Adding new birds?

[LuvMyChickies13]

Hello! I was just wondering if anyone had advice on adding new birds to a flock. Well in my case, adding to two hens. They are almost grown but I'd like to bring more in next season!

 

[Veer67]

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/04/when-to-move-chicks-from-brooder-to.html

 

[Nicole01]

I always use a barrier of some sort in the coop. I have a big and tall coop, so I use 1-2 wire dog kennels, depending how many I'm adding to my flock. I get my chickens as babies or hatch myself, so as soon as they feather they are in the coop inside the wire dog kennels. I've never had any issues integrating them as this works well for me. I don't let the new chooks in with the adults until they are full grown which is about 3 weeks.

It is always best to let them roam together or in the coop when the youngest are full grown. They don't really fend for themselves until 12 weeks anyway, this has been my experience and I add new chicks every year, sometimes 2-3 times a year. I started with a small flock and now it's really grown.

Good luck. It's good you have 2 going in vs 1. They will stay buddies together for their life. Some of my hens have a really strong bond and they must roost together always.

A roost is the bar they fly up at night to sleep. I have roosting bars in my coop and in my run.

 

[RhapsodyOwens]

I heard that putting the young ones in at night is also good. Then they aren't seen as being introduced into the flock, more like "Hey, I hadn't noticed you before!" I didn't do that, and just combined mine, and one of my Delawares was pecked down to her skull. Lesson learned! Luckily she survived, after lots of TLC, and now she hangs out in our backyard

 

[weasel killer]

Sounds like a good roo.I have one that when I introduce new ones he stops them from picking on the young ones .Sad to say a coon killed him last week protecting his hens.It is good to know therevare others out there like him.

 

[dwgov]

Well I have a flock of 10 & added 5 more. It took a while for them to all get along, approximately a couple weeks. One off my RSL's wouldn't leave them alone. She chased them all over the place. I think their sqauking made it worse. They're all doing fine now, but she still shows them who's boos.

 

[ll]

I attempted introducing one-on-one with success, and created a page about it -

How we introduced one single hen to another hen
(actually pullet to pullet)


https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/introducing-one-hen-to-another

​

Good luck to everyone adding chickens

 

[LuvMyChickies13]

Thanks! I also read on the site you gave me that your not supposed to train your birds to sleep in their nest boxes? What if mine already do????

 

[Veer67]

Do you have a roost for them at night?

 

[LuvMyChickies13]

What is that?