To Rehome or not? Help please!

[BlindLemonChicken]

The BRs pick on the little ones too? Add more clutter and see how it goes. You need lots of things for the little ones to hide behind.

 

[Janhill]

The BRs pick on the little ones too? Add more clutter and see how it goes. You need lots of things for the little ones to hide behind.

Yes they do. Ok we will put more clutter in there and switch them around and see how that goes.

 

[Janhill]

Thank you all for your help, we really appreciate it - it is invaluable to those of us that are newbies

 

[kattabelly]

I agree that lots more clutter would probably help.

Some chasing and pecking and screaming is totally normal though. The slightly older pullets are more senior and get first dibs on food or a favoured perch or dust bath or whatever, for now. The younger ones will learn to move out of their way and eat or dust bath or whatever when that space is free. 12 and 15 weeks really isn't too much of an age difference, so I'd think there's a good chance they can learn to get along fairly quickly. Seeing feathers everywhere at those ages is totally normal too, unless you know they're being picked by others. Juvenile moults seem to go on forever.

 

[Janhill]

I agree that lots more clutter would probably help.

Some chasing and pecking and screaming is totally normal though. The slightly older pullets are more senior and get first dibs on food or a favoured perch or dust bath or whatever, for now. The younger ones will learn to move out of their way and eat or dust bath or whatever when that space is free. 12 and 15 weeks really isn't too much of an age difference, so I'd think there's a good chance they can learn to get along fairly quickly. Seeing feathers everywhere at those ages is totally normal too, unless you know they're being picked by others. Juvenile moults seem to go on forever.

Well that is encouraging! Thank you so much!

 

[FrostRanger]

RIRs are notorious for being bossy and sometimes they just don't do well with docile breeds. Polish and faverolles are often the targets of bullying due to their temperament and in the case of polishs, their crests. Not that it can't work (it can) but in general it's not best to pair very docile breeds with assertive breeds.

That aside, more clutter is very important and will help a lot. I'd also do see but no touch for another week but you also have to let them sort out the pecking order. It's not pretty but as long as the aggressor isn't being relentless and no one is getting hurt, let them work it out. If it is truly relentless, step in and if they keep being relentless, do see but no touch for a bit longer

 

[kattabelly]

RIRs are notorious for being bossy and sometimes they just don't do well with docile breeds. Polish and faverolles are often the targets of bullying due to their temperament and in the case of polishs, their crests. Not that it can't work (it can) but in general it's not best to pair very docile breeds with assertive breeds.

Remains to be seen how they all get on when they're older but I added a group of four 5-week-old RIR and a couple of others to some 17 & 20 week old chickens including Shetlands (some are quite crested, almost like Polish) a few weeks back and I think having the age difference that way round definitely helped. There's still some screeching and running away when the little ones get too bold but they're all living together quite happily and already spending part of their time in the main group now at 8 weeks old.