bonding new peeps and adjusting

[Sandra Verbreyt]

Hello my fellow chicken owners. I need some advice. Lots.
My Silkie Margo died which left Ruby alone and sad and missing Margo terribly.
Yesterday we bought two new Silkies, Winnie and Sally.
We put them into the coup last night with Ruby and all seemed well. However this morning when we let them out Ruby began attacking Sally (the smallest of the two Silkies). We have now segregated Ruby from the two new peeps but with fencing that they can still see eachother and peck through for food but cannot get close enough to fight. What can I do to make them be friends?
Also Winnie and Sally will not walk around the chicken pen but are just sitting huddled together in the corner. They have the coup to go into and food and water but are just huddling together and its raining so I went and put them into the coup where it is dry but I left the door open for if they want to come out. Is this normal behaviour from my new peeps? Is this because they are in a new environment? How long does it usually take for them to adjust and to start exploring their new surroundings. Two questions for you all so please as much advice as possible will be much appreciated. Thankyou

 

[DobieLover]

Chickens hate change. So any change you make will take time for them to adjust to.
Chickens also don't like interlopers. Regardless of the fact that Ruby was left all alone when Margo died, Winnie and Sally are new and she is going to let them know who runs the show around there.
What breed is Ruby? Is she also a Silkie?
New birds should always be quarantined before beginning integration to a flock, even a flock of one as you ended up with. That ship has sailed but now you need to integrate these adult birds. A proper integration requires LOTS OF SPACE, places to hide and get away from the upper ranking members, multiple feed and water stations and lots of time.
It takes literally weeks to months for a full integration to develop. Winnie and Sally are staying huddled away from Ruby because Ruby is pummeling them. This is why you need lots of space and places they can hide. If they can't get away when the other chicken runs them off, the other chicken can really injure them.

 

[Ridgerunner]

How old are they? This sounds a lot like introducing immature chickens to mature adults.

How much room, in meters, do you have in the coop and run? Lack of room can make integration harder.

 

[aart]

Here's some tip about.....
Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.
Good ideas for hiding places:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

 

[Mrs. K]

Yes a new environment is very intimidating to a chicken. Just recently I started over with older hens, but added them to an empty coop/run, and really I was surprised at how discombobulated they really were for several days. Chickens do not like change.

I am thinking there is a size difference in your birds which is a good thing. Create a one way fence, where as the chicks can go into an area of safety, that the bigger bird cannot follow. If you start with the chicks totally fenced off from the older girl, like you have now. Wait a week, Then take the older girl out of the set up, maybe put her in the yard, or a dog carrier. Then raise up the fence so that it is high enough off the ground that the chicks can pass under it effortlessly. Then put them and the food on the big girls side. Let them explore, after a bit, give them a mock chase, so they go back to the safety zone.

At dark, add the old girl back to the set up. The one way fence, lets birds work it out on their terms, not human terms. When the chicks get brave, they will venture forth, when the old girl has had enough, she will indicate it, and they will scurry back to the safe place. A week later you can remove the fence.

The problem with human intervention is you keep having to start over. Each time you separate them, you start over.

Mrs K

 

[Sandra Verbreyt]

Chickens hate change. So any change you make will take time for them to adjust to.
Chickens also don't like interlopers. Regardless of the fact that Ruby was left all alone when Margo died, Winnie and Sally are new and she is going to let them know who runs the show around there.
What breed is Ruby? Is she also a Silkie?
New birds should always be quarantined before beginning integration to a flock, even a flock of one as you ended up with. That ship has sailed but now you need to integrate these adult birds. A proper integration requires LOTS OF SPACE, places to hide and get away from the upper ranking members, multiple feed and water stations and lots of time.
It takes literally weeks to months for a full integration to develop. Winnie and Sally are staying huddled away from Ruby because Ruby is pummeling them. This is why you need lots of space and places they can hide. If they can't get away when the other chicken runs them off, the other chicken can really injure them.

Thankyou for your advice. Ruby has the run of the whole garden but my new peeps who have been renamed Penny and Poppy have some fencing dividing them from Ruby. However they continue to hide under a bench in their pen even though Ruby can not get to them even if she wanted to. However, at night they all sleep together in the same coop and there is never any trouble (of course they are all sleeping and it is dark). Do you think I should remove the fencing and let Penny and Poppy also have the garden to run free in with Ruby or is it still too soon to let the 3 of them be together? The first time they met Ruby jumped on Poppy and was a bit aggressive towards her. Poppy is the smallest of the two new peeps.

 

[DobieLover]

Thankyou for your advice. Ruby has the run of the whole garden but my new peeps who have been renamed Penny and Poppy have some fencing dividing them from Ruby. However they continue to hide under a bench in their pen even though Ruby can not get to them even if she wanted to. However, at night they all sleep together in the same coop and there is never any trouble (of course they are all sleeping and it is dark). Do you think I should remove the fencing and let Penny and Poppy also have the garden to run free in with Ruby or is it still too soon to let the 3 of them be together? The first time they met Ruby jumped on Poppy and was a bit aggressive towards her. Poppy is the smallest of the two new peeps.

You can let them out and monitor. If there is lots of room to escape they should be okay.
As long as no (or very little) blood is drawn, continue to just monitor.
You haven't had the new birds very long and they need lots of time to adjust. It takes weeks, not days.

 

[Sandra Verbreyt]

You can let them out and monitor. If there is lots of room to escape they should be okay.
As long as no (or very little) blood is drawn, continue to just monitor.
You haven't had the new birds very long and they need lots of time to adjust. It takes weeks, not days.

Thankyou for all your advice. My girls are now all running round the garden and are best of friends. Great to watch. Thankyou so much again for all the advice given