Adding 3 pullets to a small “flock”

Wenwye

In the Brooder
Aug 26, 2020
26
33
39
Hi... chicken rookie here.
At the end of July, we got 4 “pullets” from Tractor Supply. 2 light brahmas and 2 silver speckled hamburgs. Turns out 1 Brahma and 1 Hamburg are roosters. 🤦‍♀️ The silver speckled Hamburg pullet was killed by a Hawk, which was devastating. So, now we have 3 chickens total.

Anyway, the 2 remaining roosters and 1 pullet are getting along fabulously 🤞 and are all about 3.5 months old now. All are very friendly so far and aren’t showing any inclinations toward aggression or competitiveness.

We just ordered 3 more female chicks (this time from Meyer Hatchery) to be delivered at the beginning of December. We can’t have more than 10 chickens total and I really don’t want more than 6.

My plan is to keep the new chicks inside in the brooder for at least 5-7 weeks so they are safe (and fully feathered) to join the coop in winter. We are in Virginia so it gets cold, but not super freezing typically.

So, how do you introduce chickens? Do I bring my current flock in and show them the chicks in the brooder when they are little still? Do I wait and let them meet outside once the new chicks are a bit larger? I have a garage where I can let them meet each other too. Just not sure the best method for success.
I am posting pictures of our 2 roosters here just because I think they are so awesome. Even though they aren’t pullets.
79C27012-5A24-4E8C-A12C-03DC06D1C727.jpeg
032462AF-5609-4294-886A-862DC8858EB0.jpeg
 
The best integration is the see but no touch. I always error on the side of caution and do this process longer than most people, but I have never had an issue with pecking after this process.
After the chicks get their feathers they move to the same coop as the rest of the flock but they are separated by a chicken wire removable wall. After 2 weeks, I let them mingle with the flock. If all goes well, great, but if something goes wrong the chicken wire goes up for another week. I have never had to have an new members separated with the see but no touch for any longer than this process.
I know others have different ways that work for them.
 
The best integration is the see but no touch. I always error on the side of caution and do this process longer than most people, but I have never had an issue with pecking after this process.
After the chicks get their feathers they move to the same coop as the rest of the flock but they are separated by a chicken wire removable wall. After 2 weeks, I let them mingle with the flock. If all goes well, great, but if something goes wrong the chicken wire goes up for another week. I have never had to have an new members separated with the see but no touch for any longer than this process.
I know others have different ways that work for them.
Thank you for the info.
I like the wire separation idea!!
What do you do when they are free ranging though? Ours free range during the day while we are home. We have a small (4-6 chicken) tractor coop and run setup.
 
Thank you for the info.
I like the wire separation idea!!
What do you do when they are free ranging though? Ours free range during the day while we are home. We have a small (4-6 chicken) tractor coop and run setup.
You could give new chickens and old chickens separate free range time-this could also give new chickens a chance to get used to the space and their surroundings in the whole coop/run.
 
For integration- There are loads of great articles here on BYC! You will want to quarantine them inside your house to make sure you aren't bringing any diseases and pests to your girls. Once you're done with that, here are the basics to a successful integration:
Start with a 'see but don't touch' setup. Put your new girls in with your old girls, but behind a wall of hardware cloth, chicken wire, welded wire, etc. This way they will get used to each other's presence without being able to hurt each other. Put feeders and waterers next to the fence line so that they get used to eating/drinking together.
Before you let them interact, put the old girls in the coop and rearrange the run. Move things around and add new things to distract the old girls. Then let the new girls explore and get used to their surroundings. Make sure that there are places for new girls to hide without getting cornered and trapped. Add more food and water sources, preferably out of sight from each other.
Supervise their interaction, but don't interfere-they will work it out. Unless they're holding each other down and beating mercilessly or drawing a lot of blood, they'll figure it out. If bullying issues arise, separate the bully, not the victim.
 
You could give new chickens and old chickens separate free range time-this could also give new chickens a chance to get used to the space and their surroundings in the whole coop/run.
That might work. Thanks again for all of your advice. I posted a picture of our coop. It is small, but it has 3 nesting boxes and 2 roosting bars so they should all fit. If it is an issue, we will get another similar setup and separate them so they have enough space.
 
Thank you for the info.
I like the wire separation idea!!
What do you do when they are free ranging though? Ours free range during the day while we are home. We have a small (4-6 chicken) tractor coop and run setup.
When the chicks are in the brooder, I don't do a lot of handling of them, I only talk to them. When they are in the coop with the divider, I wait some time so that they know the coop is their home. During the day, I take them outside into a giant dog crate (my dogs out grew the giant sized dog crates and need a great dane crate for their height), I also have a pet gazebo that I sometimes use. The process of moving them from the inside divider to the separate outside area and back into the coop divider for the night, allows them to get use to me holding them and coming to me.
 
That might work. Thanks again for all of your advice. I posted a picture of our coop. It is small, but it has 3 nesting boxes and 2 roosting bars so they should all fit. If it is an issue, we will get another similar setup and separate them so they have enough space.
What's the square footage on the run and on the coop? for the coop, don't include the nesting boxes.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom