Who to move!?

[Dona Worry]

So, it is almost time to make Nardole a permanent addition to the littles!
And I want to move two hens with him, and THAT'S where I am running into trouble.
I know I want to move Clara. She is low in pecking order, Rory bullies her, and she is small.
All reasons that mean she is likely to bully the TAR out of the littles. She will move in with them when Nardole moves in full time, but I would like to move a different hen in first, one that is LESS likely to bully the littles and might even hang out with them, giving them a buddy for when Clara moves in.
But who?!
Susan is the top hen. Easily. But she is Rory's favorite, which is great because when he starts to harrass her she drop kicks him in the FACE (slight exaggeration) and forces him to mind his manners. I am not sure if moving the top hen will give Rory free rein to bully the other pullets, otherwise she would be my top choice.
Romana and Sarah Jane are also pretty high ranking, but Romana is the lead head plucker, so SHE'S out, and her and Sarah are buddies. Sarah is a hard one to read-- she submits to both boys, no one picks on her, and she doesn't pick on anyone. I don't know how she'd be in with the littles.
All four wyandottes are out. I love them, but they are a clique, and horrible to Clara.
That leaves Missy. Missy is another favorite of Nardole, but is SUCH A HELLION. I can't tell where she is in the pecking order. Above Clara, obviously, but below Susan and Romana.
She would either be fine or brutally violent.
So, who should I choose? Who would YOU choose?

 

[cmom]

It appears you have a dilemma. Good luck...

 

[cmom]

You can try your favorites and if they don't work out then you'll have to take them out. There is no way to know who will get along and who won't except trial and error. Each time you add members to the flock they will re-establish their pecking order.

 

[aurajean515]

I think your first trials should be with your hen Sarah. She seems submissive and gentle, but your flock has had time to determine it’s pecking order. There is bound to be some reestablishing when you move your girls around. It really is all about trial and error until you find a decent fit

 

[HuffleClaw]

Good luck Dona!

 

[Mrs. K]

How many littles? If there are a lot of them, it spreads out the pecking. What are spaces like in each coop? Do you have hide outs?

I try and think of it like addition of plus and minuses, and try to get to zero

so older bird are a plus 2, each younger bird is a minus 1
home court advantage = +1 for every bird that is established in it
stranger -1 for each bird being moved into it.

Exposure, have the littles and bigs seen each other before?

You might have better luck placing the bigs into the littles territory. You might turn everyone out to range in the yard and see how and who get on.

good luck

Mrs K

 

[cmom]

You might have better luck placing the bigs into the littles territory. You might turn everyone out to range in the yard and see how and who get on.

good luck

Mrs K

Great advice. Good luck and have fun...

 

[Dona Worry]

How many littles? If there are a lot of them, it spreads out the pecking. What are spaces like in each coop? Do you have hide outs?

I try and think of it like addition of plus and minuses, and try to get to zero

so older bird are a plus 2, each younger bird is a minus 1
home court advantage = +1 for every bird that is established in it
stranger -1 for each bird being moved into it.

Exposure, have the littles and bigs seen each other before?

You might have better luck placing the bigs into the littles territory. You might turn everyone out to range in the yard and see how and who get on.

good luck

Mrs K

Four littles, 3 polish crested and one cream crested legbar. The coop is 4X4, with an attached 4X10 run, and another 10X10 run in the process of being built onto that. I plan to prop a couple of pallets up against the walls, add a few large pieces of firewood to hop on or hide behind, etc.
The littles are NOT free range material. They are deathly afraid of the outdoors. The door to the coop has been open for literally weeks and I STILL have to physically lift them out every day.
They see the other birds, and get an eyeful of each other. The rooster has been staying the night in their coop to get away from feather pluckers. He ignores them, they act like he is going to kill them lol.
I'm hoping by some miracle they will suddenly gain confidence and start exploring their world and roosting, both of which I want them to be doing BEFORE I add in new birds full time, although I may start adding Sarah alongside Nardole at nights before that.