To Rehome or not? Help please!

[Janhill]

We are new chicken parents and have 14 chickens- 4 that are about 15 weeks old old and the other 10 are about 12 weeks old the first 4 are 2 Barred Rocks and 2 Rhode Island Reds , and the younger ones are 1 polish girl, 1 mottled Houdon, 1 Salmon Faverorelle 2 black Astrolorpes, 2 Buff Orpingtons, 2 Gold Laced Wyandottes and 1 white Rock. We have been trying to integrate them for the past 6 weeks, the younger 10 are together and doing fine but every time we try to put the older girls with them, the older girls attack them. Major hard pecks to the head - it is awful. I am mostly worried about the Polish, Houdan and Faverolle - I am very attached to them - their sisters died in transit or shortly after. The 4 older ones are in the new coop we built and have been for a month. We have a large brooder in the garage that we have been transporting the younger 10 back and fourth to the run daily. The brooder is too small at this point even though they just sleep in there - we have to get them all in the coop. We have had them in the run together with a fence type thing separating them so they have been “together “. Just not touching except when we try to put them all together. When we do that we are out there with spray bottles when the big girls start pecking them. We have never left them alone together. So now we just don’t know what to do. Farmer friends say just put them all together and let them figure it out. I just don’t want the little ones to get hurt. We have thought about rehoming them, but they were our first ones so that is hard. Am I being the overprotective mom? We would appreciate any advice- I have watched so many videos - will the big girls ever accept the little girls? Thank you in advance for your help!

 

[kattabelly]

Photos of your coop and run would really help if you're able to post some. Do you have plenty of clutter in there, so they can be out of sight of the older pullets without getting stuck down a dead end? More than one feeder and waterer, out of sight of each other?

When you say the older pullets are pecking the younger ones when you put them in together, what does that look like exactly - just a few pecks, some pecking and slight chasing, relentless chasing whenever they see a bird or continuing to chase it even after it's out of sight..? Have any of them drawn blood?

 

[sourland]

I would try putting the 10 younger birds in the large coop and the older birds in the smaller coop. After a week or so put one of the older birds back in the larger coop. Once/if things calm down, add another of the older birds (this may take days not hours). Continue the process until all birds have been integrated. Good luck.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Photos of your coop and run would really help if you're able to post some. Do you have plenty of clutter in there, so they can be out of sight of the older pullets without getting stuck down a dead end? More than one feeder and waterer, out of sight of each other?

When you say the older pullets are pecking the younger ones when you put them in together, what does that look like exactly - just a few pecks, some pecking and slight chasing, relentless chasing whenever they see a bird or continuing to chase it even after it's out of sight..? Have any of them drawn blood?

And how long do you leave them together before separating again?

 

[Janhill]

We have a covered run 8x20 attached to a partially covered run 9x20.
There are several food and watering areas - maybe not enough hiding places. One of them has drawn blood on the Polish hen - it looks like possibly picking feathers in the back of a few. We have left them together for about an hour at a time- all the while babysitting them. Some chasing but not relentlessly- they do separate into their own flocks but when the older ones want an area or swing they will peck them hard on the head. It is just very stressful

 

[Janhill]

I would try putting the 10 younger birds in the large coop and the older birds in the smaller coop. After a week or so put one of the older birds back in the larger coop. Once/if things calm down, add another of the older birds (this may take days not hours). Continue the process until all birds have been integrated. Good luck.

We don’t have another coop - just a very large brooder with perches. It doesn’t have a run, it is in the garage so we would still need to transport them back and fourth, but I like the idea of switching them around and adding one at a time. I guess my question is do you think they will integrate eventually or will the bullies always have that tendency to be mean? None of them are laying and they are losing feathers - no mites and no bald spots just feathers everywhere.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

You could definitely use a lot more clutter. I couldn’t keep my RIR with my Favs—they were just too docile and the RIR ended up kicking the last Fav out of the flock. They had plenty of clutter and almost half an acre to free range on but the Fav ended up being eaten by something because she was bullied away from the flock. You might also consider separating the bullies into the smaller coop and leaving the nicer big hens with the littles in the larger area. If all else fails, rehome the bullies.

 

[Janhill]

You could definitely use a lot more clutter. I couldn’t keep my RIR with my Favs—they were just too docile and the RIR ended up kicking the last Fav out of the flock. They had plenty of clutter and almost half an acre to free range on but the Fav ended up being eaten by something because she was bullied away from the flock. You might also consider separating the bullies into the smaller coop and leaving the nicer big hens with the littles in the larger area. If all else fails, rehome the bullies.

I am definitely worried about the fav and the Polish - they will just sit there and take it — they don’t even try to run. Are Barred Rocks as mean as the RIR?

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I’ve never had BRs but my friend had a flock of RIR and BRs (equal numbers of each) and they got along fine.

 

[Janhill]

I’ve never had BRs but my friend had a flock of RIR and BRs (equal numbers of each) and they got along fine.

They get along fine with each other but not with the other girls