Adding new girlies

[Emma-Daisy]

Hi everyone. This is my first post here, other than my intro. I think I'm posting in the correct place . So, I got my first flock last year, I have 5 girls who live in a walk in run at my allotment plot (about 5/10 mins from home). I currently have 4 Peking bantams (Couchin bantams) and a Sussex bantam (she's in charge). When I got them last spring they were at POL. I plan on adding two more this spring and would like to get Orpingtons. It was a toss up between these and the bantams last year and from my research I think they should get on ok. What I'm wondering is, should I get this year's pullets when there are some available or a breeder near me has some birds available from the end of last summer? I'll be buying the girls ready to go in rather than hatching my own as I'm only allowed hens and couldn't bear the thought of what may happen to any roos I hatch out myself. I'm really nervous about adding birds to my flock so would like the highest chance of them getting on. Does it make a difference if I add in younger birds or ones that are roughly the same age? Bearing in mind that I am also trying to add 2 larger birds to my 5 existing bantams. Any opinions greatly appreciated.

 

[Emma-Daisy]

Adding fully grown birds to an existing flock takes some planning and execution. Taking it slowly is the best approach for all involved. Chickens are more apt to accept change when it occurs gradually.

You will need to deal with daytime interactions in the run, and then evening interactions when roosting. As this forum title indicates, this requires some management.

Are you going to be able to be there to supervise this? You'll want to begin by partitioning the run so the new hens are able to adjust to the new environment in safety. Be aware that chickens adjusting to a new home and new flock will be reserved and cautious while the existing flock may be defensive and aggressive in the face of the intruders.

Give them this time in a see but no-touch environment to become acquainted and used to one another, about a week, but let them roost together at night. This latter is achieved more easily by supervising roosting so that the new hens have safety on one side of the coop and are together for security. Having them roost together with the existing flock greatly reduces the amount of time required for integration. But this is going to put a demand on your time and presence.

Hi, thanks for your reply. I had planned that I would put a smaller run inside my big walk in run for the new girls to introduce. Would you allow roosting together at night straight off?
Do you think this year's girls would be better then? Time isn't really an issue, I can be there most of the day as as I'm a stay at home Mum at the moment and my husband goes up a lot in the evenings, after work anyway to do maintenance ect on our plots.

 

[3KillerBs]

Hi, thanks for your reply. I had planned that I would put a smaller run inside my big walk in run for the new girls to introduce. Would you allow roosting together at night straight off?
Do you think this year's girls would be better then? Time isn't really an issue, I can be there most of the day as as I'm a stay at home Mum at the moment and my husband goes up a lot in the evenings, after work anyway to do maintenance ect on our plots.

I would not plan on them roosting together right off. Roosting is often the most contentious time of the day.

If you have space inside a secure run, this is the integration pen I used last year:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/mini-coop-or-integration-pen-from-a-large-dog-crate.76593/

And this is the one I made inside my big, open-air coop: https://www.backyardchickens.com/posts/24979435

 

[Emma-Daisy]

My current walk in run is 16ft X 16ft with an extra open air area that I let them out into when I'm there (and there isn't chicken lockdown/avian flu restrictions). I may also be taking the run up to 16ft X 20ft. The coop itself has loads of extra space, can't remember the exact measurements off hand. My 5 current girls don't actually use the roost bars, they prefer to sleep on the floor of the coop. Thanks for the links, will have a look.

I'm in England (South East).

 

[Emma-Daisy]

Great!

Please post photos. We all LOVE photos here.

I will have to try and remember to get some photos of it from the outside, most of my pictures are taken of the birds from inside the run so you can't really see the run itself. I'll see if I can find any pictures of it from when we (we being mainly hubby) put it up. It's a metal structure with half inch 19g weald mesh that is half covered (at the moment fully covered because of chicken lockdown). I have a further area fenced off with polly posts and plastic builders fencing (not sure of its proper name) outside the run for them but I've never measured it. The coop is a traditional wooden one with nest boxes both sides. I took the dividers out of one side because my girls chose to use it as a bedroom, there are currently two roost bars that go across the middle but they are never used.
Would you go with last years birds or this years? My thinking is maybe this year's so they aren't so territorial and also my girls are only bantams but at the same time I think maybe last years because there will only be two of them going into the current 5 and they will better be able to stick up for themselves.

 

[Emma-Daisy]

Also, I can easily get hold of either. I have a hobby breeder close to me that does a variety of different breeds, including Orpingtons and a little further away is an Orpington specialist breeder. Both of them have a few available from last summer and both will have younger ones available later on in the spring.

I was thinking of putting up something makeshift in my home garden for quarantine (I don't have as much space at home as I have at the allotment but enough space for a temporary setup) or I could figure something out at the allotment for a temporary fixture it wouldn't be touching the main enclosure but it wouldn't be a massive distance away either.

 

[azygous]

The trick to roosting new groups together is to put them inside near dark. That way, once settled in, it's too dark to make trouble. You will need to get over to your allotment first thing in the morning to get the newbies into their segregation pen.

Breed temperaments and individual personalities make this somewhat unpredictable. Your role will be referee, solving conflicts as they occur. This integration may not take more than a couple days, or it could require a couple weeks. Don't be in a rush. Gradual integration is much easier on everyone.

 

[3KillerBs]

I will have to try and remember to get some photos of it from the outside, most of my pictures are taken of the birds from inside the run so you can't really see the run itself. I'll see if I can find any pictures of it from when we (we being mainly hubby) put it up. It's a metal structure with half inch 19g weald mesh that is half covered (at the moment fully covered because of chicken lockdown). I have a further area fenced off with polly posts and plastic builders fencing (not sure of its proper name) outside the run for them but I've never measured it. The coop is a traditional wooden one with nest boxes both sides. I took the dividers out of one side because my girls chose to use it as a bedroom, there are currently two roost bars that go across the middle but they are never used.
Would you go with last years birds or this years? My thinking is maybe this year's so they aren't so territorial and also my girls are only bantams but at the same time I think maybe last years because there will only be two of them going into the current 5 and they will better be able to stick up for themselves.

I personally would add chicks on the principle of cycling ages to keep egg production up. But I don't know if you consider your chickens pets or livestock, if you intend to cull after a time, or what other management factors you would want to consider in your situation.

What's more available to you?

Do you have the ability to quarantine new birds before beginning the integration process?

 

[Emma-Daisy]

I hadn't thought of that! That's a good point. I'm more worried about them getting on but it would make sense to get younger ones with regards to egg production. I won't be culling any of my girls, I don't think I could (unless they were in a lot of pain and then I'd get hubby to do it!). I think I'd be a bit mift if I wasn't getting any eggs ever but that isn't my top priority.

 

[3KillerBs]

I could figure something out at the allotment for a temporary fixture it wouldn't be touching the main enclosure but it wouldn't be a massive distance away either.

At home would be better.

Adding young chicks is safer in re: disease because they've had less time to be exposed to anything dangerous. Especially day-olds.