Whole flock targeting 2 hens.

[Daltonl3355]

I will take some photos of my girls and the space i have. I went for egg production, temperment availability and price when i got the cinnamon queens and the hylines. But it could be molting and a mix of pecking order ritual at same time. This is just my first time and i dont like seeing these 2 stressed and unhinged

 

[Daltonl3355]

It does, a lot. That means they have the whole area, not just coop space.


It is strange that you would get hy-line browns (a commercial egg laying hybrid) at 11 months of age. They are more likely to become available at the end of their laying cycle, maybe around 18 months of age. At the end of their laying cycle they typically molt. Your feather loss description sounds like that could be what is going on. She should stop laying eggs during the molt but once the molt is over she should be laying a lot of nice big eggs.

Any photos showing that feather loss?

Right now I don't see any reason to rehome them, just try to take them through an integration.


The big difference is that you are integrating strangers, not chickens that had already been integrated.

 

[Daltonl3355]

So ive rigged uo something temporary. Will this work for the 2 birds that are being picked on? It shares the fence with other 8 birds and is about 3x15. How long will i have to keep them this way. The 2 girls seem upset they cant go into the coop

 

[Ridgerunner]

That scabbing at the back of the neck does not look like molting. It looks more like an injury that is healing. Normally I'd suspect rooster damage from mating but that looks more like feather picking to me. Possibly an injury before you got them.

At that age a Hi-line Brown should have been laying for a few months so it is not an "immature pullet" issue. The only thing I can think of is to go through an integration and see what happens.

That should work to isolate the hens for integration. Good luck. With what you have done it should not be this hard but you are dealing with living animals. You never know what will actually happen.