adding new birds to existing flock? how ??

[karlamaria]

maybe you can tell me what I can add to my girls ( giving a rooster away and we want a new girl) we have buffO and astrolorps. we have 6 but the rooster has to be re homed ( we can not have roosters and he has not crowded yet. we would like to replace the bird with a new girl, but how do I do it? do I have to build a new coop to keep the female in until they get along through a fence?? my girls are 18 weeks old right now.

 

[SuzChicks]

We have a similar problem. From 4 guaranteed hens, we had 2 roosters. The roosters have been rehomed and we are trying to introduce 2 new hens. The original chicks are 15 weeks old(an Americana and a Barred Rock) and the 2 new ones(Red Sex Links) are about 8 or 9 weeks. We would be interested in any suggestions that show up here.

 

[larkflying]

What i have done so far this spring, with my two batches of new pullets, is put them in a smaller enclosure inside the big chicken yard.

I use a small chicken tractor -- you could use a dog house and a puppy fence, or an old portable portacrib with out a bottom, or a piece of wire fencing tacked up across a corner -- whatever works for your situation. I make sure they have their own food and water, and I usually try to move them around a bit so they are not stuck eating the same yucky grass. After a week or two, you can either let them out into the main yard, or you can introduce the old chickens to them one by one. I had a batch of 10, and my second batch was 13, so I felt okay letting them out into the main yard all together, since there were too many to be singled out and picked on by the other hens. Your first chickens are pretty young, so if there is not a big size difference they should do okay after some introductory pecking . . .

There was another thread here in which the people introduced the chickens one by one to each other and then let them all out together -- no matter what the older / first batch will peck at the new ones, but it should be over with quickly. My second batch of pullets is settling in really well today after their two week introductory period. I usually try to let them out on a day when I can be home to watch them to make sure it is all going well. If there is one hen who is being too aggressive, you can take her out for a few days until the rest of them acclimate.


Hope that helps!

 

[4acresNachick]

I just went through this with three groups of chickens. 9 week old RIRs being put in with 4 1yr old hens and then 6 7wk old chicks (A Mixed group of EE, Barred Plymouth Rock and Gold Laced Wyandottes) I did one group at a time and sectioned them off inside the coop. Their own food and water of course. There was some pecking and some chasing but it was mostly between the 9 week olds and the 7 wk olds. It's been about a month now and everyone seems to be getting along. There was never any injuries. Even though it's been about a month the three groups seem to stick with whomever they came to the coop with. except my one fancy chicken Dottie. She looks after the younger chickens and gets after my one cockerel when he tries to bother the youngsters. Funny. I haven't been raising chickens long but I would say take your time and really watch your chickens. If they seem relaxed, well fed ect. then you are probably doing the right thing. Good luck!

 

[Mrs. K]

I would recommend getting TWO new hens at least, not just a one to one exchange. It is harder to introduce a single hen, EVERYONE knows she is the new one, if there are several new ones, it spreads out the pecking and harassing.

MrsK