Will Jenny get picked on?

[Three Little Bunnies]

Hi!

I have two thirteen-week-old pullets. One is an ISA Brown and the other is a bantam Cochin. I would like to integrate them into my flock of thirteen hens who are ~9 months old. I am concerned that Jenny, as the only bantam, will get picked on. She is currently only about a quarter of the size of the big girls. Basically I have three options.

1) Integrate and hope all goes well, which could go badly for little Jenny.
2) Keep them separate permanently, which means no more chickens since I only have 2 coops.
3) Get some more bantam girls.

Personally, I like option 3 best, but I cannot find any bantam girls who are a similar age. What should I do?

Thanks!

 

[Mrs. K]

I like option 3 too! However, some people do successfully run LF with Bantams. Have you added chicks before to the flock? Some flocks take to it easily and others become predators.

A lot depends on your set up. If you have space, a lot of hideouts set up in both runs. I think what I would do is add one older hen to these younger girls. Get some bantam chicks going in a brooder.

Then add the LF pair back to the main flock, and the chicks to the single bantam bird. If you add several chicks to a single more mature bird, it will spread the pecking out, and they should adjust quickly. I like this theory so much, I would buy more chicks than would eventually fit in there. Planning on selling older point of lay birds as they get crowded.

But A LOT depends on the size of your coops/runs.

Mrs K

 

[Three Little Bunnies]

I like option 3 too! However, some people do successfully run LF with Bantams. Have you added chicks before to the flock? Some flocks take to it easily and others become predators.

I have not added chicks before. My big girls all came from a hatchery together last September. I have not introduced the chickens to the chicks yet, but I let the little girls play around the big chicken coop and run, so they have all seen each other. I am fine with having bantams and LF together, my concern is that with only one bantam, she will get picked on more. Would it be a good idea to, while integrating, remove my two big BPRs, Onyx and Ebony, since they peck really hard and are higher in the pecking order?

A lot depends on your set up. If you have space, a lot of hideouts set up in both runs. I think what I would do is add one older hen to these younger girls. Get some bantam chicks going in a brooder.

I have a hideout in the big run, but it is mostly for shade. I currently can't get more bantam chicks since TSC is closing Chick Days soon and hatcheries have a minimum order of around eight for bantams. Plus it was really hard to regime my roos! Should I pick my nicest hen to go with the babies, my hen who is lowest in the pecking order, my hen who growls at me when I open the nest boxes (but isn't broody), or what?

Then add the LF pair back to the main flock, and the chicks to the single bantam bird. If you add several chicks to a single more mature bird, it will spread the pecking out, and they should adjust quickly. I like this theory so much, I would buy more chicks than would eventually fit in there. Planning on selling older point of lay birds as they get crowded.

I would prefer to keep Jenny and Dorothy together since they have always been close, as the only girls in this batch. Would it work to introduce the chicks to the bantam and her sister, once they are settled, introduce a big hen to them? This would put us at approximately the point when Dorothy would start laying.

But A LOT depends on the size of your coops/runs.

The coop with the little girls is really small. We originally thought Dorothy was a bantam, since she was in the bantam bin at TSC. I wouldn't want more than 3 LF in there or 5 bantams. The coop is approx. 2x3 + 2 nest boxes and the run is approx. 3x6. I let them out to play when I can. They like to play with the bunnies!

The big girls have a 4x6 coop, TONS of roost space inside the coop and in the enclosed run, and a 12x16 run.

Thanks for your reply!

 

[Mrs. K]

4 x 6 =36 square feet, enough for about 9 full size hens, are you sure your measurements are right? If you have 13 nine month birds doing fine in there, that is great, but that is pretty tight to add other birds.

Thing is about the bantam and large fowl - even though they are BF now, it is not a forever thing. Being raised together really means very little to chickens. A couple of days apart - would treat each other like a total stranger.

Yes I think the bantam is going to take the worst of this. But you might try it and see. If I went with this route, I would turn out my big girls, and lock them out, locking in the odd ball pair, not letting in the big girls until close to dark. That will let the new ones do some exploration of the set up without getting chased.

I think you might, if you have lots of hideouts, taking the two top birds and putting them where you have the odd ball pair now. Leave the pop up door open, and get down there early in the morning, and see how it goes. Then after a week, if things have settled well, add ONE of the meanies back in, wait a few days add the other. Sometimes that works well.

On the other hand, I did have very good luck this summer, introducing 8 chicks to 2 older, but non-laying birds. Generally different ages form sub groups until they are all laying, but this flock, both groups not laying formed a great little flock. I am wondering if when the older birds start laying, they will separate. For your own situation, you might add bantam chicks to the odd ball pair, and later split your flock.

Thing is, I have a 20 x 30 foot run. I have a lot of space, and a lot of clutter.



Good luck.

 

[Three Little Bunnies]

4 x 6 =36 square feet, enough for about 9 full size hens, are you sure your measurements are right? If you have 13 nine month birds doing fine in there, that is great, but that is pretty tight to add other birds.

Good luck.

The girls are almost never in the coop. They only go in to lay eggs or to roost, and only five of the thirteen (3 ISA Brown, 2 RIR) roost in the coop. I actually think they would be fine with a smaller coop! They have always had access to the enclosed run during the day except for about a week when we first put them out there at six or so weeks old. Eight of them (3 WL, 1 RIR, 3 BPR, and 1 Americana) sleep in the roosts in the enclosed run. I think it's because it is really hot where I live, even at 8:30 when they roost.

 

[Mrs. K]

That could very well be why they are not roosting in the coop.

 

[Oncoming Storm]

I have successfully integrated about three (more of you consider silkies bantams) into my flock. However almost all of them turned out to be cockerels. All of my bantam girls became midnight snacks unfortunately. You can try option 1 and see how it goes and go from there. I personally didn’t have that much of an issue since the area where my chickens free range has lots of places to hide for the little ones.

 

[Three Little Bunnies]

I have successfully integrated about three (more of you consider silkies bantams) into my flock. However almost all of them turned out to be cockerels. All of my bantam girls became midnight snacks unfortunately. You can try option 1 and see how it goes and go from there. I personally didn’t have that much of an issue since the area where my chickens free range has lots of places to hide for the little ones.

I can't free range, but my run is pretty big. The only hiding spots are a shady spot and the coop, since I am not fond of snakes, scorpions, and beetles. *shudder, shudder*

 

[aart]

4 x 6 =36 square feet, enough for about 9 full size hens, are you sure your measurements are right?

4 x 6 =24....6 birds, maybe.

The big girls have a 4x6 coop, TONS of roost space inside the coop and in the enclosed run, and a 12x16 run.

That is not a TON of space for 13 birds.

I would like to integrate them into my flock of thirteen hens who are ~9 months old.

 

[Mrs. K]

4 x 6 = 24 Not 36! haha and I teach math, must been tired. What a goof!