It’s changing seasons here in Maine and the chill in the air is crisp and wonderful! It’s the time of year New Englanders begin thinking about colorful tree leaves, spiced cider, patterned sweaters, and a few more chickens for their coop. This year we’re all thinking about food security and it’s the perfect time to add a few more pullets or hens. But how do you transition those new birds to your current flock? And how do you deal with any chicken bullies? We’re going to share helpful tips we follow.
Chicken nature crash course
Not all chicken breeds are highly territorial, but some are little terrors. When we look up personality traits on breeds, we can usually figure out which breeds are worst when we see the word “aggression.” Keep in mind, also that an aggressive rooster is an entirely different problem from chicken bullies.
All chickens, however, have what’s called a “pecking order” which is how the flock collectively figures out who is in charge, and who is not. You may notice, if you’ve got a multi-breed flock, certain breeds are always highest in that order.
For example, a Buckeye hen is generally going to be higher in the pecking order than a Legbar hen simply due to their breed personalities and characteristics. Legbars are chill, small birds and Buckeyes are big, ravenous foragers. Within flocks, older chickens are usually in charge simply due to size. As you’ll see in this picture above, one of our Buckeye hens decided that she didn’t like that little Buckeye pullet and tried to attack it. This happened during a photoshoot and we kept the little one safe. That hen was given a gentle scolding to go about her business.
Chickens test the current pecking order regularly to continuously mold the hierarchy. Knowing this helps us understand not everything that seems like bullying leads to injuries. We can watch this happen when a broody hatched chick grows up in the flock. Mom adores it for a few months, then it’ll get pecked or chased by mom and flock members to keep it in it’s place; and finally it grows enough to say ‘no’ to bullying. It may even go from lowest in ranking to top bird.
Tips for a stress-free transition:
Stress creates a true chicken bully (who injures other birds). We see this first hand when shipped chicks arrive home and attack each other’s eyes or toes a few days after settling into the brooder. Stress creates havoc in numerous ways in your established flock as well, and when you introduce new birds the pecking order is disrupted. The birds have to figure out the new order. Change is stressful.
- Introduce new birds in a cage/pen separate but right next to or within the coop. This allows the other birds to get to know them without any injuries (some breeds are extremely territorial). Let them get acquainted a few days to a week before releasing the new birds into a flock. If this isn’t possible, or when it’s time to add the new birds, put your new ones in with the flock at night because there will be less stress when the birds are already sleepy and it’s dark.
- Be sure there’s extra food and water (even extra feeders help) for the first week the new chickens are in the run/coop. Make sure there’s adequate shelter and comfort for everyone (crowding is a big stressor).
- Apple cider vinegar or oregano oil can help your chickens cope with stressful situations. ACV ratio is one tablespoon per gallon of drinking water. Always use the manufacturer’s directions for supplementing oregano. Note: Don’t mix ACV into galvanized containers as it corrodes them and it may leach chemicals.
Always watch for chicken bullies. Unless your new bird is injured, it’s better to remove the bully than to take out the new bird(s). If you do get an injury, take the injured bird to rehab quietly. Never keep the bully with the injured bird, of course.
What to do with the a chicken bully?
1) Isolate any chicken bullies in that same transition pen you used earlier and integrate that bird back into the flock after a few days.
2) If they are still being aggressive, isolate them longer. Generally two weeks is the most we’ve ever had to isolate. Make sure they have food, water, and positive human attention. That stressed out bully might be feeling pretty run down.
3) If you’re still having trouble with a chicken bully, the bird may be injured and it’s time to investigate further. Remove it from the flock again and look it over carefully for injuries or sickness. If one chicken is bullied by everyone else, look it over for injuries and sickness also.
4) If you ruled out sickness and injury, give it more time to adjust to the new flock dynamics (keeping a sharp eye out for injuries in the flock), rehome it, put it in another pen/flock, or if all else fails cull it for coq-au-vin.
If you have tricks and tips that work for chicken bullies, leave a comment below! If you ever have questions on chickens you’ve purchased from us or just need to ask some advice, send an email to hatchery@chiseldcreekfarm.com and we love to help however we can.