# New Chickens



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Long story but I ended up with a 1.5 year Columbian Wyandotte. Decided a single chicken wasn't good so found three 14 week old Rhode Island Red/Easter Eggers. They are dark colored. I didn't see it but my husband said he saw the dark ones picking on the white one. Decided to finish my chicken project and bought a coop and 4 more chickens. Three are 15 weeks old and are Rhode Island Red, Buff Orpington and White Rock. The last one is a 9 week old Light Brahma.

Right now the chickens are in about an 8x10 area next to the goats. Everything seemed to be going well last night but now it seems like the 9 week old is getting picked on. Mainly by the 3 dark 14 week olds but the others do a little too. No blood has been drawn but the poor thing hides in a corner. She does get up and walk around when the others are laying down but I'm concerned if she will get enough food and water. I tried putting her by herself but she was more upset. 

So what do I do now? Do I let it work itself out or do I need to remove her and get a buddy her own age? I'm torn because it isn't a dire situation where she is being bloodied but I certainly don't want her to starve to death. I did peek in and saw she was walking around. 

In about a week or so I will be moving them into a 4x6 coop and they will have access to a small pasture. 

I've had chickens before but I've never mixed different ages from different places before.


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## MylieD (Sep 16, 2013)

I'd leave them and let them work it out. I think she'll be fine once they establish their pecking order.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I hope so. I feel so bad for her. I can't watch them every minute so I'm hoping she is eating and drinking.


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## ShireRidgeFarm (Sep 24, 2015)

Once the younger chicken grows a little more I think they'll all get along better. Putting up several different feeders with food would probably help ensure she gets something to eat, if that would work in your set up.


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## Greybird (May 14, 2014)

I agree about letting them work it out as long as she isn't being badly injured. Once the peck order is established she will be allowed to eat and drink in peace - it's just that she will have to be last in line.
As long as there's plenty of food and water she should be fine. Later on, when all of the chickens are fully adult, she might fight her way up the ladder, but for now she knows she's weaker and she should be willing to be the subordinate.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Should I get another young one so she can buddy up with someone or should it work out? It just breaks my heart to see her picked on. I did leave 2 feeders out for them.


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

Do you have places where she can hide if she needs to? I would keep her with them, but have pieces of osb or any solid scrap barrier propped up against the wall of the coop. Just something she can easily run behind if she needs to. A few of them would be best. "Out of sight out of mind." It would also help to add another feeder and waterer, hidden behind one of those barriers, if possible. 

After about a week or so, the order will be established and she will get more brave. The brahmas are extremely docile and let themselves get picked on a lot. Plus easter eggers and rhode islands are pretty active breed and grow/mature quite a bit faster than the slow growing brahma. She'll probably end up being friends with the Orpington, whose also a really calm breed.

Congrats on the Brahma though, I hope she pulls through! They are my absolute favorite breed, I'm slowly moving over to just brahmas, but chicken math keeps getting in the way.....have to have some easter eggers for the colored eggs.....same for the dark egg marans...a white egg or two sure does look nice in that egg carton....


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## ShireRidgeFarm (Sep 24, 2015)

I've honestly never seen any of our chickens have a real buddy... I would be just as concerned about the new friend picking on her as any of the others. Chickens just aren't nice to each other. 
We got new peeps this spring, mostly Buff Orpingtons and a few Polish Top Hats for fun. Several of the polish are a different color than the buffs, so the buffs pick on them. There is one buff polish and it is not picked on, as I guess the orpingtons think it's one of them... Fortunately, they are big enough to be outside now, with an acre or so to roam, and they're starting to work it out. But they were raised together all their lives and they still had to fight with each other.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

OK thanks. I'm probably putting too much human emotion into this. It has been a while since I had chickens and I had never brought in different ages together.


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

ShireRidgeFarm said:


> I've honestly never seen any of our chickens have a real buddy... I would be just as concerned about the new friend picking on her as any of the others. Chickens just aren't nice to each other.


I guess I've never really seen one have a buddy either, but they do seem to stay grouped with their brooder mates from what I've noticed. Not to derail this topic but I do have one exception, which kind of applies but kind of doesn't.

I have one call duck drake that was raised with a batch of chickens, him being the only duck. I only have one hen left from that group (all the rest were roosters) and that hen is that ducks best friend. He never leaves her side, he even gets up on the roost to sit with her at night lol! He completely ignores water (blasphemy, I know. for those of us that have raised ducks) and my other call ducks. I've never seen anything to assume that it's a romantic relationship but it's possible. He just think's he's a chicken and for some reason he's just attached to that one hen...always one step behind her. I've even seen him sit in front of the nest box while she lays a egg. :roll:


ShireRidgeFarm said:


> We got new peeps this spring, mostly Buff Orpingtons and a few Polish Top Hats for fun. Several of the polish are a different color than the buffs, so the buffs pick on them. There is one buff polish and it is not picked on, as I guess the orpingtons think it's one of them... Fortunately, they are big enough to be outside now, with an acre or so to roam, and they're starting to work it out. But they were raised together all their lives and they still had to fight with each other.


 When I had had polish, the others were just horrible to them. They would constantly pick on their head, that in addition to them constantly getting lost (one made it all the way to my neighbors almost a 1/4 mi away), was why I sold them off. They really are a hoot though, I'd like to get some again but have just a Polish pen/coop for them.


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## ShireRidgeFarm (Sep 24, 2015)

Lstein said:


> When I had had polish, the others were just horrible to them. They would constantly pick on their head, that in addition to them constantly getting lost (one made it all the way to my neighbors almost a 1/4 mi away), was why I sold them off. They really are a hoot though, I'd like to get some again but have just a Polish pen/coop for them.


 It seems like the Polish are always picked on! We never expected it to be a problem, but after we saw them getting their feathers picked we looked it up and there are lots of people who say the same thing. I think the buffs and polish are starting to get along now, though, but it's taken probably 2 or 3 weeks after putting them outside.


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## Greybird (May 14, 2014)

I think part of the problem might be due to crowding. If I did the math right, you have 8 chickens in an 8x10 space? As already suggested, some boards leaning against the side might help, or some low perches. For some reason, chickens don't seem to bother each other as much if they're off the ground - even if it's only by a foot or so. 

The 9 week old Brahma is very much a baby compared to the others, especially since they develop slowly. It will always seem a little slow and lazy compared to them because the breed's temperament is so different. Your other birds are dual-purpose production breeds, so they are very hardy and resilient (read: potentially extra snarky) while the Brahmas are gentle giants, praised mostly for their size and appearance. If you can find one, another Brahma might give him/her a more compatible companion. The two would probably tend to keep to themselves and not cause any trouble.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

So I got home from work today and the 9 week old was just out and about. So I think things will slowly work out. I do have roosts for them. I had a cut up ladder that I used for my other chickens so they all can roost at night. Of course they also fly up on the panels and roost there too. I think the 2 feeders helped as well.


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## catharina (Mar 17, 2016)

I've had chickens for 27 years & the only murder I had was a Silver Lace Wyandotte who killed a fancy Russian hen who had a special "hair-do" like the polish! It's weird chickens care about stuff like that when dogs & cats don't really seem to notice things like fur length. I had tried letting them "work it out"--never again! If a chicken gets pecked enough to have a bloody or raw red area you really have to step in because the others will never let up after that.

I put ones like that in a cage in the coop now so they can still see each other. There's also a product you can apply to chicken boo-boos that's pretty good. It's kind of tarry looking & smelling & it covers up the red to hide the injury from the other hens. Also probably tastes bad judging from the smell. I just can't remember if it's Pecker Wrecker or Rooster Booster brand. Incidentally Pecker Wrecker also sells a hanging seed block to give them something else to peck. Extra food & water dishes are a great idea too.


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## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

Lstein said:


> I guess I've never really seen one have a buddy either, but they do seem to stay grouped with their brooder mates from what I've noticed. Not to derail this topic but I do have one exception, which kind of applies but kind of doesn't.
> 
> I have one call duck drake that was raised with a batch of chickens, him being the only duck. I only have one hen left from that group (all the rest were roosters) and that hen is that ducks best friend. He never leaves her side, he even gets up on the roost to sit with her at night lol! He completely ignores water (blasphemy, I know. for those of us that have raised ducks) and my other call ducks. I've never seen anything to assume that it's a romantic relationship but it's possible. He just think's he's a chicken and for some reason he's just attached to that one hen...always one step behind her. I've even seen him sit in front of the nest box while she lays a egg. :roll:
> When I had had polish, the others were just horrible to them. They would constantly pick on their head, that in addition to them constantly getting lost (one made it all the way to my neighbors almost a 1/4 mi away), was why I sold them off. They really are a hoot though, I'd like to get some again but have just a Polish pen/coop for them.


Awesome! Hens are great, and what a duck story! Love it! Waiting while she lays her egg!!! Sweet!

Polish are goofier than I thought! Hens are so fun! I love the hens!


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## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

*Polish chickens silkies and pecking*



catharina said:


> I've had chickens for 27 years & the only murder I had was a Silver Lace Wyandotte who killed a fancy Russian hen who had a special "hair-do" like the polish! It's weird chickens care about stuff like that when dogs & cats don't really seem to notice things like fur length. I had tried letting them "work it out"--never again! If a chicken gets pecked enough to have a bloody or raw red area you really have to step in because the others will never let up after that.
> 
> I put ones like that in a cage in the coop now so they can still see each other. There's also a product you can apply to chicken boo-boos that's pretty good. It's kind of tarry looking & smelling & it covers up the red to hide the injury from the other hens. Also probably tastes bad judging from the smell. I just can't remember if it's Pecker Wrecker or Rooster Booster brand. Incidentally Pecker Wrecker also sells a hanging seed block to give them something else to peck. Extra food & water dishes are a great idea too.


Right on! Always keep them busy, especially in small quarters or if/when weather is bad! Driving rain, snowstorms, ... In critical times like winter, I attempt entertainment options, snack challenges, ...shovel snow away, ...anything to avoid them getting so bored that they peck one another! Hens are each girl for themselves, most of the time! Hilarious -but cruel too!

BLOOD! Stay away from blood! They will kill and they really aren't that mean of an animal!

But Polish, and for sure Silkies, lack good vision! So, keep in mind with obstructed (fuzzy in front or surrounding the eyeball) eyes, have vision limitations! I believe silkies actually have poor vision, but I could be wrong. I think polish are similar, or maybe just dingy looking!

Neither bird is very good in cold weather though.

Our 7 hens are currently on strike from laying!. We have yet to figure out why, as they were great, then boom, no eggs!

It's always something!:think:


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## catharina (Mar 17, 2016)

More about the entertainment & snack challenges please!::


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

You know those balls that babies stick different shaped blocks in? You can find them at second hand stores. You can stick fruits and squashes inside that are too big to come out the holes. They have to chase the ball around and peck the food out.


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## Steampunked (Mar 23, 2015)

Two feeders are great for reducing chicken aggression. I had a white one - an albino wyandotte that my partner picked up. He knows my views on white chickens, but he's a softie, and since she was featherless, he grabbed her. :shock:

Of course, she got monstered, but we have two feeders. She did get terribly picked on - she was featherless because the others pecked her. I had to use spray on antibiotic, a sort of blu-kote to reduce the blood. Now she's bigger than the others and tells the rooster where to go. Chickens will peck at red.

Some great boredom busters are to take any cabbage or lettuce which is too far gone for humans and hang it up in the pen just out of chicken reach - they jump for it.

Very enterprising Americans sometimes reuse all the worst roadkill (like skunk) by putting it in a big tin can with holes in it strung up for flies to lay in - the maggots are consumed by curious chooks, and you can convert horrid meat into safe chicken feed.

Millet is great, as is any seed-head such as big old sunflower heads, again strung up just above reach.

I've had luck reducing chicken aggression by providing a big visual barrier that upset chickens can dodge around - almost anything will do. Out of sight is out of mind for them.

A good boredom buster with little energy required from the human is to use very seed-ridden hay and put down a heavy layer. In order to get the seeds, they must scratch through it.

Half a pumpkin, or half a watermelon can keep interest a long while. When it's pecked dry, you can wet it and toss grass seed on it and go around again.

(As a note - Silkies here are often in good in wet and soaking weather, but apparently that is a strain issue - our silkies have mostly been bred outdoors and must survive whatever comes, so they are by nature a bit tougher and cope with being wet a lot. I know that American imports are viewed poorly in Silkies but greatly desired in other breeds - our silkies are much stronger, but many of our other breeds are painfully inbred and people are _desperate _to import American lines of many traditionals).


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## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

*Treats and entertainment All great ideas! The backyard chicken website has discussef*



Steampunked said:


> Two feeders are great for reducing chicken aggression. I had a white one - an albino wyandotte that my partner picked up. He knows my views on white chickens, but he's a softie, and since she was featherless, he grabbed her. :shock:
> 
> Of course, she got monstered, but we have two feeders. She did get terribly picked on - she was featherless because the others pecked her. I had to use spray on antibiotic, a sort of blu-kote to reduce the blood. Now she's bigger than the others and tells the rooster where to go. Chickens will peck at red.
> 
> ...


Love the ideas! Backyard chicken site has mentioned some of these as well!

Maybe we could exchange some of your tougher Australian Silkies for some of our traditional hens! . That would be sweet! I know our silkies didn't like the cold winters and snow here!


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