Adding an older hen

[conklinator]

I have a mixed flock of hens ranging from 5 to 10 weeks old. They all got moved from the brooders to the coop at the same time, and are doing quite well.

I recently lost one of my Easter Eggers, and would like to replace her. I have a friend that has a 6 month old Easter Egger that she will give me, but I've heard horror stories of trying to add a single hen to an already established flock.

So here are my questions. Would it be easier to integrate an older, larger hen, because she can defend herself a little better? Also, will my 5 week old chicks be in danger of being injured by an older, bigger hen? Should I just leave it as is, and not get as many colored eggs as I was hoping for?

Any advice will be much appreciated.

 

[junebuggena]

A six month old hen can kill a ten week old chick. A ten week old chick can kill a 5 week old chick. You should definitely wait until all your birds are at least 12 weeks old before you even think about adding in a full grown adult.

 

[Den in Penn]

I would wait till there were more openings in the flock then add more then one. Maybe next year.

 

[conklinator]

Thanks for the input! I decided to add 2 new pullets that are right around 8-9 weeks old, so they are right in the middle of the age range of the rest of my flock. So far, everybody is getting along quite well!