What Should I Do?

[featheredraptors]

So a little back story! We have always wanted chickens and are currently renting about three acres so we finally have the space to do it! So when I saw an post on fb where someone was needing someone to take a silkie baby with crossbeak, I went ahead and said that we could take it so that it could get the most undivided attention that it could! She threw in two other chicks to go with it so that it would have company as they grew, which was great. Long story short, we lost the little silkie to reasons unknown....one day she was eating and living just fine and the next, no more little silkie. I don't know what happened. We still had the other two though and they were just fine. Once they were big enough, we moved them to a pen outside so that they could enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. We would let them out occasionally throughout the day sometimes when we were outside. One of these times, we made the mistake of going inside to get drinks and by the time we made it back out (it was literally only a couple of minutes), a hawk had grabbed one of them. So we have only had the one for a while. We knew that she needed other chickens and we started looking and have been looking since.

Yesterday, we found chickens that were close enough to consider traveling to. We went to see them and like them, so we purchased them. They are an already established group of Bearded Belgian d'Uccle mille fluer. One rooster and four hens. The cream leghorn that we already have is a hen. We brought them home and gave them the rest of the day and the night to relax and get to know the yard a little. We have them in a pen as of right now.

Now, fully acknowledging the fact that we should give these guys at least thirty days to quarantine (after reading some posts on this forum this morning), I will admit that I didn't think about this fact and we went ahead EARLIER this morning (before I read that they should be quarantined) and tried to introduce our hen to them. She has been the only chicken with full run of the yard for months, please keep in mind. She sleeps on our porch and still asks to come in from time to time. She will not peck us or scratch us or harm us in any way because, to her, we are her flock. Even when she got broody the other week (which was dealt with quickly), she still never once went to harm us. We picked her up and petted her and everything. All she did was make a sound and charge the cats and dogs (Lol.)

Getting back on track here....so we did go ahead and introduce her this morning and we expected that a pecking order had to be established....what we didn't expect was that she would go into full fight mode with the little rooster.

So my question is....what should we do? We separated them because we were worried and wasn't sure. Should we let them have it out? Are there other things that we could try to avoid any fighting??? These are the first chickens she's been around since we lost the other two. She is about...seven months old. I am not sure how old the others are, but they are mature and fully grown.

 

[azygous]

You are experiencing the pecking order in action. It can involve an impressive conflict every so often, but most of the time, the pecking order quietly shifts and we aren't aware it's happening. So when it involves conflict, it can seem out of the ordinary and shocks us.

It's also impossible to know who started it as it's not the same as bullying. When two chickens that are meeting for the first time get into a fight, it will usually be because the new chicken has decided to challenge the existing order, and your original Silkie is defending her rank as head of the flock, even though she's the sole member.

In other words, it's normal. Expect a bit of conflict as the new chickens settle in and the original chicken either convinces the others she's still top hen or surrenders her rank. It usually resolves itself, but if the fighting continues, you may need to deal with removing one of the battling chickens from the mix due to irreconcilable differences.

 

[featheredraptors]

The hen we have now is a standard sized hen and she went to fight the rooster of the D'Ulcce bunch when we introduced them. We let them go at it for a minute or so and when they weren't stopping, we went ahead and scooped her up. So should we just let them fight for a bit longer as long as they arent seriously hurting each other and let them figure it out themselves?

 

[azygous]

Yes. Intervening in pecking order issues generally prolongs them. The chickens need to resolve the dispute to their satisfaction or it will continue until they do.

You will know you need to stop the fight if the aggressor is standing on the victim hammering her with their beak. You'll know when things tip over into blatant bullying.

 

[featheredraptors]

Okay! Thank you so much. We will try again when it is time.

 

[aart]

Here's some tips on.....
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.