Hello to everyone!
I've lately got three new girls to my flock. A Welsummer, an Araucana and a White Star. The White Star must be much, much younger than the two others as the Araucana started laying the very next day (although only half size of my grown ups). The White Star still makes the baby peeping noise (how do you call that in English?) and is not even half the size of the Araucana, that's why I assume, it cannot be much more than 10 weeks if compared to my two chicks I had. The poor little thing gets pecked from the two bigger ones I got with her as well as from one of the original flock (who is not even Your Highness Queen Chicken) so it started hiding underneath our garden furnitures that I keep on a wooden pallet covered with a tarpaulin outside. The first time they were allowed to free range I was really shocked as it just did disappear until I found it underneath in the hay, that's laying there as it is a hiding place of our dwarf rabbit.
Yesterday, I brought it finally inside as I am not sure it gets a chance to eat and drink enough due to the pecking, so I kept it inside for a while until I have seen that it has eaten and stopped on its own. Same today. But I am worried, if I keep taking it inside for longer, until it has grown up a bit more, it will be completely left out and introducing it to the flock will become even more difficult.
Our plumber keeps chicken and said, he would take the new ones at night, including the little one, into the coop of the others so the next day they might think, the little one belonged to them all the time, but I was too worried, if I put it inside with then 8 bigger ones, by the time I come to feed it is already mince meat.
What could I do to make it easier for the little fellow? Any ideas? Would this anti-feather-pecking spray help? And do I have to spray it only on this one?
I am grateful for any advise! Thank you!
Neelam
P.S: Having them for about a week now, might be important to you.