urgent advice needed...HEEELP

[hellymelly]

Have another thread going about this ("when to introduce new chicken") but things have reached an urgent state.
so to sum up- our chicken dotty has been alone for 8 weeks, perfectly happy, laying etc. We've been waiting for a chick to be old enough to bring home. Brought her here on Friday, out them in together, looked hopeful at first but the bullying of the young one by Dot is now really bad and the little one is terrified. So do we

1. Take the young one back to the breeder and keep Dotty alone.

1. Try getting another youngster, so we have three, in the hope that evens things out a bit.

3. Swap the young one for a Two year old (different breed, or we would have done that to start with, ideally we want the same breed but they are all a few months old) I feel really attatched to the new one, she is very nice, but will take her back if its the best thing for her

Where are all you fab chicken people- out feeding chicks and cleaning coops? Have now put Dot back in her home and the new one in the cat box. Rather quieter, but need to sort this out today- the breeder is at a show tomorrow.

I would go for 2 or 3, intoduce a new one at night, make sure that there are several feeding/water stations and hiding places (be careful no-one can get trapped) and let them get on with it. They bully for a while and then settle.

Have gone for getting a third, put the two new ones in last night, but Dotty is bullying them horribly today. I don't know how to make hiding places, so any advice welcome. At the moment the first youngster we put in is in a nestbox, terrified, and the other is in a corner with her face to the wall, terrified, while beastly Dotty struts about like a third world dictator. If they move, she chases them until she traps the poor unfortunate and then pecks her. DH has just gone to get a homoeopathic remedy the vet suggested might help, but we are going to put the new ones in a run next to Dotty so that she can see them but not attack, and see if that helps get her used to the idea of companions.
Vet also suggested an anti peck spray, but it is unpleasant for the sprayed chicken as they try to groom and get the vile taste of the spray, so not ideal.

We went through this when we tried to introduce some bantams to our barnevelders. In the end we've gone for separate runs (sorry)

I just posted on your old thread hoping that it would be good news this morning.
I think putting another run alongside is a good idea, have asked around my hen friends and they have introduced new ones at dusk and luckily not had the upsetting problems you are having.
Sorry no advice but lots of sympathy

Another thing that you could try is taking out the bully for a few days - she could be kept (very temporarily) in a rabbit hutch or whatever you have got - cooking pot? - so that the house and run becomes the territory of the new chickens, then returning her.

Oh, ok that is something to think of then- I assumed that if I removed the younger ones she might get used to seeing them and be less aggressive when we put them together. Hadn't thought of moving her out. (we are going to borrow another run) Although the new ones are so much younger than her, I don't think their status is going to go up as she is the big mature chicken at the moment. So will have to weigh up who to evict!