We started out chicken adventure with 2 day old chicks last April. And like many new chicken owners, we ended up losing one to a raccoon (caught on game cam after) because the 8 year old didn't shut the door. :-( It's only been 2 weeks that she's been all alone, and we're planning to pick up 2 frizzles on Saturday. We have a small backyard coop. Emma is about 8 months old. The frizzles are probably close because they started laying in October. I was thinking we would pick them up Saturday morning, and pay close attention to them all day Saturday. Should we leave them together in the coop that, or do we need to do something else to have them get used to each other first? Thanks! MM
Usually, it's best to give chickens a while to get used to each other. Most people recommend a month, but you can judge for yourself if you need less time. If you just throw them in together, they'll probably pick on the loner, maybe hurt her. Put them where they can see each other but not get at each other, maybe put them on other sides of a fence. Soon, they'll establish a pecking order and all will be good.
