Pecking Order Can Be Tricky With New Flock

Chris from Fort Collins sent me an e-mail the other day with a good question.
Although he did lose several of his chickens during the summer to predators, his biggest problem was replacing the ones he lost without the resident hens pecking the newcomers to death. He has been through two separate sets of replacement hens. His surviving hens attacked and eventually pecked to death the new ones he put in the coop. The chicks he bought and put in the coop lasted less than two days. The older pullets he bought actually faired worse than that. What do you do when you need to add to the flock?

First, not all hens are created equal when it comes to being Miss Congeniality. Some breeds are downright nasty to newbies, others are accepting. I've found that the Rhode Island Red and the Red Star breeds, although excellent layers, are vicious when it comes to adding new birds to the flock. They will gang up and kill new birds unless precautions are taken to prevent it.

Other breeds, such as the Silki and Sultan, are passive and have been known to adopt younger birds and take care of them. Most other breeds fall somewhere in the middle.
Hens are territorial. Most hens will peck at a newcomer. They literally are establishing the pecking order.

If one of the hens gets bloody, there almost is a guarantee that the bloodied bird will be set upon by the flock and eventually killed.

Chickens are attracted to spots of blood and will keep pecking until huge wounds are opened. Cannibalism ensues. In order to prevent injuries and death when adding new birds, hen owners can do the following:

> Try to stay away from aggressive breeds, such as the Rhode Island Red and Red Star.

> Have plenty of obstacles in the way of direct line of sight. A few bales of straw set here and there will give the new bird a place to run should another bird attack.

> Have several feeding and watering stations.

> Most importantly, if one of the birds gets bloodied, immediately remove it from the flock. Apply antiseptic powder until the red spot is no longer visible. Do not put the injured bird back with the flock if there is any hint of blood anywhere on it.

> Also very important, if possible, remove all existing birds from the coop, put the new ones in for a few days and then put the old birds back with the new ones. This way, territoriality is eliminated and pecking is greatly diminished.

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