Best way to introduce one new chicken to an established flock?

[Mrs. K]

Don’t add a single bird. Add a pair. Put one of your birds with the newbie. There will be a dust up, but it is one on one, not 5 to 1. Pick a middle bird, not the top, not the bottom.

Wait till you get back, then add the ‘new’ pair to the flock, pulling out Blackie. Wait a few days, add back blackie and you should be golden.

You might try putting Blackie where you have the new bird, putting the new bird and others out to free range, see how it goes. You might get lucky. If not go with my first idea, I know it will work, or at least did for me.

Mrs K

 

[BDutch]

This is the reason I didn't let Dally free range

1. I wouldn't have been able to lead her to the coop because she would run away
2. I wouldn't have been able to pick her up in an emergency
3. I didn't want her to fly over the fence in fear of me.

With Katie, I had to lift her up and take her to the new coop. She knew where it was the next day and laid an egg in it.

I only had a rooster when I got Dally, not when I got Katie.

My note to you is if only one hen isn't welcoming her, separate that one instead, let the new one and the others establish a pecking order, then release the bully.

Thanks.

Yes. I think it’s a good idea to wait with free ranging until she laid an egg.

Yes, its not a bad idea to seperate my Black if she is continuing her agressive behaviour.

Kraai isn’t a flighty chicken. She is very friendly and easy to pick up.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

Thanks.

Yes. I think it’s a good idea to wait with free ranging until she laid an egg.

You can block off a part of your garden/land which is attached to the run, to allow them more space to mingle, but easy access to the coop.

 

[Idaho Chicken Bungalow]

You can block off a part of your garden/land which is attached to the run, to allow them more space to mingle, but easy access to the coop.

X2 this way they are all on different ground exploring it instead of each other.

 

[BDutch]

Work in progress
Today I worked on the old broody coop.
I remodelled Kraai’s mini-coop. Now she can roost.

I made the coop a little higher. Added ventilation under the glass ceiling. And added a real perch at a height of about 20 cm.

About 2 cm in the back and 7 cm in front.

You can see the roost inside the coop.

I want to add a piece of EPDM or some wood (WRC) in the front. This gives her some shelter if its raining a lot.

Integrating with the flock
As long as I worked on the coop, I opened up the ‘gate’ between the two runs.

After a while the headmistress Ini mini came to pay a visit. The two ended up fighting like chicks often do (bumping chests) . No harm. Ini mini went back to the 1st run/ the flock.

Later Kraai went to the 1st run. She stayed out of sight behind the laurel. But guess who spotted her? And gues what happened?
Black attacked her and she tried to defend herself at first. I could call Kraai from behind the small gate. And she listened .

After finishing the job with the tiny coop I closed the gate again. Time for a snack, left over from diner (spaghetti with veggies and soy beans).

Things are going quit well.

 

[BDutch]

Don’t add a single bird. Add a pair. Put one of your birds with the newbie. There will be a dust up, but it is one on one, not 5 to 1. Pick a middle bird, not the top, not the bottom.

Wait till you get back, then add the ‘new’ pair to the flock, pulling out Blackie. Wait a few days, add back blackie and you should be golden.

You might try putting Blackie where you have the new bird, putting the new bird and others out to free range, see how it goes. You might get lucky. If not go with my first idea, I know it will work, or at least did for me.

Mrs K

Thanks for the tips.

. I am considering adding Pearl (my other black Dutch) to the second run/ small coop tomorrow.

Its also worth a try to let Kraai free range with thd flock, while Black is locked up kn the 2nd run. But I want her to lay an egg before I let Kraai free range.

 

[BDutch]

You can block off a part of your garden/land which is attached to the run, to allow them more space to mingle, but easy access to the coop.

My hens can fly. So this is no option. But thanks anyway for thinking out loud.

They have a reasonable large net covered run for such a small chickens. Dutch are about 500 grams. The largest of the flock is a Rhode Island red bantam . She is about 800 grams.
The runs are 9 m2 and 6 m2.
And there is a small run integrated in the coop. Where the food is.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Like aart, I haven't tried integrating a single adult either. My inclination would be to keep her housed separately until you're back from vacation but that might be hard for the neighbor. Sounds like you're getting good feedback from other folks that have tried doing a single adult integration though, so hoping you can fast track this so that you have 1 harmonious group by the time you're ready to go.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

My inclination would be to keep her housed separately until you're back from vacation but that might be hard for the neighbor.

I had to do that this year. I have 2 chicks, and one is a slow developer, so I couldn't integrate them in time for holiday.
My neighbour has to take them out in the morning and put them in in the evening. They are doing very well, and will be paid.

 

[BDutch]

The neighbour like’s to care for my chickens in return. I took care of the cats and fish when they were on a vacation.
But asking to observe the chickens behaviour is a bit too much to ask.

Today I let Kraai out to free range twice under supervision. All goes well as long as they are outside or in the two runs. But the flock dynamic is really strange when they encounter. Both black Dutch peck Kraai on the head, to submit Kraai. And Kraai hunts the other three chickens down if they come too near. This makes it quite impossible to give Kraai a ‘friend’ to integrate with.

The chickens all behave as if the 2nd run is Kraai’s territory. And they don’t mingle much.

During free ranging and opening the pass through between the 2 runs, the flock dynamics/ pecking order was not a problem. But it was a problem at roost time.

There was very much disturbance and pecking for too long (imo). So after half an hour I decided to put her in her own tiny house with garden again. . I think (hope) it’s getting better day by day.

Tomorrow I want to keep the ‘gate’ between the two runs open all day. Unsupervised.