Introducing peafowl chicks: Question

[HStevens]

Hello, all! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! I have two - four month old peachicks that I am trying to introduce to the rest of the flock. They will be green spaulding x india blue pied (whatever that is, hah!). My pen is 25x20x16(tall) . I am able to divide this pen with panels -- I moved the chicks into part of the pen for a little over two weeks. Letting the adult birds and chicks be around each other but not able to actually interact. Everyone could see one another. I slowly started letting the birds mingle. I would just go out and move the divider and then watch and see how they interacted. NOT GREAT! I have done this for about a week hoping that slowly they would become more friendly with eachother. I have 3 adults in that pen. Two hens and a male. The only problem is my green hen. She absolutley terroizes those little birds. I know peachicks are really hard to raise so I would be devastated if somehow my hen ended up killing one. She got my littlest chick pretty good today. I have them seperated back now. I am wondering if now that she has flogged the chicks if she's created the pecking order and will leave them alone or if my only option is to build a new pen for my chicks. I don't want to go that route because I plan to keep them and I am not sure what genders they are. I don't want a brother and sister together. Please advise! I attached a pic of my little chicks neck. Does this look okay or should I treat it with something? I don't want it to become infected.

 

[KsKingBee]

When I get a pecked head like that I put Blu-Kote on it and that stops the other chicks from pecking it. Some mature hens, especially Spalding can be real holy terrors when trying to get along with other birds. If I were in your situation I would put a blinder, (peeper) on her.

 

[Midnightman14]

I would not attempt to introduce chicks under a year old to well established groups.

 

[KsKingBee]

I would not attempt to introduce chicks under a year old to well-established groups.

It can be done. Because of limited space in my grow-out pens, I had to put chicks into nine of my breeder pens, some as few as five and up to twenty chicks per breeding group. Two of the pens were mid to high Spalding breeders, I was a bit concerned with those two pens but there were no problems at all. We didn't have any pecking, a couple of the hens instated their dominance but quickly stopped.

 

[discerning]

It can be done. Because of limited space in my grow-out pens, I had to put chicks into nine of my breeder pens, some as few as five and up to twenty chicks per breeding group. Two of the pens were mid to high Spalding breeders, I was a bit concerned with those two pens but there were no problems at all. We didn't have any pecking, a couple of the hens instated their dominance but quickly stopped. View attachment 3291171

Lucky , I recently introduced a six month old into a pen of four adults they would not let it eat. I had to remove the bird

 

[Midnightman14]

If you're going to try it I always introduce newbies in groups of at least three (the more the better). I don't advocate for it as stated earlier but in an emergency sometimes you gotta pick your poison. Doing groups seems to cause so much confusion and chaos among the established birds that they don't know who the newbies are.

 

[KsKingBee]

If you're going to try it I always introduce newbies in groups of at least three (the more the better). I don't advocate for it as stated earlier but in an emergency sometimes you gotta pick your poison. Doing groups seems to cause so much confusion and chaos among the established birds that they don't know who the newbies are.

Groups are better, singles get pecked on more.