Adding chickens

tdgill

Crowing
13 Years
Jan 28, 2009
3,035
63
346
Cecil Co. MD - 5Yrs. Chickens 4Yrs. Ducks
k, still thinking about adding to my flock. tempted to try and add pullets so the boys don't have to wait so long, but can only have so many and raising chicks was rewarding. I am also debating how to add who to what. I have two roos each with his own set of girls. Not sure if I want to add to each flock, or combine my current girls into one flock (thinking less fighting since they know each other but do pecking order whenever I try to combine them) and give these to the sub or dom roo and get the new girls as one flock for the other. Or should I keep them as they are. The only reason I am thinking of adding is really for the sake of the hens. But my roos have a favorite anyway so maybe more hens won't make a difference at all? Im thinking its gotta help. My hens have saddles and are doing well. Just thinking they might be overused. lol. or should I just separate them from the roos for a time? i prefer them to be together tho....any thoughts?
 
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I have no advice on how to divvy them up - all I can suggest is that you quarantine them first for 30 days or more. Also, after the quarantine time, introducing them to the flock goes more smoothly if they have a pen nearby first, where they can see/hear each other before mixing them in. There's a good article about it somewhere on here. I'll try to find it and post a link.
 
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I have read that about quarantine first and then keeping nearby. Funny, as much as my two flocks are close together now, the hens still act like retards if they are all out together. Not harmfully so, but definately going outa their way to chase one or another. But thinking that the boys have their favorites and are attached to the girls they have ...maybe i should add to each flock as they are.
 
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that was a cool link thanks!

it is exactly what I see now when I put my hens together. Its the lower ranked girls that start the trouble. It does look like, "finally someone I can pick on!" I've experimented putting them together just to watch the antics. Their social (or antisocial) behavior is definately interesting.
 

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