Topic of the Week - Adding New Chickens to the Flock

[sheetmetaltom]

when i introduce older birds i wait til dark and put them on the roost with my existing flock. in the morning everyone wakes up together and there doesnt seem to be much of an issue. ive done this twice. right now im mixing 8 14 week olds into my flock of 8 2-4 year olds +3 ducks. my duckhouse and coop are in the same run, i moved the ducks into the chicken coop and put my chicks into the duckhouse at about 8 weeks and put a wire fence up to separate the newbies.they can see each other. every evening when i free range my chickens and ducks i let the new girls out also. they mostly stay in the run with an occasional foray out into the bushes.at first 2 older girls would come back and harass everyone but i kept chasing them away and now they only come back to eat the grower food the little ones eat. this weekend im planning on putting everyone together. but i will add a lower roost bar for the new ones. ill more then likely move them in at night because thats worked well for me so far. plus ill have to feed everyone grower for a couple of weeks with oyster shell on the side.

 

[wjgilson]

So...I tried to introduce 4 Cornish Rocks (6 weeks old) and a White Leghorn (8 weeks old) in with my flock of 7 Leghorns (1 1/2 year old girls) and it didn't go well. One of the 4 Cornish Rocks may be a rooster as he looks a little different than the other 3 and he took the brunt of the harassment from the girls. However the second day went better with them together. We'll see how the third day goes tomorrow.

 

[annie511]

I'm glad this topic is here bc I'm about to try and add more to my flock. We lost a few hens and have a couple injured thanks to the neighbors dog. So we had to make an infirmary.

We put the cage we usually raise the chicks in inside the coop half covering the door to the run and cut put a door in the back of it. And the front of the cage is all screen. We sectioned off a part of the run with chicken wire so the injured hens could come and go as they please. It worked well bc I already put one hen back in with the general population and there was no quarreling.

I'd like to get a couple of chicks to add into the flock as soon as Shirley wound heals up and she can be with her friends again. So around 6 to 9 weeks would be ok to let them in with the grownups?

 

[johnjuanita]

We just added 2 barred rock hens to our flock of 4 hens. We got home with them late about roosting time. The 4 hens were already on the roost. We let them out in a fenced yard and they immediately started eating grass. They found their way into the little chicken house and I closed the door and when we opened it the next morning they were on the roost and they all got off, started eating and drinking like nothing was unusual. Maybe sleeping together was a good start.

 

[yyz0yyz0]

Mostly, I've just added chicks to my flock.

I raise them for a week or two in a brooder in the garage. Then they get moved to a fenced off portion of the coop, they have feed/water/heating pad in their fenced off portion. as they get a little older I add a short perch for them. Once they get to a decent size I move the two ends of the partition fence so the chicks can squeeze through the gap but the adults can get in. The chicks can start to explore the rest of the coop and even venture out if they want. It's usually several weeks before they even think of venturing out. Within a couple days of them starting to venture out of the coop, I can usually remove the fence partition and allow everyone to mingle.

So far no real problems with this method.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

I've introduced new birds twice and have learned SO many things.

Here's my top tips for those attempting this difficult process:

•QUANRANTINE THE NEW BIRDS BEFORE INTRODCING! You don’t want to risk spreading a disease to all of your birds, old or new.

•Know that there WILL be fighting no matter what. It’s the only way that the new pecking order will be established.

•Make sure you provide the flock with extra feeders and waterers. Bossy chickens will hog feeders and waterers on purpose resulting in the other birds being starved and dehydrated.

•Know that it will probably be hectic and stressful in the chicken yard for a couple months.

•Try and have the first few meetings out in the yard where they can free range. This will insure that the area is neutral and that the chickens have plenty of room to roam and escape.

•Provide hideaways in the areas that the introductions take place.

•Introduce more than one bird. It’s really hard on the one bird if she has to stand up for herself in another flock of many birds. It’s best if you can always try and introduce two or more chickens at a time.

•Try and not break up fights unless absolutely necessary. Chickens need to work themselves out and establish the new pecking order. Although hard to watch, fights are imperative. Interfere only if one chicken is being cornered, teamed up on or bleeding.

•Add distractions! Hanging cabbage or lettuce, throwing out some seeds, giving them a dirt bathing area and allowing them to free range are all ways to get their minds off each other and make them focus on other things.

•Don’t expect any eggs to be laid during this time.

•If you have one chicken that is especially aggressive and won’t leave the others alone, you may want to isolate her for a couple days in her own little cage. Make sure she is still within the flock quarters so she won’t be treated as “new” when she returns. But hopefully the separation will calm her a bit.

 

[melbah]

Our rooster takes care of it for us. We have a smaller coop that we raise chicks in, when they get close to laying he can tell and when we let both flocks out to free range he will start to incorporate the new hens into his harem.

When fights break out with the hens he puts himself in the middle of it and will run off a hen that doesn't stop when he tells her to. A good rooster is worth his weight in gold!

When we were in town before we had a good rooster, we built the run with a section that was separated with chicken wire and put a simple door up. When we needed to integrate we would put a big plastic dog house with straw in the bottom, food and water in that area and then shut the door for a few days. Then opened the door. The hens had the option at night of going back into the dog house or into the hen house with the others. Much of the fighting happened when they went to roost for the night so this gave them a way to integrate slowly at night also.

We can use that area for any reason to separate, but just leave the door open when we don't need it so they can use that space.

 

[LostArk]

My birds: Chickens and Ducks, free range in my backyard. When I get new birds, first, I only get mine from a well known breeder. Never had any problems. I have also hatched out just a few. Babies are always in a brooder in the house. As they get a little older, and are able to be outside for a few hours, I have another cage I put them in. All the other birds come around and check out the newbies. At night, I bring them back in. Once the weather is good, I put them in a larger cage in the coop. All the birds can see each other. Once they are fully feathered, and can't squeeze through a large dog crate, they are transferred to there, inside the coop. In the large crate, I put a thick branch as a roost, which they start using every night. In the mornings I let out all the birds, but the Juveniles. Once everyone is out, I let them roam the coop. Every night they put themselves back in the crate. I do this for about a week. Then I leave the dog crate door open at night. They put themselves up, and the rest of the flock go to their own roosts. After a few days, They are all let out together. Works great every time.

 

[RobandSue2]

Posted this in error....see below...

 

[RobandSue2]

​

Pic by @PeepersMama ​

At some point most of us will add new chickens to our flocks. Either to replace birds, or to expand the existing flock, or to add new breeds that we like and want to try out, or to add a rooster to an existing flock of hens. Whatever your reasons, the question is how to best go about adding new birds to an established flock? I would like to hear you all's thoughts on... - How do you go about introducing new birds to your established flock(s)? - What are the best methods for a smooth-as-possible introduction? - Do you quarantine new birds and if so, how do you go about it? - What is the best age(s) to introduce younger birds? (For example brooder raised chicks) - How do you go about introducing a broody hen with new chicks to her flock? - How do you introduce a cockbird to a flock of hens and what was your experience(s) doing so? [COLOR=333333]For a complete list of our Topic of the Week threads, see here: [/COLOR]https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive

Love those birds...look like Columbia Wyandotte crossed with Buff Orpington. To answer the thread....I have a smaller coop and run INSIDE the larger flock area that I introduce new chicks/new birds. I typically let them mingle through the run for at least two weeks (longer if they are chicks and need to be somewhat same size) to up to 6 weeks. I sprinkle treats along the fence line which really ramps up the interaction.