(Chehalis, WA USA)
Question
by Kate Heuer
(Penn Valley, CA)
Question
Mean chickens: I brought a new hen into the hen house and the older 5 started pecking at her.
They bloodied her neck and comb so we built another coop for her. Will they always be so mean?
What can we do? I can't watch them attack her over and over.
Answer
Any time you bring a new chicken into your flock you should keep it separated from the flock for a couple of weeks to make sure it does not carry any diseases.
After a couple of weeks you will want to put her next to the flock but separated where the other chickens cannot get to her. After awhile you can slowly introduce her to the other chickens.
Will this work? Sometimes it does and sometimes it does not. There are times when a flock will not ever accept new chickens.
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Question
Mixing chickens: I have 4 chickens, Dominiques, about 1 year old. I put a new chicken in the pen with them; they chase the new one all around and are pecking the feathers off of it. How can I get the old chickens to accept the new chicken?
Answer
A flock of chickens is a structured group, large or small. There are more dominant chickens and less dominant. Anytime you toss a new chicken into that mix, you are asking for trouble.
I make it a rule never to add just one chicken to a group. The new ones will always stand out as intruders. The more new chickens there are, the more spread out the harassment is by the original flock. One chicken taking all the attention may be worried to death, literally.
I would suggest removing the most dominant hens for a few days. You will know them as they will be the first to go after the new hen. You may need to remove all 4 and allow the new chicken to get used to the pen, if possible.
Then add the least dominant hen and allow her to bond with the new hen. Once they are settled in, add another one, until you are ready to add the most dominant.
By upsetting their routines and allowing the new hen to feel more confident, you may be able work her in to your flock. Hope this helps, hope it works.