Adding to my flock???????

[radnich4]

Okay so I have had my girls for about a year now and love them. I really want to add to my chickens with maybe 2 or 3 more girls but everything I read makes it sound like that is a horrible idea. Now my girls that I have had for a year (there are 4 of them) have never been aggressive at all. I haven't had any social problems with them fighting for pecking order or food or anything. So experienced chickens parents help! Is it a horrible idea to add more...and if not are chicks better than older chickens?

 

[Tommy12241]

Certainly not a horrible idea. Flocks need to be added to once in a while. Yes there will be some confrontation but people who think its a "horrible" idea just dont know much about chickens! and probably have never tried adding to their flock or havnt dont it right. What you do is take the old hens and put them in a small pen in the middle of the main area. Make sure the pen can be seen out of from every side. Like a chicken wire cage. Then put the new birds on the outside and let them walk around and acclimate to the new hens and the area without being harmed. And the old group can acclimate to having them in their area. You can also do the opposite (putting the new ones in a small pen and leaving the old ones out). Whichever you feel you should do. After an hour or a few days (varies by breed and bird) they should be totally fine together. Generally introducing mature birds or older pullets works better than chicks. So give it a try and keep an eye on them. Good luck! please let me know how it goes

 

[radnich4]

Thank you so much. I was getting discouraged the more I read about it. So you think it would be better to introduce chickens that are a little bit older? Maybe around 4-6 months?

 

[Margitas]

Yes older works better than chicks 5-6 mo perfect, but you may see them little fight, live them and they will give up.
Try to be around,if you can make sure they see each other in day time and place in the coop the new birds at night.

 

[Tommy12241]

No problem. Glad we could help. Good luck! please keep me posted

 

[radnich4]

I will. Now to find somewhere local to get some wyndottes

 

[Margitas]

I will. Now to find somewhere local to get some wyndottes

Just becarefull where you buy birds you also don't wan't to bring some sicknes in you flocks.
Good luck

 

[Curlymg]

I'm sorry for taking over, but I guess I kinda have the same question and I think this is better than starting an all new thread. Would it be alright if I added a 4 month or 5 month old young roo to my current flock of 8? They are 2 months old.

 

[slink1211]

I would by no way suggest I am an authority, but this is what I have done and it has worked good.

We bought 5, 2 day old hens from the local feed store. Then 4 weeks later hatched 6 more. When the original hens were 6 weeks old we put them in the chicken yard, we also free range, and they spent the night in the big coop. When the second set was 4 weeks old we put them in with the older girls. Watching carefully and putting them in their own cage at night. Then after about a week we put them all in the big coop at night. This has gone on for 5 cycles of chicks. For a total of 30 over 5 months.

We now have 13 that are 4 weeks old that spend their day in the chicken yard, but their nights are in their own kennel, not in the main coop. In about 2 weeks I will move their kennel to the coop for a few nights and then turn them loose to sleep in the big coop at night.

I love to spend time with my chickens and so they think I am the head rooster. I do not allow any fighting or picking. I chase my roosters with a broom if they get too rough and only allow fighting to go so far, establishing pecking order. I am sure when I am not there some fighting goes on, but I have not had any problems. And I have 8 roosters!

I only buy my chicks and hatching eggs from reputable people. I keep them quarantined in the garage for two or three days when they first hatch or I get them. If any were to die it would be longer. I feed medicated feed the first week and then corn, free range, scrap and some commercial feed. Our chicken yard is 100 by 100 by 100 attached to an open shed, that is 20 by 20, were the duck houses are. We also keep our ducks in with the chickens during the day, but in their own houses at night. Our coop is a 12 by 12 mini barn that we build ourselves just as a coop.

I haven't introduced older birds to my flock. I prefer to only do chicks. But I would follow the same method.

I hope this helps, Tracy in Indiana