What to do with Britney ?

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foho

foho

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Hello chicken enthusiast,

I have a silkie x buff Sussex with behavior problems. She has never laid an egg, never been broody and has been the bottom of the pecking order.

About a 3 weeks ago I introduced 2 new chickens into my small flock and Britney has become a bully and won't allow the new chickens to associate with the other hens.

I've just had Britney in solitary confinement for a week but she still wanting to peck the new recruits.

This morning I heard her trying to crow like a rooster.

I'm sure she isn't a roster but can a chicken taken on the role of a faux rooster?
 
400


This is Britney
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
frow.gif


Sorry about your hen! I added some new young birds to my flock this year and my lowest in the pecking order hen was worse than any of the other birds to the newcomers. I suppose they feel that it is now their turn to be a big bully!

Did you do this introduction slowly over a few weeks time from behind a cage or enclosure? This is the best way to mix in new birds so that the original flock is less shocked by the new flock members.

Time is generally what helps work new birds into a flock. My hen was horrible with the new birds for about 5 months. She has now finally excepted that they are not going anywhere and are here to stay. The first thing you should do is add more food and water stations as your hen may bully the new birds away from the feed or water and completely starve them out.

What I was doing was for half of the day, the hours before roosting, I would lock her up in a cage within the run. This allowed the new birds to learn to deal with her for the first half of the day and the second half, the new birds had the freedom to eat and drink and all she could do was look on at them. I did this for about 4 months and thankfully she has finally accepted them. She does not like them, LOL, but she is not too bad with them now.

It can take months to work new birds into a flock and for your original flock to except new birds. This is common in every flock. So just take your time with this hen and hopefully in a few months, she comes around as well.

You can also use pinless peepers on aggressive hens. I have had great success with pinless peepers however I only use these as a last resort...if a bird just will not get along with the others over time.

A flock without a roost and a hen, usually the flock leader, can take on the roll of a rooster. However it is generally very old hens that start crowing later in life after their egg laying years are done.

Good luck with your flock and welcome to ours!
 
I can't tell from the small photo BUT, you cannot throw new chickens in with older ones without integrating them slowly. That is why she is bullying them. It's not a rooster behavior, it's to establish who is the boss of the flock and who are the underlings. That's why it is called pecking order.
 

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