Putting together a new flock is not easy and requires patience. We bought two young hens (less than a year old) on a Thursday, and two more hens (10 months old) on a Monday. By then, the first set of two had decided that the coop was THEIRS!!!!!! They did not want any more flock mates. Period!
We bought the first two from a lady that had hand raised them. One, a speckled Sussex was quite striking and the other, a barred rock a nice, healthy hen. Barred rocks are great layers. She wanted them to stay together as they were very bonded.
We brought the two hens home and put them in their new pen. They were a happy pair, scratching in the dirt, dust bathing, and laying in their new nest boxes. Sadly, during those few days, they became very territorial over their new abode.
On the Monday of the next week, we bought two more pretty hens, also 10 months old. This was from a lady who had a chicken-and-egg farm in the south side of the county. I bought a Buff Orpington (love that breed) and a black Easter Egger with the most striking coloring. They were a bit smaller than the first hens I had bought and appeared less mature.
On the first evening, we put Team #2, the Buff Orpington and the Easter Egger, on the roost after dark. In the morning, there was chaos. Chasing, pecking, squawking! In the past week, there were times during the day when things seemed quiet, but yesterday I watched on the hencam as Zelda (the Easter Egger) was literally dragged from the nest box when she was trying to lay her pretty blue-green egg. I am “chicken savvy” enough to know that they are establishing their “pecking order”. But I’ve also had the experience of dealing with hens that are quite vicious. It may or may not work with these four pretty girls.
