Can I put my five (5) two year old hens in with my....

[Fenderville]

I have 5 hens that are about two year old they are currently in another small pen..

I built a new coop this spring and put my new hens in there. They are a little over 8 weeks old.

Do you think it would be ok to add the older hens to the new flock..

Pros:
- The new flock out numbers the old hens
- The new flock will have home field advantage

- There is a lot more coop and run space than the old hens are used to

Cons
- New flock may still be to young?
- Feeding issues - Old flock on layer, new flock on grower

I really need to get the old coop out of the way...

Any thoughts and advice are welcome.. Thanks All!

 

[PandoraTaylor]

I would put them together
The feed isn't an issue,
I have all my chickens eating a broiler/grower, and I give a separate container of Oyster Shell for the hens, they only eat what they need of it.

if you add the older hens, be sure to do so at night and check on them every so often for the next 2 days to make sure no one is being pecked bloody.

 

[chicmom]

Well, with the older hens being outnumbered and newbies to that coop, that is a plus. But the hens are probably ALOT bigger than the 8 week olds.......there could still be danger of a hen killing an 8 week old.

Hens need the layer feed, and the 8 week olds need the grower feed. Too much calcium in the layer feed will harm the chicks......mess up the growth. And you don't want to supply 8 week olds crushed oyster shells either.......


It's really up to you.......tough decision, in my opinion. Do you REALLY NEED the other coop out of the way? Can you put the hens in the new pen but SEPARATE from the 8 year olds? Like fence a section off?

I am no help here.........sorry.....thinking out loud.

 

[patandchickens]

8 wks is dangerously young yet. It *might* work out ok, but there is pretty significant chance of something bad-to-awful happening. I wouldn't try it, personally, til they are a month or two older. If you DO try it now, for heavens sake supervise vigilantly for the first week or two, and make sure there is plenty of room for the younguns to run away and hide (without getting cornered)

Good luck, ahve fun,

Pat

 

[Fenderville]

Yes... maybe too young.


But.. ok .. what if I introduce..... say.... one or two old hens to the new flock a day?

 

[bakerjw]

My girls are 8 weeks old or so and they are quite a bit smaller than a 2 year old chicken. myself I wouldn't risk it.

Is there any way to divide them apart? At least let them get to know the other chickens?

 

[Fenderville]

thanks all... I suppose I will wait...