barnabydaisy Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 Hi ! we have recently aquired a new chicken, she is a lovely maran and since friday when we got her we have been trying to introduce her to our other three girls. Well we have to seperate them in the day as they are really picking on her , i know we have to be patient as it can take weeks but this morning they all jumped on top of her as i let them out of the eglu and have given her a nasty wound on her neck. it has dried over now but i am a bit worried about putting her in with them tonight . any advice would be welcome! the poor thing has just come from a home where she was being picked on i feel so sorry for her! Lov mim xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kannie Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 I haven't tried them, but from another thread thats live at the moment it sounds as if bumper bits are the thing, mim. Have a look at the thread called 'featherplucking' (sorry don't know how to do a link) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Watch Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 My new one was introduced to 3 existing ones too. They all pinned her down, pulled out feathers and ate them. V nasty. At first in the day I put her in my childrens wendy house and left the others in the run. When they free ranged together it wasn't so bad as she could get away from them. At night I waited until the others were settled, then put her in through the eggpport. In the morning, I split them up again. 8 days later it was all resolved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallina Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 The fighting will stop, but it takes at least a week. It's perfectly natural, and I wouldn't rush into bumper bits. Much as I advocate them, I have not used them in any of my introductions of three new separate pairs, as I know it is temporary (while feather-plucking is a life-long addiction). But it is horrible, isn't it? I have found that the worse damage comes not from the top hen, but the next one down, who is more scared of losing her position. Introducing two at a time is much easier, but it's not much use telling you that now, is it? You may find that the new hen lies down in the submissive position and the old hens will all get on top of her. When they go away, she will look dead. Don't be scared! It is all part of the charade they go through to establish the pecking order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
