Buff Orphington), and 1 Americauna (?) rooster that are 1 year old. I raised the hens from chicks. The rooster came a few months ago but is the same age.

in order to get my hen to rooster ratio up to the recommended 1:10, i started looking for full grown hens around the same age. (If I would’ve known this from the start I would’ve gotten 10 hens to begin with...hindsight). I got 3 about 10 days ago. 2 ISA Brown, 1 white leghorn with a really big red comb. I put them in a separate pen close enough that they could see each other but far enough away to quarantine them to make sure they weren’t sick. I wormed them and all was good. I let everyone mingle in the yard a few days. The ISA browns were mated almost instantly by the rooster but the white one he just chased around. She ran away frantically. Last night I decided to go ahead and put them in the coop on a new separate roost after it was dark out. In the morning there was some discord but not terrible. The rooster was still trying to get the white one but she would fly up on top of the coop to get away from him. I thought this was just everyone getting the pecking order rearranged. I left to bring my son to school a couple hours later. My husband called me 15 minutes after I left because the rooster attacked the white hen and he thought she was dead. She wasn’t but she had blood all over her head. I cleaned her wound and she is now separated for the night. I feel so sad for her. The two ISA browns are in the main coop but sleeping away from the rest, their choice. Again, I feel so sad for them. They are so sweet. But I read that it can take up to 3 weeks to settle into an established flock.
I believe the rooster thinks the white leghorn is another rooster and thats why he tried to kill her. I do not think she can stay as long as he is here.
so my dilemma is, do I keep the rooster, rehome the white leghorn, and hope the ISA browns integrate well? (I will need 3 more other chickens to get up to the 1:10 so more chickens will need to go through this same process) I can get 3 more chickens as soon as tomorrow if that is what’s best.
or, do I get rid of the rooster and try to keep the white leghorn with the 2 ISA browns she grew up with?
Or should I just rehome the 3 new hens and get rid of the rooster? I’m so conflicted. I really need some good advice and quickly please. The white one can’t stay alone like that for long. It’s so sad.

 

[room onthebroom]

Thats a tough call & one that only you can make. I guess a lot depends on what you want out of your chickens. Are you needing fertile eggs?

I recommend a good, old fashioned pro & con list. It will help you sort out what’s important to you.

In the meantime, you might consider putting the two ISA’s back with the leghorn to keep her company, if she’s not too bloody.

Good luck!

 

[Coops Dad]

First, you only need a rooster if you intend to hatch eggs so that should figure into your equation.
Second, the rooster knows the Leghorn is a hen. The bloody comb almost certainly came from the rooster forcibly mounting her- the comb is a natural "handle" and the rooster uses it to his full advantage. Our Leghorn is also very skittish and resistant to our rooster's seductions; in our flock's experience, though, she's been bred regularly enough for her eggs to hatch every time we've incubated them.

The Leghorn and rooster will eventually reach an understanding and become good flock members.

 

[Emma_Bruffy]

If you want fertile eggs I would definitely keep the boy and rehome her. If fertile eggs aren't a need, then the rooster probably needs to go. Maybe he will settle down after a while but I dont know.

 

[gtaus]

I have 10 hens, no rooster, and the flock gets along well. The only reason I would get a rooster is if I wanted to try to hatch out my own chicks.

Why did you decide to add a rooster to your flock? Seems like it was decision you came to after some thought but you have not told us why. Hope things work out for you in any case.

 

[natyvidal]

It’s true that you don’t need the rooster unless you want to hatch out chicks; but, if you free range your flock roosters also serve to protect his ladies from predators. Also, I don’t know about the breeders, but, I do love to hear the rooster cockadoodle in the morning and thru the Day. Sometimes it just take time for the group to blend together. Also try younger pullets. And after quarantine allow them to be in same area while growing to laying age. For me it seems to work better when integrating new member to flock.

 

[Chicalina]

This 1:10 ratio is not an actual law. I think you've fixated on this too much. I have 1:5 at present and no problems at all. No overmating and all are happy. I had 2:6 a little while ago and all was fine then too.

 

[Ribh]

When integrating I have always found slower is always better. My last few times I got very young pullets, including bantams who needed to be separate until they were large enough to manage the big coop, & they were in a smaller coop where they could be seen but not touched for a month before I let everyone mingle in the run but it was another month before I put anyone in the main coop. When I did I had no issues @ all. It was a super smooth integration. I don't have a rooster though. Only you know why you have one.

Personally I would ditch the rooster. The BRs & RIRs are fairly dominant breeds & I would expect your lead hen to step up & take on rooster duties if needed. I agree with @room onthebroom & would put the ISAs back with the Leghorn. She will do better with company until you decide what you want to do.

 

[aart]

I put them in a separate pen close enough that they could see each other but far enough away to quarantine them to make sure they weren’t sick.

That's not really quarantine.



Consider biological/medical quarantine:
BYC Medical Quarantine Article

Here's some tips about.....
Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.
Good ideas for hiding places:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

 

[Acre4Me]

Keep your original flock of hens/rooster. Keep the 2 that are integrating well. The white leghorn can either go or stay. But, if she stays, then you should integrate her a little differently if possible.

1. She can have her own cage in the run with her own food, water. If a moveable cafe, put her in coop at night in the cage. Allow her to mingle (out of the cage) daily during low stress times- in my flock this is late morning (they have all eaten/drank and Randy rooster has done his duties) through early afternoon. After about 4pm in my flock, the rooster starts to get more attentive in various ways snd they begin to eat again in prep for roosting time, so I see pecking order issues/hierarchy at this time too.

2. You can pen her with one of the established hens and allow them to be friends. Once friends, introduce them both to the flock.

3. Get 3 more hens, along with white Leghorn, and allow them to quarantine together and become friends. Introduce as a group.

4. Get rid of her, and start again with a set of 4 pullets.

definitely add things to allow them to get away, as @aart indicated, irregardless of what you do. We had a batch of chicks that we allowed to integrate via fenced off area, then a safe area only they could access easily while also mingling with the flock. Some of the older pullets would not stop harassing the chicks (age 6+ weeks) so we added roost bars between as many of the roof supports as made sense. This really helped a lot! This year, the chick integration was nearly seamless-little pecking order issues, hardly any harassment and mostly just short reprimands from older flock members, but the extra outdoor roosts were in place as soon as integration occurred.