Kjukkjuk
In the Brooder
Yo flockstars! So quick background: Had 4 hens, and about 16 weeks later got 5 more (9 is a good number) ... they didn't get along for several weeks and my cortisol levels might have been off the charts... one of the 'hens' turned out to be a silkie rooster and so found him another flock to 'tend' to (and crow at)... another had coccidolliosis or however you spell that and the little bugger went to sleep beneath my olive tree... Now I have 7 healthy hens all laying and getting along as they should... But I'm getting 3 more in the spring and don't want to stroke out so was thinking that if I made a separate area, enclosed run with a coop inside of it, and kept the new girls in that area where everyone was able to see and hear each other but not freak out... would that work or would I be screwing with the whole natural way of things? My plan would be to transition the new girls into the existing flock once they were full grown and able to hold their own during the 'debates' that occur on a daily. The existing run, coop, and free range space they all have is plenty big for all of them but I want to smooth out the addition of the 3 new ones in spring who will only be 8 weeks old when I get them... So I figure their own space to be quarantined, separate, etc to get acclimated to the space and other girls would be good. Thanks for any input.