New youngsters - big hassle!

Veq Queen · Post by **Veq Queen** » 27 Jun 2007, 17:18

Hello people,

I've contented myself with lurking up until now - but right now I need some help, or reassurance!

I've kept between 2 and 4 hens for 3 years now and last time we were reduced to one hen I introduced two new ones without bother. The new ones were about 22 weeks, I put them into the roost at night and after a few spats the following morning peace reigned.

This time it is a whole different story. Yesterday I collected two youngsters (much younger, 16 weeks) and installed them in the roost last night. First thing this morning all three hens were doing hen like things, with the older one delivering the odd peck, but by the time I went to work one of the younger ones had fled upstairs to the roost. When I cam home this evening the older hen (who was previously the lower in the pecking order) was strutting around making an awful din and the two little ones were both cowering up stairs and will not come down onto the grass. Apparently it has been like this for most of the day (as reported by my poor decorator - who has had to put up with the din). I've put a bit of water plus some food upstairs but that just prompted the resident hen to go up there and cause a rumpus.

What do I do? Right now my thoughts involve unspeakable deeds towards the older one! Do I just sit and bite my nails and let them get on with it? Should I force the younger ones down-stairs? Put the older one in a separate box for a couple of hours? Help!

Many thanks
VQ

b_cos_1_can · Post by **b_cos_1_can** » 27 Jun 2007, 18:21

hey veg queen!

great to see you out of hiding :wink:

personally id seperate the newies into their own run during the day! put them in to roost with the others at night and make sure that during the day the oldies and newies can still see, smell and hear each other. it shouldnt take long before they recognise each other as friendly and after a couple of weeks apart (but still together - if you get what i mean) they can be introduced, but expect a little fighting.
id watch em and see how they go but this horrible bullying!

what does everyone else think?

Post by Mo » 27 Jun 2007, 18:28

I think that sounds OK.
Do your unspeakable thoughts run to casseroles?

Veq Queen · Post by **Veq Queen** » 27 Jun 2007, 18:49

Thanks guys, I'm still stressing but not quite as much .......

We've got an ark, so currently we've pulled the ark and the run extension a bit apart and have separated the two sections with a bit of wood (if you see what I mean!) The youngsters are in the run below the roost (and are being very cute) and the bully is confined to the extension. They can probably just see each other over the top of the wood - there is a gap, but not enough that they can get to each other. Later on tonight I'll have to take the separator away and hope that the youngsters can get into the roost and hide before the older one comes along.

The problem is I'm at work all day tomorrow, so I'll probably leave them all in one big run during the day (with the roost as a safe have if need be). If there is still trouble when I get home then I'll pull the runs apart again and try and use some chicken wire (what else?!) between them so they have good visibility of each other. On Friday and the weekend I'll be around much more so we can keep a closer eye on things.

How does that sound?
Thanks again VQ
PS Unspeakable thoughts were mainly focused on curry )c+

AnnaB · Post by **AnnaB** » 27 Jun 2007, 18:50

Hi Veq Queen
I remember this scenario well. I had two ex battery girls and added another two last year. There was no way I could get them integrated, they were jumping on them and pecking the few feathers out that they had and one would put herself totally on one of them. At that time they totally free ranged and the big one would stalk the new ones. It was a good job I had 2 coops. I have had to separate them and now they are in the big run with a partition between them. There is only 1 left of last years girls and when one escaped from the partition she nearly killed the poor girl.
I get my next 5 soon and I now have a bit more experience with handling them.
I think all you can do is see how it goes - I think Wendy said about 5-6 weeks and all was peaceful....

Post by **Richard** » 27 Jun 2007, 18:51

Mmmm, once again a bit like cats - one on own for a while, then a couple of newbies turn up.

I'd say you're doing OK, but you may have to separate them (if physically and geographically possible, during the day and let them be together during the night.

It could be they were simply after the same blade of grass etc.

They should settle down, but I think you can expect a few days of hassle.
The newbies will probably put their head outside and get chased back in.

Shame, but we have to put up with natures ways.

Keep us posted.

Richard

b_cos_1_can · Post by **b_cos_1_can** » 27 Jun 2007, 18:58

let us know how you get on
personally ive never actually come across this (not yet) as im still on my first batch of ladies :wink: so would be interesting to watch you go through it (well not watch you but share it with you)
keep us posted, i for one am very interested!!

kat xx

Post by **wendy** » 27 Jun 2007, 19:47

Hi.
I will be getting a couple more in a few weeks, so I expect I will have the same problems for a while....unfortunately.
Wendy

Veq Queen · Post by **Veq Queen** » 27 Jun 2007, 21:17

Hello again, what nice welcoming people you all are. Unfortunately is is now 2 1/2 hours later...........
and my nerves are shot to bits!

After my last post I had the new girls happily under the ark, and the older one separated in the extension run. All was relatively ok.

At about 8.30 both the youngsters had gone to roost so after a decent interval I removed the separator and put the runs back together in the hope that the older one would go to bed. The older one just scuffed around and I thought "so far so good". But thenshe went up to roost and (presumably) found someone in her place so there was a complete battle and one of the younger ones emerged back onto the grass. (Did she jump or was she pushed?!) Then of course the old one had to come back down so that she could be last up to bed. So she harrassed the young one a bit, who then went back up to roost. A couple of minutes later the older one went back up and the same scenario got played out again (accompanied by a lot of squawking). This got repeated about four times - each time I was thinking - surely this will be it, but no it happened again.

So in the end I've resorted to capturing each of the youngsters after she went up to roost and putting her in a cardboard box. (Slightly traumatic for all concerned as I am not the best at handling hens) I now have one in the garage, and one in the shed and am waiting for bully to go to bed. When hubbie returns from his night out I'll put the two youngsters into the roost and think about our next move. But I have to confess - right now the most cunning plan seems to involve taking all three of them to the city farm tomorrow morning :(

Bother! It was so much more straight forward last time. All words of comfort and sympathy greatfully received.

VQ

AnnaB · Post by **AnnaB** » 27 Jun 2007, 21:41

Veq Queen
If you only have 1 bully put 'that' in the garage overnight. When they come out in the morning put the bully separate but let her see the others, I am told this takes a few days...and its nearly the weekend so you'll be there. Very best wishes Anna

b_cos_1_can · Post by **b_cos_1_can** » 27 Jun 2007, 21:45

aww veg queen!
surely it can only get better! i think the oldies just got her beak bent out of place :wink:
i know i wouldnt like it if a younger model moved into my coop! :shock:

the oldie is being a stubborn chook and the youngsters arnt used to any confrontation or n e thing dominant in the chook world!
have u got a box big enough to put the 2 new chooks in together?
you are doing your best and i think u made the right decision for now!
do as you planned and do the seperate run thing tomorrow!
we are keeping our fingers crossed for you and just keep persevering!
ur doing great vq
kat x

Post by **Richard** » 27 Jun 2007, 21:56

Yes, it won't take too long - and my nerves would be pretty much shattered too. I have a very big area, so very few probs.

Some have gone on squabbling for quite some time, but it's once an hour, then once a day, then once a week and so on.

It is important they don't lose touch and see each other.

Scattering the food about will help. In a single tray, they'll shove each other out the way and it's the survival of the biggest!!

In a few weeks time, all will be well and you'll have learnt so much about chicken behaviour

My next chicken page is going to be on that!

Veq Queen · Post by **Veq Queen** » 27 Jun 2007, 22:13

Aww thank you so much for all your encouragement. You are all keeping my spirits up whilst I wait for hubby to come home and we work out what to do next.

I think I'm getting my logistics in a muddle so can I write things down and try and pick your brains? We only have one ark with an extension run and we don't let the girls free range at all (too long working hours and too many urban foxes). So we have a limited set of facilities.

First question: I usually leave the ramp of the roost down so that the girls can come and go as they please, but once I've got the youngsters installed again tonight would I be better keeping the ramp up so that they are all confined until, say, 6.30 tomorrow morning - or would that result in a complete riot?

Second: come tomorrow during the day my instinct would be to keep the bully in the extension run, and let the youngsters have the ark and the area under it. But, bully is laying at the moment - and if I do that where would she go to lay? Could I put an up-turned cardboard box with a side cut out in the corner for her to use as somewhere dark and discrete? Or should I let her have the run of the ark and hence nest box? and keep the youngsters in the run? The problem with thar arrangement is that I will have to catch all three of them and swap them around as I'm sure the youngsters will just hide up in the ark most of the time.

Sorry to crash into the forum and ask so many questions - I promise once this has all calmed down I will hang around and hopefully post something useful!

Thanks a million, again
VQ
PS The thing that really peeves me is we went out of our way to ensure that bully wouldn't be "home alone" and get used to being a single chicken. She was on her own for precisely 14 hours in between her old companion dying :cry: and the youngsters being installed.

Jodi · Post by **Jodi** » 28 Jun 2007, 01:21

I'd put the new girls in the extension.

I've only had chooks for about 10 weeks and have absolutely no idea on whats bests but I try and put myself in the chooks position.

I reckon that the stress of loosing her companion then all of a sudden she has all these "children" around her would really p*** her off. If you take away the only familiar "safety" zone, the roost and nesting box - it will probably p*** her off even more, and the only way she can communicate this and reassert herself is a bit of bullying (they reckon that kids that bully have no self esteem and feel very insecure).

If she can view the little ones from the security of what is familiar, maybe she won't feel as threatened and will gradually allow them to enter her home.

Hope I've made sense!

Cheers and welcome to the forum.
Jodi