Sarattie Posted June 30, 2018 Share Posted June 30, 2018 Please help! I hatched chicks and they have been in a temp coop alongside my Eglu Cube run (4m). They have been free ranging in the garden with my current chickens too. No bothers I have to remove the temp coop now and put them all in together. the chiks are about 17/18 weeks and almost similar size to the current ones. However they are being chased and pecked and spend most of the time in the corner of the cube run cowering away from the others. I have three small regular brown hen and a pekin bantam and I am introducing a cream legbar and black speckled leghorn I have been spraying them when they get really rough, but I cant watch them 24/7 and Im worried they will hurt or not accept the chicks. Will the eventually accept that they are there for good??! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted June 30, 2018 Share Posted June 30, 2018 Yes they will. Just make sure there are plenty of perches and places the new gang can escape to, and plenty of feeders and drinkers. It’s probably also worth hanging up some special treats for a while (something like corn in the cob) which will occupy your older girls for some of the time. I probably would have them shut in while I could observe them (but they didn’t know I was there) for a while so I could be sure there was nothing really nasty going on before I left them though. There will be scuffles but as long as there’s no blood drawn just leave them to get on with it. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted June 30, 2018 Share Posted June 30, 2018 Some branches for the newbies to hide behind can help too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarattie Posted July 1, 2018 Author Share Posted July 1, 2018 Thank you, I have added those today in the hope that it helps They are currently hiding under the feeder and drinker bowls! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted July 1, 2018 Share Posted July 1, 2018 Is it possible to free range them together? Neutral territory helps, even if it’s for a short time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarattie Posted July 1, 2018 Author Share Posted July 1, 2018 They have been free ranging together for the past 6 weeks. They just had different "coops" next door for bed time. Now that I have removed the temp coop, I dont know if they would find "home" when its evening! I could do a garden search at night! On day 3 and they are still having a go at them sounds awful when they peck at them. I have been squirting with a water pistol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarattie Posted July 2, 2018 Author Share Posted July 2, 2018 Today's attempt at a solution...... Im letting 2 of the other hens out and leaving the chicks with only one hen, which I have been rotating every 4/5 hours. Seems to be fine, the chicken is more worried about the fact that the others are in the garden, and shes not, than having a go at the chicks..... Ill keep trying this for a few days and then perhaps add 2 hens rather than 3 and alternate until I can keep all 3 together. Im determined to get there without any damage! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 They will all get used to each other eventually. I introduced chicks to my original 3 girls last year and it was actually the chicks that caused the problems. It was mostly chasing with the odd few scraps but no blood drawn. Like you, I had to leave them to it because of work. It took a while but they do get on much better now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarattie Posted July 10, 2018 Author Share Posted July 10, 2018 I am nearly two weeks in. Its gruelling. I am amazing they have not killed the chicks I have been rotating the bigger hens so they havent been in with all 3 at once. They are still not getting any respite. I have been free ranging them during the days as much as I can. At night the hens go into the Eglu but the chicks just sit in the run on the perch. I shut the hens in as late as possible and then reopen them about 7am. I cant let them out any earlier as the noise is horrendous I wonder if the chicks will ever make it into the coop! and survive a day with all three in the run all together I have never known an introduction take so long. The chicks are literally petrified of the hens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 I had a problem like this once and gave in. Left them as two separate flocks! Peace reigned... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 Do you know anyone with chickens close by? I have done the chuck-em-all-together-on-uncharted-territory and it worked a charm. Could you maybe board them for a week or so with someone else and then bring them together as one flock? You won’t have the stress of the squables and there is nothing to defend for them at a new coop. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarattie Posted July 10, 2018 Author Share Posted July 10, 2018 I may try that cattails. We are going away for a week at the end of the month. Perhaps Ill try boarding rather than my neighbour sitting instead... Other than rehoming the hens, I am running out of options! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 I don't know your set-up, but it's worth looking at the size of the run; there may just be too many of them too close to each other. Also double up on the food and water stations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarattie Posted July 23, 2018 Author Share Posted July 23, 2018 Dogmother, I have a cube with a 4m extension run. They are only "cooped" up first thing and evening at the moment, they free range in the garden the rest of the day. Since starting all this...... they are still at it! Not anywhere near as bad though. the chicks (I say chicks, they are the same size as the others!!) Are petrified of the other hens and either scarper past them or cower head down in the corner one on top of the other. They havent made it into the actual coop at night yet. They wait for the others to go to bed and then roost on the omlet perch in the run area. I am going away next week and taking them all to a hen hotel in the hope that fixes them once and for all! Wish me luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natspringy Posted July 24, 2018 Share Posted July 24, 2018 Fingers crossed for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted July 24, 2018 Share Posted July 24, 2018 I couple more things which occurred to me (excuse the scattered approach, but it's hard to assess without seeing them): Check all birds for lice and mites, ditto the coop - any external crawlies will drive them mad with itching and make them antsy with each other. I would split them up and give them a couple of weeks in separate quarters then start again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted July 24, 2018 Share Posted July 24, 2018 18 hours ago, Sarattie said: I am going away next week and taking them all to a hen hotel in the hope that fixes them once and for all! Wish me luck! Mine are boarding right now, with my swap-hen. Hopefully it works out for both of us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
