Help!! Adding a new chicken to my flock

[divachick20]

I just brought home a silkie about 3/4 months old, my roosters are not happy!!! They won't leave her be. Wondering what I can do to make this transition easier!!!!

 

[mandymae1984]

If you can put the new one in a dog crate or kennel that she can't get out of and they can't get her......it's called the playpen method that way they can see each other and get close but not too close until they become better acquainted. When I've done this i let them stay in the playpen for around a week but I let the new one out when I was in the coop and could control the others. Hope this helps! Also adding a new one at night while the others are at rest seems to help also!

 

[divachick20]

Thank you! We were worried so we brought her in the house for the night.

 

[mandymae1984]

Yeah if she's alot smaller they could hurt her badly or even kill her. With the play pen method you can keep her in the playpen (kennel or something they can see each other through) then when you know you won't be going back out take the playpen out keep her separated from them at night do that for a week or so and they should get used to each other!

 

[divachick20]

Thanks for your help!!! We were able to let her sleep with the other chickens last night and everything went well! We added her in the coop so praying everything goes well today!!!

 

[mandymae1984]

Hope everything went well today!!

 

[divachick20]

Everything was good!!! And she even made her way into the coop to go to bed with the others tonight on her own!!!