Flock Introductions - How few is too few?

[Svyetii]

Well, tragedy has struck. Two days ago a bobcat caught two of my chickens. The chase happened a little after 6am. I didn’t see the kill, but saw the chase on the camera and the feather aftermath. I had come outside not five minutes after it happened. I suppose it’s possible the girls got away and are hiding somewhere, but it’s been two days with no sign of them and it’s pretty cold. If they are hiding, It’s not on our property and I’m not sure they’d know how to get back. So, now my flock of five is a flock of three. I had planned to rehome the rooster, but now I can’t bring myself to do it. I don’t know how the remaining two girls would take it being left alone, now missing three of their flock mates. I also just moved them into their permanent coop, which I’m sure has added more stress - although I think they feel safer in it than the tractor.

What do you guys think I should do? I can try and keep the rooster for a couple more months until I get chicks this spring, and then rehome him, but I don’t know how long my neighbors will tolerate his crowing (right now it’s fairly limited). I also don’t know really what to expect from him as he moves through adolescence and into adulthood (he’s about 15-16 weeks now). Or, I could rehome him soon and bring in birds of roughly the same age as my current girls, quarantine them, and then add them to the flock. I’m leaning towards just waiting and getting chicks, but two hens seems like too few, especially in the winter when they huddle more to keep warm.

So sad. Our free range time will be limited moving forward.

Thanks for any advice you can share!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Don't worry about warmth, if you cannot legally keep the cockerel it's best to rehome him as soon as you can.

 

[Mrs. K]

I have so been there. So dang discouraging. I just love to let them out, have them peck around.

Really chickens do not keep each other warm. Think of sitting next to someone in a parka, they are not sharing warmth with you. Two will live just fine in a coop. They do hate change, and will pout, but in a day or two they will be fine in the new coop.

Do let the rooster go. It is so hard to believe, because he is in the darling stage. But in the next 4-6 weeks there is a strong possibility that the darling will become a nightmare.

What does your coop look like? What are the measurements. Because what seems like enough space when they are little can rapidly become not enough space. Show us pictures.

True quarantine is dang near impossible to do in a typical backyard, and if you cannot do it exactly - huge distance apart, separate clothing, different feed stoage...well then there is no need to do it at all. Do not pick birds that you feel sorry for, examine them carefully for parasites. This is another advantage of getting chicks - you don't quarantine them.

But - if it turns out that you are limited on space - getting a single or pair of older birds might be better.

The egg advantage is important outcome in getting chicks, but also, it is better if all your birds are not the same age, where as they all get old at the same time. Some people do keep a single group of birds, all the same age and some people keep a flock, where birds move in and out of the flock. That is what works best for me.

Mrs K

 

[Svyetii]

I have so been there. So dang discouraging. I just love to let them out, have them peck around.

Really chickens do not keep each other warm. Think of sitting next to someone in a parka, they are not sharing warmth with you. Two will live just fine in a coop. They do hate change, and will pout, but in a day or two they will be fine in the new coop.

Do let the rooster go. It is so hard to believe, because he is in the darling stage. But in the next 4-6 weeks there is a strong possibility that the darling will become a nightmare.

What does your coop look like? What are the measurements. Because what seems like enough space when they are little can rapidly become not enough space. Show us pictures.

True quarantine is dang near impossible to do in a typical backyard, and if you cannot do it exactly - huge distance apart, separate clothing, different feed stoage...well then there is no need to do it at all. Do not pick birds that you feel sorry for, examine them carefully for parasites. This is another advantage of getting chicks - you don't quarantine them.

But - if it turns out that you are limited on space - getting a single or pair of older birds might be better.

The egg advantage is important outcome in getting chicks, but also, it is better if all your birds are not the same age, where as they all get old at the same time. Some people do keep a single group of birds, all the same age and some people keep a flock, where birds move in and out of the flock. That is what works best for me.

Mrs K

I have so been there. So dang discouraging. I just love to let them out, have them peck around.

Really chickens do not keep each other warm. Think of sitting next to someone in a parka, they are not sharing warmth with you. Two will live just fine in a coop. They do hate change, and will pout, but in a day or two they will be fine in the new coop.

Do let the rooster go. It is so hard to believe, because he is in the darling stage. But in the next 4-6 weeks there is a strong possibility that the darling will become a nightmare.

What does your coop look like? What are the measurements. Because what seems like enough space when they are little can rapidly become not enough space. Show us pictures.

True quarantine is dang near impossible to do in a typical backyard, and if you cannot do it exactly - huge distance apart, separate clothing, different feed stoage...well then there is no need to do it at all. Do not pick birds that you feel sorry for, examine them carefully for parasites. This is another advantage of getting chicks - you don't quarantine them.

But - if it turns out that you are limited on space - getting a single or pair of older birds might be better.

The egg advantage is important outcome in getting chicks, but also, it is better if all your birds are not the same age, where as they all get old at the same time. Some people do keep a single group of birds, all the same age and some people keep a flock, where birds move in and out of the flock. That is what works best for me.

Mrs K

 

[Chickeeaholic]

Well, tragedy has struck. Two days ago a bobcat caught two of my chickens. The chase happened a little after 6am. I didn’t see the kill, but saw the chase on the camera and the feather aftermath. I had come outside not five minutes after it happened. I suppose it’s possible the girls got away and are hiding somewhere, but it’s been two days with no sign of them and it’s pretty cold. If they are hiding, It’s not on our property and I’m not sure they’d know how to get back. So, now my flock of five is a flock of three. I had planned to rehome the rooster, but now I can’t bring myself to do it. I don’t know how the remaining two girls would take it being left alone, now missing three of their flock mates. I also just moved them into their permanent coop, which I’m sure has added more stress - although I think they feel safer in it than the tractor.

What do you guys think I should do? I can try and keep the rooster for a couple more months until I get chicks this spring, and then rehome him, but I don’t know how long my neighbors will tolerate his crowing (right now it’s fairly limited). I also don’t know really what to expect from him as he moves through adolescence and into adulthood (he’s about 15-16 weeks now). Or, I could rehome him soon and bring in birds of roughly the same age as my current girls, quarantine them, and then add them to the flock. I’m leaning towards just waiting and getting chicks, but two hens seems like too few, especially in the winter when they huddle more to keep warm.

So sad. Our free range time will be limited moving forward.

Thanks for any advice you can share!

I’m sorry about your three chickens. It’s tough to loose them and so many at once.

 

[Svyetii]

Thanks. That advice is helpful. The new coop I built them is roughly 6’x3’, with a 6x12 run. Since I work from home often, I still plan to have them free range through the yard during the day when the dog is out and I can watch them. But they will definitely be in the run until later in the morning/earlier in the evening, and if I’m out of the house. I have a chicken tractor that I can use to separate chicks or new chickens, but we are in the city, so while we have a nice sized yard, it’s certainly not acreage. My plan has been to keep no more than 6/7 chickens, but I was starting with five. There are five of us in the family and I’d love to get enough eggs to avoid having to buy them most of the time. I’ve added a picture of their new coop (needs some finishing touches, but it’s built and secure) and the chicken tractor.