Want to integrate...

[my8girls]

So my 8 girls quickly turned into 6. One was eaten by a predator before I picked them up from the previous owner, and another was being dangerously bullied by the others, so I found her a happier home with a calmer flock. We built the coop for 8, and I'm trying to convince my husband that I was robbed, and I need 2 more! I have two Australorps and four Rhode Island Reds. Based on how they treated the poor bullied one, they can be, well, bullies. I would like a different breed, but I want to keep the peace as well as possible. What breeds would "hold their own" with my girls? Or does it make a difference? I'm looking at Jersey Giants, or Cochins. I don't want anything overly aggressive, but not so passive that my others will have a new target to chase around.

 

[chooks4life]

So my 8 girls quickly turned into 6. One was eaten by a predator before I picked them up from the previous owner, and another was being dangerously bullied by the others, so I found her a happier home with a calmer flock. We built the coop for 8, and I'm trying to convince my husband that I was robbed, and I need 2 more! I have two Australorps and four Rhode Island Reds. Based on how they treated the poor bullied one, they can be, well, bullies. I would like a different breed, but I want to keep the peace as well as possible. What breeds would "hold their own" with my girls? Or does it make a difference? I'm looking at Jersey Giants, or Cochins. I don't want anything overly aggressive, but not so passive that my others will have a new target to chase around.

I probably wouldn't get either JGs or Cochins, both of those are more commonly bullied than not.

If you want a flock that holds the peace, you have to get rid of bullies, not their victims. All the bullies will ever do is make more victims. Victims don't make more bullies though. Since they are clearly bullies, you know what you can expect if ever a chook is sick or hurt. I detest such animals to be honest, they make the lives of every animal around them pointlessly stressful. It's a very heritable trait and if you breed them you know what you're going to get.

I'd get more of their own sorts, probably, from the same hatcheries and at least at the same ages, not younger, to avoid excessive bullying. Even then you can expect problems; that's what bullies make.

Individual chickens have individual characters, so you can't guarantee you get a nice or nasty bird just from breed reviews alone; a heck of a lot depends on the breeder responsible for selecting the last few generations of ancestors of that chook, as well as the environment the chook was raised in; but there are semi-reliable generalizations, which you can use as guidelines, but you're probably better off watching how the hopeful new chooks interact with their current flocks before buying them. Even then that's no guarantee.

Best wishes.

 

[my8girls]

I was afraid of that.

Unfortunately it was all 6 of them ganging up on that one poor Orpington, and now that she's gone, they all get along well. (She went to a friend of mine, and is doing so much better!) Maybe I'm better off leaving well enough alone, since they're all happy. Getting rid of the bully would be the whole flock! Thanks for your advice.

 

[chooks4life]

You may be able to find a hen or a few hens who fit in, but yes, it's quite risky... But, best wishes with your lot.

 

[nayeli]

So my 8 girls quickly turned into 6. One was eaten by a predator before I picked them up from the previous owner, and another was being dangerously bullied by the others, so I found her a happier home with a calmer flock. We built the coop for 8, and I'm trying to convince my husband that I was robbed, and I need 2 more! I have two Australorps and four Rhode Island Reds. Based on how they treated the poor bullied one, they can be, well, bullies. I would like a different breed, but I want to keep the peace as well as possible. What breeds would "hold their own" with my girls? Or does it make a difference? I'm looking at Jersey Giants, or Cochins. I don't want anything overly aggressive, but not so passive that my others will have a new target to chase around.

Do your girls free range or no? Honestly I'm a huge fan of chicken tractors! I have one right now that I have two silkies in and will add our new hamburg too after quarantine! Silkies are docile and don't really fight much though.

I also want some silver sebrights (beautiful birds) and if I get them I plan on us building another tractor. 1 for room for the birds and 2 because I don't want to intermingle them and risk them picking on my silkies! I might occassionally throw my roo in with them (he should be able to handle his own and I'll supervise) but I don't plan on them living in harmony in the same tractor because I've heard they won't!

If your birds are bullies and you want more than I would consider a chicken tractor to seperate your birds into two flocks!