1 of 3 chickens killed by hawk... worried about the remaining two

Well I just placed an order with McMurtry hatchery for two buff orpingtons last night! I am so excited. Any spectacular advice for introducing? I think I have a pretty good understanding so far based on what I've read (separate, then let them see each other but not be able to get to each other, then sneak them into roost?) but how long do I need to keep them apart? The BOs come vaccinated which makes me feel good about the whole worrying about disease thing. I have a run I can separate from the coop and smaller run so that they will be able to see each other but I don't know how I feel about leaving either pair to just sleep in the run all night.... Is there a temporary construction I could make that would serve as a coop roosting area at night?
Thank you again for all your time answers and support! Y'all are the best!
@sonya9 @mu

Did your original birds come from McMurry? If so how long ago?

Just my opinion...and I am sure others will disagree....but if I bought birds from the same reputable hatchery I probably wouldn't bother with separating them for 30 days, those large scale hatcheries are generally very careful regarding disease.

I would make sure no one can hog the food dishes though. I have a large run so introductions go fairly smoothly with plenty of room for birds to run away if squabbles arise, but no chance of them escaping and getting lost. With younger birds going into an older flock introductions are harder since younger birds are easier to intimidate and bully, introducing two sets of adult hens usually goes much better.

Do you have a pen and if so how big is it? A small pen could make introductions much dicier since the birds can't just run away or avoid each other.

I would keep them separated but next to your current hens for a week or two so that they all get acquanted and the new birds have a chance to recover from their travel and adjust to new surroundings.

I cannot thank all of you enough for all of your feedback and support!

We did get our originals from McMurray and based on what I read on their site, it seems like we will not have to be super concerned about disease.

I am thinking (especially since I am not home all day to monitor behavior) that I would like to put the new girls in the run next to our BR in their coop (that also has a run area) but wanted to see what you all think about overnight?

I have read that you can try to "sneak" them into the roost at night, but again, I get a little nervous about not being able to monitor their time together. If I do keep our new BO girls in the run overnight though, should I create a place for them to sleep so their not just sitting in the run? I have a cardboard box I could put in there or I could potentially drape a towel or two on the corner of the coop so they feel a little more sheltered and safe (we have two roosting bars in the larger run that go across the corner so I worry about them sleeping so close to the side of the coop with nothing between them and predator but the chicken wire mesh stuff)

Thank you again for everything and I hope all are enjoying a lovely weekend!

swiftchickcoop said:

I have read that you can try to "sneak" them into the roost at night, but again, I get a little nervous about not being able to monitor their time together. If I do keep our new BO girls in the run overnight though, should I create a place for them to sleep so their not just sitting in the run? I have a cardboard box I could put in there or I could potentially drape a towel or two on the corner of the coop so they feel a little more sheltered and safe (we have two roosting bars in the larger run that go across the corner so I worry about them sleeping so close to the side of the coop with nothing between them and predator but the chicken wire mesh stuff)

Thank you again for everything and I hope all are enjoying a lovely weekend!

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Do you have a small kennel of some sort? You could set that up in the hen house and put both new girls in it so they would be protected at night.