Adding a new pullet

[easunshine]

I'm new here, so I apologize if this is in the wrong forum. I'm not really clear on what goes where just yet.

I have my first backyard flock. It's itty bitty at only 3 birds. One of our birds we think we are going to have to put down due to very severe cross beak. I am wanting to get another bird so we can still have 3. I am looking at adding a Faverolle. The other 2 that will still be here are a Wyandotte and Dominique. The 2 pullets I have are 5 weeks old. The Faverolle pullets are 8 weeks old. Will I be able to integrate the 8 week old in with the 5 week old birds? In my reading I've found consistent information that Faverolles are docile and tend to get picked on, so I'm hoping the slight difference in age/size may keep that from happening. But if these birds won't mix well, I don't want any of them to be miserable. Thanks for the help!

 

[ECBW]

As a keeper of one, I assure you that cross-beak is not the end of the bird. Because it could not rub and file, the beak keeps on growing. When it first came to us, the beak was 1/2 inch pass the cross. We trim the beak periodically. It eats thru the side and is doing fine.

As for integrating pullets, I have tried mixing 4-week-olds with day-olds with no problem. In fact, I would find the babie chicks hiding under the little "surrogate mothers". The chicken farmer said the young chicks are not territorial, not until 12 or 14 weeks.

 

[easunshine]

My cross beaked bird already has issues eating. It struggles, like really struggles (I'm honestly not sure if it's getting food in there or not), and is significantly smaller than its same aged companions. I've not fully given up on her yet, but I've had several different chicken folks tell me this is the worst case of cross beak they've seen, so I'm not particularly optimistic, either. I'm not going to let her suffer just because it makes me sad to put her down.