Adding a chicken

[nancy1zak]

We had to separate our EE from the rest of the flock because they were pecking on her so bad. We built a mini coop and run for her and placed it next to the big coop and pen. Her feathers are growing back nice, but when I have them all out together the other chickens still peck at her. I don't see how I can ever put her back in the big coop and pen again. We were thinking that maybe if we added another EE in her mini coop and pen with her she might have a friend, and maybe later on add both of them back into the big coop and pen. Can I add one chicken into the mini coop with the one EE? Will our EE see the new chick as an intruder and hurt it?

 

[easttxchick]

I would definitely try to get her a friend-she would probably be OK with it, just supervise so noone gets hurt.
Good luck!

 

[elmo]

Are you adding a chicken (an adult) or a chick? Big difference.

I would not pen a chick in with an adult bird (unless she was broody, and that's a different story) for fear that the adult would kill the chick. Wait until the new bird is closer in size to the adult, then pen them next to each other, let them mix carefully in a free range environment with your supervision, letting them get to know each other gradually and observe how it's going.

 

[AnnainMD]

I had an issue with 2 different flock ages. I got all the hens as chicks but at 2 different times. When I added the 2 flocks together, one of the poor Salmon Faverolles got pecked by the big girls BIG time. I happened to check her back and found that ALL her feathers were missing. All of them. My goodness. Anyway, even the other girls were pecking her as a response to seeing naked flesh--they can't seem to help it. So I sprayed her with Blue Kote (where disposable gloves!!) and we separated the run and coop into big girl and little girl areas. After a week and a half and 2 more Blue Kote sprays, all of Sasha'a feather grew back.
After another 2 or 3 weeks, the little girls caught up to the big girls for the most part in size and I took down the separators. Since then, all has been good. What's really interesting, is that they were only one month apart in age but that one month really adds quite a bit of size difference. And the older girls use it!

 

[nancy1zak]

The lady I am going to get the EE chick (5 weeks now) said she would hold on to her until she was bigger and it would be safer for her to go into the mini coop and pen with our EE. I would like to eventually add them both into the big coop and pen and put the mini one away. I am thinking 12 weeks? Do you think older/bigger? So, far my EE is not broody. I have 3 others that are broody. URG!