4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Taylor]

Hi, Some of you very kindly gave me some advice about introducing new hens which i done about 6 weeks ago. My first 2 hens are very tame and had the full run for 6 months by themselves so i expected some trouble and kept the new 2 in a divided part of the run with thier own house. Little by little i let them mingle. There was much fuss, chasing, feather pulling etc. This contined for a few weeks and then i took the fence down and let the new ones into the bigger hen house with the other 2. I thought things would calm down but there still seems to be constant niggling. The two older ones chase the new ones away form me, thier food, the house or anything else they happen to do. During the day its fine as the older ones adventure around the garden but when in the run together the new ones just hide under bushes until bedtime and then we have the same escapade each night - the older ones bullying the new ones in the house until its too dark. Has anyone else experienced this and does it pass? Its taking me an age each night to put them to bed!! Many Thanks for your thoughts!!

[SusannenoZ]

Sorry to hijack your post, I have no advice I am afraid, your post has made my heart sink! I got 2 new chooks yesterday which I got as I lost one of my 2 chickens in the week, the remaining chicken, geraldine seems to hate the 2 newbies I divided the eglu run with canes, and put a seperate house for the new chooks at the gate end, Geraldine has the eglu but has to enter and leave it thru the egg port which she doesn't like at all, especially getting in, once in her side of the run she is pacing up and down pecking the bars and getting very disturbed, i tried to feed them all either side of the canes as recommended by someone on the forum and she just goes for the 2 new chooks, the 2 new chooks are happy to settle in their house(old converted rabbit hutch) but I now wonder whether that is a good thing, as I don't know how to introduce them to the eglu? we go away in 3 weeks and a friend of mine had offered to have the chickens eglu and run at her house for the 2 weeks, she doesn't keep chickens herself and I really don't know what I will do if they aren't settled by then.. I knew I should have just kept Geraldine on her own, and got new chooks when she eventually went!!

[Troy]

Cor now I feel really bad! I've just posted about how my 2 new girls have just been allowed to cuddle with the others in the cube after only 2 weeks!

 

There was a lot of chasing and feather tugs as I called it and I did notice that they were much worse when I was with them. I could see them from the house and they didnt chase half as much until they saw me coming down the garden.

 

I must say I read up alot about how to introduce new birds to an established flock here, but when I picked the girls up I was told to just let them get on with it and to only interfere when its real fights and blood!!

I was a bit shocked really as I was prepared for weeks of stress and trouble but put them in I did and then just supervised with the odd halt with a broom.

All the girls would go into the cube at night except the 2 newbies. They are in a covered run and seemed quite happy to perch on the beams above us.

But tonight I just checked on them and found them all in the cube snuggled together

 

 

Susan how about trying Geraldine with one new girl and then swopping. Maybe she feels threatened because there are 2????

 

I guess it just depends on the individual birds...and maybe I've been lucky.

I wish you both luck...I'm sure it will all come right eventually but it is stressful!

Troy

[Taylor]

Im sorry, i didnt want to get anyone worried about new intoroductions. I should stress that Coco and Raisin (old two) are now far better with Olive and Saffron (new two) than they were initially. Its just that i have read so much about it and most people say after a few weeks all will be fine and its quite apparant that things have not completely settled - there is constant niggling.

I put them in the same house after about 2 weeks. Most sites say let the old birds perch first but this didnt work for me. Whenever the new ones went in Coco and Raisin flew for them. So, i got the two new birds in first and got them settled and then let Coco and Raisin in and supervised until they settled. Then, got up at about 5am the next day before they started bullying! This seemed to work but its 4/5 weeks on and im still having to supervise bedtime! If you only have one hen to introduce them to you will probably have an easier time so please dont worry from what ive said!

[BeckyBoo]

When we introduced four bantams to our existing flock of 7 it was very difficult and one hen continued to be bullied for weeks and weeks but to be honest (and I'm afraid I'm a bit horrible,) I mainly let them get on with it. They HAVE to sort themselves out and I think if I try and stop them fighting all I'm doing is prolonging the inevitable. Fighting is how hens sort out where they are in the grand scheme of things. Best thing is not to watch. Make sure it doesn't get too bloody of course, lots of purple spray and I also found introducing them when they were free ranging was good as it gave all of them plenty of space to escape. There will always be a bottom hen in any flock and although ours now doesnt get pecked she's nearly always last at the treats etc (which is why we're particularly fond of her as we feel sorry for her!)

Hens aren't very nice to each other, I've had to remove a poorly chook so they didn't eat her alive. Good luck with your intros guys hope they settle

 

Edited to say have you tried sprinkling them all with red mite powder or similar at night? That way when they wake up in the morning they all smell the same, that's supposed to help.

Mrs B

[Egluntyne]

I'd be inclined to leave them to sort themselves out, particularly at bedtime now.

 

Probably best to only intervene if things turn really nasty, ie , blood is drawn.

 

A lot of their nonsense is merely grandstanding and posturing.

[Troy]

True. Leave well alone unless there is blood drawn. I think youve had them long enough that if anything was to happen it would have by now.

 

Egluntine is right again! Its all squaring up and eyeballing just to remind each other who is in charge!

You'll also find as I did that the one at the top of the order is not actually causing the disruptions, but the 2nd in command. Maude was just God awful!

troy

[MedusA]

When I lost one of my original Omlet girls to a fox, I got 2 new "friends" for Scully. She immediately hated them (especially poor little Toffee) and it took some weeks before they settled down. Now the three of them are the best of friends.

 

Toffee in turn was the worst culprit when we got the Silkies. What comes around, goes around, as they say.

 

It's best to introduce them gradually if you can, but they do have to sort out the pecking order themselves to a great degree.

 

By all means, intervene if things become very bad, but keep any bullied hen apart, but within sight if you can, and try again later.

 

Good luck.

[Taylor]

thanks for your replies. I do leave them all day to sort themselves out and they seem okay besides the little one just hides under bushes for the best part. At night though, if i leave them to it, which i have done on numerous occasions, the two new ones dont get into the house at all and ive found them perhced on a fence and a tree branch. i leave it until its almost dark now hoping that one night the new ones will get the courage up and the old ones will calm down enough to let them in! Its not happened yet!

[Egluntyne]

Do you scatter something like sweetcorn into the run to entice them all in?

 

Then they can sort out bedtime for themselves.

 

IT might just be that they would rather perch in the trees.

 

Try luring them into the run and make a nightly habit of it.

[SusannenoZ]

Well I have let the newbies out to free range with Geraldine this afternoon, she has had a couple of goes at attacking teh 2 new girls, almost launching herself at them from a distance, not pecking almost "mounting them" and attacking the back of their necks.. is this normal? stops as soon as I went near, she is clearly very unhappy they are here. I gave her lots of treats when they came out hoping that she associate them with nice things. patience is not on eof my virtues... I just want them to al get along soon!!

[alih]

don't despair! it took me 3 weeks to summon the courage to put the 4 in together in the the eglu at night and there is still a tiny bit of pecking on occasion, 5 weeks on. It will settle down though, it just takes time...

[FruitandNutCake]

I have a similar problem, except my original 3 girls are fine. I have my large run seperated with ex batts on one side and original 3 on the other side. My problem is with one of the exbatts. She also mounts the little one and attacks the back of the neck. Annabella will also try having a go at my original 3 - so she obviously wants to be "top hen". I've had them over 2 weeks, and have been sprinking corn, sweetcorn and tuna along the divide and the little ones are getting braver - but still won't venture past the run into the garden. Once I can get them in the garden freeranging, it may be easier to get them to mingle.

 

I'm also having to keep a close eye on the little exbatt in case I have to step in and seperate her from Annabella.

[Troy]

I actually did the opposite with the treats thing!

I removed them altogether as the 1st lot would go mental for corn etc. and I didnt want to add to the newbies troubles. I let them free range and had seperate feeders and at the end of the first week was brave enough to remove the 2nd feeder - and nothing happened!!!

 

I have just started giving treats again and yep Maude is all mine, mine, mine.. but I do think she is use to them now enough to realise that they DO respect her and they DO know that she is the Golden Chicken Goddess!!

 

Whatever works I guess. I really dont have a clue

 

troy