*Buff Orpington Thread!*

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Ok. I have a bunch of healthy looking chickens again!! My BO's will be 8 weeks on Monday. This will be my 1st time integrating new young chickens with my older ones. I'm SOOOO nervous!! My 2 BO's have been living in the "isolation cage" inside the coop for about 3 weeks now. They are let out into a large completely enclosed run for several hours a day while the older chickens are free ranging. At night they are back inside the cage and the older chickens locked inside the same coop. So they have had 3 weeks to see, hear, & smell each other. They just have not been able to touch. Now, I don't know how to proceed!!!! Do I just let them out of isolation and hope the other chickens won't hurt them as they work out the new pecking order?? During the day my older chickens also free range wit 2 turkeys and 4 guuneas. The guineas seem to be higher in the pecking order than my hens, & follow my rooster around all day like they r hens, but roost in a tree at night. I'm so lost!
 
Ok. I have a bunch of healthy looking chickens again!! My BO's will be 8 weeks on Monday. This will be my 1st time integrating new young chickens with my older ones. I'm SOOOO nervous!! My 2 BO's have been living in the "isolation cage" inside the coop for about 3 weeks now. They are let out into a large completely enclosed run for several hours a day while the older chickens are free ranging. At night they are back inside the cage and the older chickens locked inside the same coop. So they have had 3 weeks to see, hear, & smell each other. They just have not been able to touch. Now, I don't know how to proceed!!!! Do I just let them out of isolation and hope the other chickens won't hurt them as they work out the new pecking order?? During the day my older chickens also free range wit 2 turkeys and 4 guuneas. The guineas seem to be higher in the pecking order than my hens, & follow my rooster around all day like they r hens, but roost in a tree at night. I'm so lost!
8 week olds will be picked on. So long as the young ones have plenty of places to run and hide from the older ones, then yes, you can let them all out together. They will be bullied but as I said, if you have LOTS of space and places they can get under things to hide, they should be fine. One good thing, Orps are pretty easygoing usually but some can be a real pain about bullying the younger ones. Don't panic if you see one lunge and peck an 8 week old, so long as she doesn't chase and especially draw blood of any kind. Pulling out a few feathers from time to time is to be expected though. Chicken life isn't easy.
 
After reading galanie's response and a few other posts on different forums. It seems that basically if I add new members to the existing flock, they will likely wind up being "their own 2nd flock". Since I only have 2 BO's, which I'm pretty sure consists of a cockerel and a pullet, that concerned me. Which is y I decided to try an experiment. I had 5 "mutts" in a brooder inside who will be 4 weeks old Saturday. I added them to the enclosed run with my 2 BO's and they r all getting along GREAT!! I think I'm going to keep them all in "the cage" together for awhile, then introduce them at the same time. With hopes they will all flock together if needed, making a flock of 7 instead of 2. Fingers crossed!!
 
Thanks everybody I went to the local feed store and the lady said she will special order it for me. You guys are so helpful. I get better answers on this thread than any other thread on this site. Buff Orpington owners ROCK!
highfive.gif
 
After reading galanie's response and a few other posts on different forums. It seems that basically if I add new members to the existing flock, they will likely wind up being "their own 2nd flock". Since I only have 2 BO's, which I'm pretty sure consists of a cockerel and a pullet, that concerned me. Which is y I decided to try an experiment. I had 5 "mutts" in a brooder inside who will be 4 weeks old Saturday. I added them to the enclosed run with my 2 BO's and they r all getting along GREAT!! I think I'm going to keep them all in "the cage" together for awhile, then introduce them at the same time. With hopes they will all flock together if needed, making a flock of 7 instead of 2. Fingers crossed!!
I added my pair of BOs that were said to be 7mo but look 4-5moish
 

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