New hens not going into Eglu Go Up

[crankycookie]

Background info:

 

Peaches, (until recently) sole 1 year old Gingernut Ranger hen, beak trimmed from Omlet

Taffy, White Rock and Penny, RIR, new 4-5 month old pullets, not beak trimmed

3m x 1.5m run with an Eglu on a table

1 week of the "see but not touch" method, separated in the run

 

 

It's been about a week since I got the new chooks, who have free ranged with grumpy old Peaches starting yesterday. There doesn't seem to be anything really vicious going on, aside when Peaches gets angry for no reason and decides to start chasing one of them around. Poor Taffy gets the brunt of it- Peaches just decides now and then to cross the yard and give her a stern peck for no reason, despite Taffy's attempts to stay out of her way. No hen fights here, just cowering and running.

 

It's really clear that the new girls are very wary/frightened of Mean Old Peaches. This is my first introduction attempt, so I'm not sure if they'll eventually be a flock of 3, rather than 2 terrified little things giving a crochety hen wide berth. I know they're just establishing the pecking order, but their pitiful little squawks are just killing me. "Welcome to my house, little chickies, start running!"

 

Since Peaches is beak trimmed, I've only seen her get 2 feathers out of Taffy, so thankfully the damage is minimal. I'm just wondering why she has it out for just one of them, when I was hoping the bullying would be doled out a bit more evenly. They're skittish to begin with, without needing to flee from a rampaging hen at a moment's notice.

 

Lastly, I'm wondering when I should try to put the new chooks into the Eglu to sleep with Peaches. Right now they're perched precariously on a doghouse on stilts. Last night Peaches saw them roosting there at sundown and thought "Oh, is that the new bed?" and tried to get up, but she was a bit too much of a porker to actually make it up there. I would prefer everyone be safe in the Eglu ASAP but my concern is that it's a SMALL space for 3 chickens that are just barely tolerating each other's presence.

[Sandychick]

I'm sure thay will be fine eventually. Sounds like you are doing everything right. I wouldn't rush it though and stick with the seperate accomodation until they all look a bit more friendly together.

 

I will be getting 2 new chickens in March, so have all this to look forward to! I think I will probably keep them seperate for a few weeks except for free ranging together.

 

When I introduced my last chicken, they did look like they would never get on - but in 2-3 weeks, they looked like they had been friends for years. I'm sure Peaches will be happy with her new friends soon

[Valkyrie]

We had a bit of that with the chicks free ranging. They soon learnt to avoid the big girls and we had a bit of pecking when adding them to the cube when they were bigger - we had to partition it off inside. But to see them now you would never know. There is the odd "I'm better than you" reminder peck but that's it. We are now integrating pekins and a silkie - so far the silkie has been quite accepted by the big girls, while the little ones are a bit more agressive - even chasing the silkie who was brought up with the pekins. Just a matter of time.

I wonder if she has always been a bit of a pecker, which is the reason for her beak clipping.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

They will be fine eventually . I, too, wondered if my 3 old girls would ever accept the 2 new ones - we had bloodshed once or twice .

 

Now they get on like a house on fire but it did take weeks and weeks. So, be patient and they'll get there .

[Henhathnofury]

To be realistic, I would say a month to be truly acclimatised. Sometimes more if there is a strong character in the mix. Even though we had our Speckled Sussex and Pepperpot separated, they manage to wound each other through the run bars - not badly, a lucky strike where blood came out. It is stressful at first but suddenly, the daft things seem to forget. Just make sure that there is lots and lots of food, even more treats - so that they don't think they are being deprived of food in favour of the 'alien' chickens............

[crankycookie]

I wonder if she has always been a bit of a pecker, which is the reason for her beak clipping.

 

Actually, in the US all the major hatcheries beak trim, so the ones ordered from Omlet are trimmed as well. It's a bit upsetting, and I prefer that this doesn't happen, so I got the new chooks from an organic farm a few hours away to avoid the blunted beaks.

 

When I had the 2 GNRs, Peaches might have been the more submissive one, but they never squabbled so it was difficult to tell. Not a pecker before the new girls!

 

So a month for full integration. I guess during the week when they aren't able to be free ranged I'll leave the separator up in the run to give Taffy some quiet time. Not a lot of places to hide in a little run!

[Henhathnofury]

...but saying that, I have heard of chickens 'falling in love' almost straight away. Like people, it all depends on the chemistry!

[sadietoo]

I too am currently undergoing "introductions" for the first time, on a one on one basis, with my existing Goldline, and the gorgeous Pansy, a Light Sussex, and have been quite nervous about it.....

 

After one week they are sleeping together at night, but Kipper is still throwing her weight around if they are confined in the run together, (no blood drawn just a lot of intimidation and fluffing of feathers and the occasional peck ..and Pansy is so sweet and gentle she is just being intimidated..and I'm not really happy with that..) so I currently have the run separated with bamboo canes a la Lesley-Jean (there is a link on here in the stickies- thanks it's a fab idea and works very well) so that Pansy can eat in peace and have a bit of quiet time away from bossy-boots....

 

I can already see a difference when they free-range together..Kipper is actually trying to get closer to Pansy to scratch about (without attacking or pecking or nonsense) but Pansy is understandably still a bit nervous....today they were happily within six inches of each other for the first time..

 

At bedtime I have found it easiest to put Pansy in the eglu end of the run, and then put Kipper in through the egg-hatch once Pansy has put herself to bed...It seems to wrong foot Kipper somehow and so there has been no problems at all with aggression..I think at night time survival takes over from any other petty pecking order instincts and they do seem to just get on with each other....

 

Good luck with your introductions....I'm sure all will come good ( as other omleteers have already confirmed) it just can't be rushed

[crankycookie]

...but saying that, I have heard of chickens 'falling in love' almost straight away.

Oh, if only! It works in the reverse here, Penny is fine, Taffy she disliked from the moment she laid eyes on her, poor dear.

 

Sadietoo- keep me posted on how you're doing, it's so rare to find stories of people introducing new chooks to a solitary chicken! I'm tempted to put the new girls into the eglu when all are sleeping, but I can't bring myself to do it. They scream bloody murder when I pick them up in their sleep and flap everywhere, and I imagine horrible squabbles in the morning when they wake up.

 

I felt bad when earlier today, the 2 new girls were spooked by something and instinctively ran to Peaches, who doled out indignant pecks to them as soon as they were in reach. Poor girls!

[tooties]

I recently introduced 3 new chickens to my lone ex-bat Lily who had been on her own for quite a few wks. I was all prepared to split the run with bamboo canes etc but to be honest, the first day I let them all free range together (supervised) and then put them into the run where they could choose the eglu or the alternative bedroom I had placed at the other end. They all went in the eglu together so I left them to it and they've been together ever since!!

 

Obviously I was very wary and spent a lot of the first wk supervising them, I was 'lucky' enough to have the flu so was home for a week. I even had purple spray on hand just in case. And lots of things in the run so they couldn't chase each other properly etc etc.

 

Now one new chicken is top boss, then Lily, then the other two. Lily and top boss squared up to each other twice on the 2nd day, but no major fighting.

 

Lily however, is still 4wks later, pecking the bottom 2 each time they walk past her. I suspect it will get better in time, its v early days yet. And it doesn't seem to be injuring the others, so I will let them get on with it.

 

Good luck with your intros, I must admit when it was cold and I'd shut the eglu door at night, one morning I overslept and ran downstairs convinced they would have killed each other confined till 10.30!!! But they were fine, they'd even managed to push Lily off the nestbox to lay! (quite an acheivement!!)

[Cranfield Kate]

when we got our three ex bats the bullying was just awful and i think i spent most of the first week on the phone to the BHWT careline crying (yes, i am THAT pathetic) because Atilla the Hen was just terrorising poor peeper and the poor little thing could barely stick her head out of the pop hole. god it was awful - it's put me right off intriducing new ones but OH really wants some bantams and i REALLY want a silver lace wyandotte...

 

not sure I can face the trauma of watching chckens be rotten to each other again. I know it's nature and all that but still, it's grim for wusses like me.

 

bumper bits. they changed everything. thank god for them.

[crankycookie]

Success!! Took away the doghouse on stilts so that the Eglu was the highest place to roost, and the new girls reluctantly walked into it at night! Peaches was grumbling and taking up as much space as she could, pacing menacingly, but I held my arm around her through the egg hatch and shooed in the new girls, and by the time they were all in, they were too sleepy to peck.

 

The next evening, I went out to check on them to find them all snuggled together, Taffy in the nest box and Peaches and Penny wing to wing, perched on the edge right next to her.

 

There are still some pecks doled out during the day in the run, but they're making progress. Now and then they act like a real flock, preening all together on the deck, waiting for the grapes to make an appearance.

[Space Chick]

Glad to hear it has worked out

[Snoxy]

just read through this thread...it took us 6 weeks to introduce 2 new girls to our original 3...and we are now on our second introduction of 2 hens to the 4 older girls (1 girl has since passed away)...doing things slightly different this time...we've had them nearly 48 hours and our 2 new girls are in the Eglu run while the older girls are freeranging...will keep our 2 new girls in there until at least the weekend...following the advice originally from Omlet to let new girls get used to their new surroundings...noises, the other girls etc. Will do as we did before...bullies will be separated as and when, water skirter at the ready, etc, etc...it all works out well in the end...although watching the bulllying is horrible!!

 

So glad things worked out for you in the end...it's so lovely when new girls are accepted by the older girls )))

 

Very best wishes...

 

Lou X