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Keep them in the new coop for about 3 days and/or up to 3 weeks. Give it at least 3 days before you introduce them to their run. Chickens, like many other pet-type animals, can remember the location of their food and water. Unlike cats and dogs, they won't venture down the street. While you make sure your coop is large enough for new residents, outfit it with treats, distractions, and other tricks to minimize fuss and bullying.
When your newly hatched chicks reach the age of 18 weeks, they are ready to be integrated into your existing poultry. Avoid mixing chickens less than 18 weeks old with existing hens that are laying. Before you start introducing your chickens to each other, you need to make sure their living area is suitable for the new flock.
PROVIDE DISTRACTIONS
The best way to introduce new chickens to your existing flock is to let them free-range first. Some of your birds would greet the new chickens they meet. Hi Staci, It seems that anytime you put a hen back in with other hens, they have to re-establish the pecking order. You can remove her and do the pen within a pen and hopefully it will be better when you combine them again. Or, you can put her back with the chicks, she shouldn’t hurt them since she’s only been gone two days. I think I’d keep her where she is and see if they don’t work things out.
What should I do remove her and do the pen in a pen for now. She has been with them since they were born she is one of my oldest hens. My pen is very large and she can get away but I’m worried they will gang up on her and hurt if not kill her. Should I remove her for now back with her chicks or will she hurt them since she has been separated for almost 2 days. Keep in mind that chickens may be difficult and territorial, and introducing chickens to your flock will be challenging. However, with sufficient safeguards, there are things you can do to make it easier.
Separate the bully
Any wild flock has a behavior of driving away newcomers who they don’t recognize as members. Pecking, intimidation, and bullying are all frequent actions. For instance, your coop may not allow space for a caged area in the corner. Feel free to adjust to your specific needs and environment as you see fit. If a small amount of blood is present on the comb, I usually keep a close eye but try to make sure it doesn’t escalate. If more than a few spots appear, I remove the bird but try to keep it close to the flock so they can continue to see the bird.
You want to wait until they’re old enough to defend themselves. Wait until your chicks are around 18 weeks old, eating layer feed rather than starter or grower feed, and the same size as the rest of the flock. Then you can introduce them just as you would any other adult chickens. The rooster took to her instantly mounting her and all that good stuff.. The other hens won’t let the new one on the perch we have for them even though it’d big enough for all of them.. We didn’t give our new one a chance to get used to her new surroundings first..
Look, don’t touch
You may be forced to remove one of the roosters or separate the birds into two distinct flocks. It’s generally easier to sneak an immature rooster in with a couple of hens, then let the two roosters work things out as the youngster matures. So, regardless of whether I’m introducing hens or roosters, I construct a separate pen within the existing pen.
There is another option that some flock owners have found to be effective if the above steps do not work. At the end of the day, when your current flock has gone to roost, you can place the newly added chickens in the coop with the others, even on the roost. When daybreak arrives, the new members are there, and, in most cases, the others accept them and carry on with their day. Hi, we had 3 Isa browns a couple of years old, but something got into their run and killed 2 of them and now we just have the one hen remaining. First priority obviously is reinforcing the run to keep the remaining hen safe, but we don’t want her to be on her own. Any tips for introducing new chicks to just one older hen rather than a flock?
OTHER TIPS
When they outgrow their container in two to three weeks, place them in a brooder cage with a heat lamp. Obviously, you don’t want to mix aggressive breeds with gentle ones. Aside from temperament, make sure to have new chickens that match your current flock’s physical traits. That’s what’s going to happen right in your backyard if you hastily add a new Silkie, Rhode Island Red, or any chicken breed to your existing flock.
If you choose not to free-range your flock but keep them in a run, you can still apply the same process. Let the newest flock members enter first, then let the older flock members enter, and let them greet the younger flock members in their own time. You should administer mineral supplements to your flock members during quarantine. The goal is to keep them in shape as they await meeting your primary flock and becoming members. It is recommended to increase the feed of the new members if they appear to be underweight. This will enable them to gain strength and make them healthy before the big introduction.
You could disrupt your hens during their laying period and increase the chance of an aggressive dispute. One of the easiest ways to add new members to your flock is to sneak the additions in while everyone is sleeping. Place chickens into bedding or on perches and leave them overnight. Letting all of your chickens wake up together in the morning. Chickens are smart, they will notice something is off, but they aren’t as likely to isolate and bully the new members of the flock. If there is one particular bird that is bullying the others, then remove her for a while.
This helps them get to know each other without being able to hurt each other. As a general rule of thumb, chickens need around four square feet per bird inside the coop and eight to ten square feet per bird in the run. If you have the space, then giving your chickens more room to roam will help reduce stress and make it easier for them to get to know each other. Different people have varying opinions on how quickly and how many chickens you should introduce at a time, so you may want to experiment.
Consequently, issues are bound to arise since chickens are not too keen on change. It will be easier to integrate if you are prepared and know the proper steps to take beforehand. When introducing new members to the flock, it is important to remember that they will need time to establish a pecking order. The arrival of the new members will unavoidably upset the delicate balance that the flock has already established.
Your new flock members should be allowed to fully feather out and be close in size to your existing flock members. You can proceed to follow the steps above after they have feathered and grown, eliminating the quarantine period. The process may need to be repeated over a few days until they settle down within a few minutes and accept one another when introduced. It is imperative that your new flock members have either their own separate coop or at least a large dog crate when you bring them home. You will be able to keep an eye on them in this separate area, making sure you check them often to ensure they are healthy and disease-free.
Bullying Issues
Remember hens need access to fresh clean drinking water at all times, you will be amazed how much they drink. If you’re hatching chicks to introduce to your flock, you will need to isolate them in their brooder for the first few weeks of their life. However, even after they’ve grown into young chickens, it’s important to keep them separate from the rest of the flock.
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