# help introducing new hens to my flock



## sean (Nov 7, 2014)

I am having a issue adding new hens to my flock. My older hens are around 8 or so months to over a year(5 hens). I am trying to add 2 more younger hens to my flock. They are about 4 months old. I tried to introduce them at night. Older birds just jumped on them in the mourning. Mainly my Ameracauna did. I have the 2 younger hens in a cage inside of the coop now. They have been there 2 weeks. Tried to introduce them again and my ameracauna went after one of them again. I'm all for establishing a pecking order but it got to the point that the ameracauna had the younger hen Buff Orpington pinned in a corner with its head down and ameracauna going for the back of its head. I tried putting ameracauna into cage and leaving the other 2 younger hens out but now I see the other older hens going after one of the younger hens the buff Orpington that the ameracauna was going after. What should I do now?


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## powderhogg01 (Jun 4, 2013)

i like to let the older birds see and smell the chicks all the way through development. If i cant to that i place them together at night and seperate them in the day. i also spend time with them, if any birds acting overly aggressive i pop it with a stick or my foot


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

OK, you removed the overly aggressive hen. Is the other hen going after the newbie with the same aggressiveness? If not, I'd do like PH suggested. Give them a chance to work it out.


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## sean (Nov 7, 2014)

Other hen is going after the one young hen now. Seems like the Buff is just not liked at all and just a push over. She will eventually just go into a corner and put her head down.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Totally different color from the others? 

Try taking one of the older, least aggressive hens and put her with it where the others can't interfere.


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## sean (Nov 7, 2014)

The only hen that doesn't pick on her is the other young hen that is with her in the cage now. All the other ones tend to pick on her at some point. Some not as bad as the others tho. But the ameracauna who is the low one on the totem pole is the most aggressive


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## powderhogg01 (Jun 4, 2013)

another thing you can do is make a barrier, which has large enough holes in it for the youngsters to get through, but the older hens cant get through. This will give them a safe haven to run to if things get overly aggressive. The older hens are just lettin the pullet know that they have been here for a year... and thus deserve the right to EVERYTHING before the youngins. 
try giving the older ladies some treats to keep them occupied as well... 
the best thing I have found was a poultry fence that had 7 inch squares... it allowed the young birds to go in and out, but the adults couldnt get through... this gave the young birds an area of safety.. they all get to be around each other.. if the older birds start picking on the young ones they then have a place to run.. time out helps everyone involved


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

OK, she's been traumatized so anyone looking at her sideways is an invitation to be even more aggressive. Not too surprising the low bird is the one doing the most damage, she's trying to raise her standing. 

If you have the space, pull all but one out of the existing flock. Try the alpha bird first, establish them with a hen from the older flock. 

What about her color? Is she totally different from the others? That can and does come to play.


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## sean (Nov 7, 2014)

She's a buff Orpington and the only other hen I have that close to her color is a Rhode island red


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Believe it or not, chickens can be pretty selective when it comes to color. 

If I raised all of my birds in color groups, those groups would have little to do with the other color groups when combined. Males would not breed females of a different color group.


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## sean (Nov 7, 2014)

I'm thinking that I may just have to get rid of Buff.


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## hennypenney (May 21, 2015)

I have had issues like this and it's really hard to deal but I have gotten rid of bullies before.


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## sean (Nov 7, 2014)

That's what me & my wife were talking about too. So the Ameracauna would have to go for being the biggest Bully and the Buff because she is just to traumatized.


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## hennypenney (May 21, 2015)

Probably for the best and be a big relief for you guys


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## sean (Nov 7, 2014)

Well just a Lil update. We moved the aggressive hen into the cage that's inside the coop. Then we let the 2 hens that were in cage out and decided to also put the other 3 hens that we had in garage into coop also. Its been 24 hours and no fighting. Going to leave aggressive hen in cage for a few more days then let her out and see how she acts. If she's still being to aggressive then she will have to go.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Guess you really wanted to keep that buff. Time is what they're going to need. This time out thing for the aggressor doesn't always work, you might have to remove her completely for a few days.


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## sean (Nov 7, 2014)

Yeah I like the buff. Lol. Just trying to get these situated. Not adding anymore anytime soon.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

In all the years I raised chickens I never experienced what so many have with introducing new birds. Maybe Silkies just are not that driven to have a set hierarchy. I had females that were top birds but usually didn't go out of their way to make everyone's life miserable.


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## sean (Nov 7, 2014)

This was my ameracauna that's acting a nut. We really like her but if she don't straighten up she has got to go.


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