are my pullets ready to be together

[bengal1083]

So i am new to owning chickens. I have 2 hens that are just over 3 months old. I raised them from chicks. I actually had 3 chickens but had to rehome one yesterday as he ended up being a rooster. Well we got another pullet of roughly the same age yesterday as well. We have been letter her freerange on one half of the hard and our other 2 freerange in their run. They are separated just by chicken wire. Well today they wont leave eachother's side. Our new chicken is laying on one side of the fencing and the other 2 are laying right next to her on the other side. Should i try to integrate her already or keep her separated since it has only been about 24hrs?

 

[Cheep N Peep]

I think you should continue to separate them (without any further contact!) for at LEAST a week, so any signs of illness in the new girl can start to surface, if they are present. If she has a disease, you want her quarantined so you only have to treat her, not the whole flock. Then, If she is healthy, let them be separated by wire, but close, so they can always see each other, for a week / two weeks. Later, put the new girl on the roost in the coop with the others once everybody is asleep, and wake up early the next day ready to jump in in case any fighting breaks out.

 

[donrae]

Quarantine is already a moot point here. I say put them together and let them figure things out. Just be sure you have plenty of space and some hiding places just in case.

 

[Cheep N Peep]

Alright, fine, quarantine isn't going to work, since they came into contact already, grumble, grumble.

 

[bwyman]

I started the process of letting my pullets and adult hens free range today only minor out breaks. The big girl's and pullets still roost in different locations when is it a good idea to put the pullets into the adult coop



??

 

[bengal1083]

I know quarantining them would have been best, but we honestly just don't have the room for that. I am just wondering though since they are all pullets of roughly the same age, is it going to be easier in integrate the new one? Since I won't be home to really facilitate them together until Saturday, I will continue to just bring her in at night and put her out on the other side of the run until then, but I was just wondering if there were specific signs to look for to be able to tell when they are actually ready to be together and if the fact that they were laying together with just the wire in between them if that was a sign they were ready

 

[junebuggena]

It's integrating a single bird into a young flock of only two. As long as everyone is about the same age and size, there shouldn't be any major problems. If you were trying to introduce this bird into an established flock of ten or more, that would be a very different story.

 

[bengal1083]

Thank you Junebuggena!