Any chicken whisperers on PA?

[Mesophilic]

I've got 3 leghorn hens that are about 8 month old. Decided to add two more 3 month old hens (don't know the breed).

The alphs hen torments them and the new hens won't leave the roost.  They're completely terrified.   If I force them in to general population, the alpha hen tries to attack them even if I'm holding them.

Straight up prison gang stuff going on in my coop.

I'm afraid the new hens are not getting any food or water. If I leave some of each in the roost, the older hens come in and eat the food and knock over the water.  I was able to lock the older hens in the roost on Sunday, give the younger hens a chance to get some nourishment and sunlight for a little while.

My wife and kid are city folks and vehemently against me butchering the alpha. And we can't have a rooster in town limits.

Any tips?

[bjrogg]

Afraid I’m not a chicken whisperer, but we had meat chickens when I was a kid. We would get 100 chicks every spring.

I’m hoping for the best for your hens, but remember the old saying. They picked on them like a bunch of chickens. They can definitely make the prison stuff look mild in comparison.

If they see a speck of blood on one of those hens, I’m afraid it could be a ghastly scene for your kids and wife. They will eat them alive. I would try to explain this to your family and if they still won’t do something with the aggressive hens at least they won’t be so shocked if it happens.

Good luck with your chickens. I think it’s good people raise some critters and experience the joys and hardships of raising them.

One thing I learned a long time ago. People aren’t the only critters with social problems.   

Best of luck to you

Bjrogg

[Mesophilic]

Thanks, appreciate the advice.  Warned the family this morning,  and reiterated that these are NOT pets and I have sole discretion on any decisions.  But we'll try to separate and see what happens for now.  I'll have to put the smaller birds in a dog crate, as I'm not going to build an entire separate coop.

[TimBo]

It's been a while since we had chickens, and there were never such severe pecking order issues, but I think separating them and letting the 3 month old pullets grow a bit bigger might help.  If that fails, chicken soup is pretty tasty in the winter, and old hens make awfully good soup...

[WhistlingBadger]

When we had chickens, I never put up with behavior problems.  I had a rooster that would come at me every morning when I tried to feed the flock, and drive away any hens that tried to be friendly.  We finally came to an agreement:  You keep your distance, and I won't bounce the steel dog bowl off your head.  That worked for a couple weeks.  Then one day he got loose and went after my four-year-old daughter.  He was delicious.

[Mesophilic]

We'll it appears my bird are just pure evil.  So the younger hens have been relocated, and in the process a big hen just showed up wanting in my coop.  Short version...I'm sending the stray hen off with a family in the mountains to a better flock.  My hens tormented her so badly that I even felt a little bad for her.

[BowEd]

I think it's best to start out with the while group from chicks.
With the way prices have gone up on eggs we will be getting a bunch of chicks next spring.
The plan has to submerg the cost to feed them though.Free ranging is an option too if you don't have too many predators around.

[Pappy]

Funny I was thinking of you yesterday morning while hunting, I was watching a bunch of her Turkeys feeding in a large cut bean field and I mean a bunch of Turkey, they were on each other like white in rice, especially the bigger ones, they would flog and fight ever time the smaller ones got close, kind of comical to watch but probably not so much for the smaller ones. I though sure some of them were going to kill each other, guess it's not only people that can't get along. 
 Pappy

[Hawkdancer]

Memory is bit faded with time, but when I was about 4 or so, we had chickens and I was feeding them, one seemed to not like me or my bantam rooster, started pecking at me, a solid whack with a half full feed bucket solved the problem!  but that as nearly 78 years ago!  Btw, we got 50 unsexed chicks, 49 roosters and 1 hen - there was a big chicken dinner for the neighborhood!
Hawkdancer

[JW_Halverson]

Maybe pen up the bossy old hen for a few weeks to let the rest of the flock work things out. By the time she gets out maybe her loss of status will calm things down?

[Mesophilic]

Maybe pen up the bossy old hen for a few weeks to let the rest of the flock work things out. By the time she gets out maybe her loss of status will calm things down?

I had thought of this and probably would've tried it, bit with winter here, I don't have anywhere to put her except an old wire dog crate.  I just don't have the time or patience right now, so sent the younger hens back to my friend's coop.  Maybe we'll try again when they're bigger and the weather is warmer.  Or maybe I'll fake a raccoon attack, and put the alpha in the freezer...just can't let my kid ever find out 

[sleek]

We raise chickens. Older chickens will kill any new combers. You must introduce them slowly. We keep the new ones after they are full grown in a dog crate inside the coop with the older flock. They scope eachother out for about a week, until they are more acquainted. Then they are let loose to be with the general population. They still get pecked at but not lethally. They got to warm up to eachother or you will have a masacre.