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CarlaRae

Chirping
5 Years
Feb 25, 2018
2
9
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I have had chickens for a couple of years now, but lost most of my flock to a predator a year ago. I had four hens left. I kept them confined to their pen for several weeks till we fixed the back yard fencing and I got a new rooster. They have been pretty happy. Then two weeks ago a possum got into the pen during a storm and killed one of my hens. I was distraught, to say the least. The storm also knocked down part of our fence, so the chickens are cooped up until we get it fixed. Meanwhile, my husband brought home three new hens this afternoon. He surprised me. They were waiting for me when I retuned home from church. He had them in a pen beside the main pen where they could get acquainted with the girls and Roscoe. My question is, how do I introduce the new hens into my group of older hens? The new hens are about a year old, and my girls are about two, two and a half.
I have heard I could slip them in at night while the older hens are roosting. Is that the way? I would appreciate any advice.
 
Welcome to BYC! :highfive::frow

If the new three are adults they should be able to be introduced to the old 3, make sure they are similar in size to. You could introduce them at night. The hens will fight at first, they want to see who falls in what place of the pecking order.
 
Hello Carla, and :welcome So glad to have you join us!

Yes, one way you could do it is to slip them in at night. I have had the best success with placing them in a cage in the middle of the coop, where the chickens can see each other, and so that they are in the space.
After a few days, I release them for an hour or so at a time, supervised. After about 2 days of this, they do just fine and can be let out into the flock.

Keep in mind that for the first day or so they will squabble anyway to work out the pecking order, so don't panic if some feathers fly initially.
 
Greetings and welcome to BYC CarlaRae! So glad you joined us. There's a wealth of info, knowledge and experience shared in the multitude of threads. Browse around and see what interesting stuff you can find. By all means post away when the desire strikes you, especially if you have questions (provide as much detail/info as possible and pictures truly help)... With all the great folks here, generally someone will respond in no time at all. Please make yourself at home!

If you are a "germaphobe" you could quarantine the new birds for at least a month to make sure they aren't carrying anything that could infect your flock (probably too late for that, right?) As others have stated, place them near but separated so they can see/hear/smell/talk to each other but not come into direct contact for a few days. Then just mix em together. Or at nigh, you can sneak in and place them up on the roost with the others. Imagine the old girl's shock in the morning! :gig

Oh, if you haven't done so already, PLEASE put at least your general location in your profile. It could be very important if/when you ask for or offer help or advice. You know, climate issues and such. I recommend at least your state as most folks won't be able to figure out where if you put anything more specific (county, town, street, etc) by itself. Old folks like me :old will never remember & look there first. To add it, mouse hover over Account top right and a drop down will appear. Click on Personal Details and scan down. You'll see the spot for Location. Then go to the bottom and save changes. Thanks! Hope you enjoy the site!
 
I don't think introducing them at night is a great idea. Don't think they won't notice strangers on the roost. When they are tucked away at night and you are in your house, you won't know if they are fighting a major war till you let them out in the morning.

Please use the search box to locate the article on " See but, don't touch," method of integration, it is the kindest, gentlest way.
 
G’Day from down under CarlaRae :frow Welcome!

Chicken Sympathy.jpg

I agree with Diva, they will notice and even if they behave overnight, in the morning, not so much! If one has the slightest amount of blood on her from a ruckus, she is going to have to be separated [again]. I recommend at least two weeks with the 'look but not touch' method.

BYC has Topic of the Week discussions which I have found to be a great resource, informative and sometimes entertaining; so definitely worth checking out. This one should be helpful to you: Topic of the Week - Adding New Chickens to the Flock

I do hope you enjoy being a BYC member. There are lots of friendly and very helpful folks here so not only is it overflowing with useful information it is also a great place to make friends and have some fun.

You might want to also Find Your State Thread and pop in and say hello.

If you would like to share Pictures and Stories of your flock, you have come to the right place. BYC’ers never tire of these and do not back away slowly or commence eye rolling when the photo album or home videos come out ;)
 

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