Chicken math

[schambo]

I currently have 3 chickens - an approx. 18-month-old Bovans Brown called Lulu (used to have 2 until we had a racoon visit...), plus a 12-week-old EE called Jellybean and a 12-week-old barred rock called Pepper that I added earlier this spring. Lulu is not super impressed with the new additions, but they're beginning to spend more time together with less bullying. Unfortunately, it seems like Jellybean is a cockerel, and I can not keep cockerels. The person I bought him from is willing to take him back and swap him for a pullet.

What I'm wondering is whether I should buy another pullet while I pick up my replacement so that I can integrate two chickens at the same time, and they can have a buddy in the integration coop, rather than just one. I do have space for a few additional birds in a second coop. If it makes a difference, the new pullet(s) will be about the same age as Pepper (12-13 weeks), from the same farm, and were probably housed together from hatching until I bought Pepper around 7 weeks. They may end up being from a later hatching, and be about 9-10 weeks old.

Thoughts?

 

[I Love Feather Babies]

I currently have 3 chickens - an approx. 18-month-old Bovans Brown called Lulu (used to have 2 until we had a racoon visit...), plus a 12-week-old EE called Jellybean and a 12-week-old barred rock called Pepper that I added earlier this spring. Lulu is not super impressed with the new additions, but they're beginning to spend more time together with less bullying. Unfortunately, it seems like Jellybean is a cockerel, and I can not keep cockerels. The person I bought him from is willing to take him back and swap him for a pullet.

What I'm wondering is whether I should buy another pullet while I pick up my replacement so that I can integrate two chickens at the same time, and they can have a buddy in the integration coop, rather than just one. I do have space for a few additional birds in a second coop. If it makes a difference, the new pullet(s) will be about the same age as Pepper (12-13 weeks), from the same farm, and were probably housed together from hatching until I bought Pepper around 7 weeks. They may end up being from a later hatching, and be about 9-10 weeks old.

Thoughts?

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I think if you have the room, go ahead and get a buddy. If there is bullying going on it won’t be as bad if there were only one.

 

[I Love Feather Babies]

I think if you have the room, go ahead and get a buddy. If there is bullying going on it won’t be as bad if there were only one.

But beware of chicken math. It is real and will get you every time if your not careful. I’m known as the crazy chicken lady in my family. I’ve got 15 hens, 13 pullets, 3 roosters and 6 newborns. My husband just shakes his head.

 

[schambo]

I'm already finding that - when our other Bovans was killed by the raccoon, they convinced me that I couldn't just replace Buttercup with one chicken; I have to get 2 chickens so we have a backup!

 

[schambo]

Does it really matter if I have my chickens split between two small coops rather than one large coop?

 

[I Love Feather Babies]

Does it really matter if I have my chickens split between two small coops rather than one large coop?

Not at all.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Yes it'll be easier to integrate 2 birds vs 1.

Does it really matter if I have my chickens split between two small coops rather than one large coop?

It might... just because you want them to split up in 2 small coops doesn't mean the chickens will agree. They may choose to coop up separately, or they may all choose to stuff into one.