Topic: need help with my new chickens!!!

[gunnerbee]

We brought 2 chickens for the garden, then my hubby brought another the next day, a different breed, the first two bully this new one and im a bit worried about her, they dont pluck her feathers or anything, but there seems to be a dominant female, then the other and the new one, They seem to shut her out  ALL the time and she spends her life away from them under the bottom of the chicken coup, now im wondering if i should  get one more of the same bullied breed to even the numbers out or will they settle eventually??? HELP. Thanks in advance for any answers. Sarah xxx

[gunnerbee]

Sorry, we have only had them a week! Cheers.

[kenkew]

Your bossy bird will resent any new intro. It's nothing to do with breed. Bossy will have a go at newby if newby gets too close. Watch out for bossy pecking the back and tail of newby. Newby will either learn to stay out of the way or, if there isn't the space to allow that, newby will retreat into herself and possibly stop eating.
One thing you could try is shouting at bossy with your back to newby. Bossy will get the message that there are bossier people than her.
Are any of them laying yet?

[kenkew]

Most I had at one time was 200. Mostly Rhodies and Sussex but a few not so common ones too. All free running and tucked up every night, even lifting some of the lazy ones up on to the perch! I used to supply a large part of my village with free range hen eggs with the deepest yellowest yolks you could imagine.
Edpisseena Curry and her salmon-on-melon egg scare put me out of biz....!

[loz]

Hi Gunnerbee

What breeds are they?  Bantams or large fowl?  Some breeds are more timid.

Bullying usually settles once the pecking order is established, although smaller birds may be knocked away from food and suffer in the short term.

Loz