Chicken bald back

[prudance]

Hi,

 

Have introduced large birds before without too much bother and have four large hybrids at the moment and would like to introduce four or five new girls with a mix of bantam and large fowl.

Have read that normal introductions over a couple of weeks would be fine except that we tried this a couple of weeks ago with some young growers and despite our best precautions at the time our large girls got into the young girls area and did a lot of damage to two birds. It was 50/50 whether or not they would pull through. They both had to be quarantined while recuperating. We bolstered defences between the two, but a week later the two remaining youngsters jumped from on top of their coop into the older girls area and couldn't get back. This was unfortunately the only day when no one was around so there wasn't anything left of them when we returned. Very upsetting.

Our run now has a permanent full-height divide with door between the younger and older girls. I'm worried though that our older girls now have a taste for chicken meat and we may have a repeat on our hands when we finally open the door. The youngsters are still on growers, and will be for another month though, will that be enough time for them to forget what fresh meat tastes of? Of the four new girls we did have two bantams and two large fowl, however we now only have one of each left. Worried that our bantam may struggle on her own. Husband and kids have their hearts set on a Barbu or two as replacements, but they're really tiny - will they survive the mix?

All advice gratefully received - never want a repeat of that again!

[Luvachicken]

I am so sorry that you had a difficult time with your introductions.

I'm sorry that I can't offer much advice as the only intros I did ended with severe bullying and then rehoming.

 

I'm sure someone will come on and tell you something useful but I just wanted to offer my sympathies for what had happened before.

[mullethunter]

I don't know the answer, but what's happened so far sounds so horrendous (I find it hard to cope with the bullying going on between mine but they've never even drawn blood) I wouldn't risk it. Is there any way you can have two separate flocks?

[prudance]

Must admit - two separate flocks might be the way to go, but then we won't have the space to do safe intros or quarantines in the future. My husband built the 2nd coop himself, and though it looks great, it was just supposed to be used as temporary shelter - won't be as good as the cube in the winter.

[mollyripkim]

So sorry, that must have been horrendous for all of you.

My advice would be to take it very slowly, I have all bantams, 10, and hatched this year so have 11 growers, now 16 weeks old. Like yours they are in a WIR divided into two so they can see each other. The growers went outside at around 9 weeks then I let them out to explore the garden separately for a week then did an hour with both groups outside. There was a bit if chasing but nothing major and no blood drawn. I gradually increased the time both groups were out with supervision and it's only been this last week that I am happy to get them all out unsupervised, so it's taken 7 weeks. They still stay in their own little flock but also go into each other's end as they have decided they all have better food. I'm going to keep them separate until 20 weeks when the growers can go on layers pellets.

 

I really hope you get there in the end.

[Chickabee]

I've got 3 seperate coops. I couldn't put anything in with my ex bats. They never argue with each other, but all of them hate my other chickens. I've also got a run within my walk in run for 2 growers and their mum. Going to leave it as as long as I can before doing intro, especially after reading your really sad story. The third coop which was for the broody and eggs/chicks has now got a pekin and 2 bantams in. Don't know how they got there think the chicken fairy came