New chickens

[AdorableAlice]

Most people have toasters and tea service's for wedding presents. I had 2 point of lay chickens.

I put them in with the two old chickens, leaving the new one's in a cage for a few hours. Once let go all hell let loose and the 2 new birds fled to the top of the chicken house, remaining there for a week.

Today I forced the husband to make the large chicken run into a semi detached residence - stop laughing !! The new birds came down when they realised they were not going to be beaten up.

How long does it normally take for everything to settle down and is there anything else I can do ? and yes I know, eggs in Tesco are cheap !

 

[AengusOg]

They won't settle down. There will always be a degree of pecking and squabbling. The term 'pecking order' comes from the hierarchy-based relationships in chicken coops.

 

[AdorableAlice]

Thank you, there was a degree of squabbling when we did the alterations to the coop between me and him indoors.

 

[Honey08]

Ours settle down. It usually takes two or three weeks. They need plenty of space to avoid one another outside and a few feed/water points. And various shelter points in bad weather in case they're blocked out of the coop by a bossy hen (dustbins on their sides work well). Mealworms as distractions are great too.

Once they've established the pecking order and bottom hens have accepted it, things settle..

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Most people have toasters and tea service's for wedding presents. I had 2 point of lay chickens.

I put them in with the two old chickens, leaving the new one's in a cage for a few hours. Once let go all hell let loose and the 2 new birds fled to the top of the chicken house, remaining there for a week.

Today I forced the husband to make the large chicken run into a semi detached residence - stop laughing !! The new birds came down when they realised they were not going to be beaten up.

How long does it normally take for everything to settle down and is there anything else I can do ? and yes I know, eggs in Tesco are cheap !

My mum has just got 4 chickens about 4 weeks ago, they are about 8 months old and the eggs are quite small. She is finding it hard as she broke her pelvis a few weeks back to bend down and clean them ( 89 yo). I told her as I have a 2 liveries with chickens, that they need time to settle and it is coming to end of egg laying

hers did not all come from same place and she did not really have squabbles, I guess like horses give them time they will sort it out.

 

[D66]

We put new hens in a dog cage inside the henhouse, (as opposed to the run), with their own food and water for a couple of days to inhibit the very worst behaviour. There is always some pecking and bullying going on but a cockerel in the group does help to keep them in order.

*Feminist hat firmly locked in cupboard whilst I type this*

 

[Honey08]

Ps congratulations and what a lovely present!

 

[Fides]

If I add chickens I add the least aggressive of the current chickens in with the new ones and then add the others one by one. Always add old to new, not new to old and it minimises squabbling...

 

[debsflo]

mine usually settle down over the first week or so.