How can I best introduce 1 one year old hen to my new flock of chicks?

[Clovers Mom]

Hello! I need some advice. My neighbor just asked me if I can take her 1 year old Brahma hen because she is lonely. We currently have a brand new flock of 6 twelve week old chicks. The flock consists of 2 Buff Brahmas, 1 Americauna, 1 barre rock, 1 buff Orpington, and 1 New Hampshire Red. One of the Brahmas might be a rooster, but we aren’t sure yet.
Should I take this 1 lonely hen? How can I integrate her? We don’t have a second coop? Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[MountainWoman73]

If your pullets have been in the space and the adult hen is new, she will be at the bottom of the pecking order, even though she's bigger. Try to arrange it so that they can see but not touch each other for a day or so. Then I would just let them all loose together and see how it goes.

 

[Mrs. K]

I may be completely wrong, but often times on here, new people to chickens with 6 chicks, have a pre-fabricated coop that they have been told will hold 6 birds.

And because your chicks are smaller and not full grown, you may not be aware that even though they sell them that way - they really do not have enough room for 6 full sized birds of the breeds you have.

So measure your coop and run. To have 7 adult full size birds you need a coop that is 7 x 4 = 25 square feet. and a run of about 70 square feet at a minimum.

Do not think you can compensate for a too small coop with 'free ranging'. The long dark nights of winter are coming, and too small of coop just multiplies the problems of manure, moisture and overcrowding.

I could be completely wrong, and you have a shed or a barn, but overcrowding leads to the ugliest of behaviors in chickens. And will make integrating a strange bird very difficult.

Mrs K

 

[Clovers Mom]

I may be completely wrong, but often times on here, new people to chickens with 6 chicks, have a pre-fabricated coop that they have been told will hold 6 birds.

And because your chicks are smaller and not full grown, you may not be aware that even though they sell them that way - they really do not have enough room for 6 full sized birds of the breeds you have.

So measure your coop and run. To have 7 adult full size birds you need a coop that is 7 x 4 = 25 square feet. and a run of about 70 square feet at a minimum.

Do not think you can compensate for a too small coop with 'free ranging'. The long dark nights of winter are coming, and too small of coop just multiplies the problems of manure, moisture and overcrowding.

I could be completely wrong, and you have a shed or a barn, but overcrowding leads to the ugliest of behaviors in chickens. And will make integrating a strange bird very difficult.

Mrs K

Hi Mrs. K,
You make a valid point and thank you for your concern. Our coop and run together are 120 square feet. It’s a rather nice set-up. My husband and I have done a ton of research and have zero interest in overcrowding the chickens. We think one of them is actually a rooster, so we may be down to 5 hens in a few weeks anyway. We won’t be able to keep the rooster.

 

[Clovers Mom]

I may be completely wrong, but often times on here, new people to chickens with 6 chicks, have a pre-fabricated coop that they have been told will hold 6 birds.

And because your chicks are smaller and not full grown, you may not be aware that even though they sell them that way - they really do not have enough room for 6 full sized birds of the breeds you have.

So measure your coop and run. To have 7 adult full size birds you need a coop that is 7 x 4 = 25 square feet. and a run of about 70 square feet at a minimum.

Do not think you can compensate for a too small coop with 'free ranging'. The long dark nights of winter are coming, and too small of coop just multiplies the problems of manure, moisture and overcrowding.

I could be completely wrong, and you have a shed or a barn, but overcrowding leads to the ugliest of behaviors in chickens. And will make integrating a strange bird very difficult.

Mrs K

Also, Mrs. K, my husband and I both have a Master’s degree and I teach science. We don’t just jump into anything like raising chickens without researching and discussing possible outcomes and best practices, especially when it comes to animals or pets.

That all being said, the number of chickens that the manufacturers say can supposedly be housed in those prefabricated cages is ridiculous! It makes me sad to think of all of the people that look at those numbers and see them as truth and don’t do further research. It’s the chickens that end up suffering.

My original question is really what I needed support with, not the size of my coop.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

It's hard to advise you, not knowing what your setup is like or what your climate is. You say you don't have a second coop, that presents some challenges. Ideally, you'd start by quarantining the newcomer for a couple of weeks to be sure she's healthy and isn't bringing sickness, mites, lice or scaly leg mites in to your birds. You'd quarantine at a distance and keep your shoes and clothing isolated as well. Once quarantine is over, you'd put her in a situation where she can see, smell, hear and be proximal to your chicks, but not in actual physical contact with them - so no pecking or bullying could occur. Separated by fencing would be ideal, and feeding scratch or treats along that fencing helps with getting acquainted. After a week or two of that with no issues, you'd let them share the same space, and voila, integration is complete. How you accomplish all this given your situation, I have no idea.

 

[Clovers Mom]

It's hard to advise you, not knowing what your setup is like or what your climate is. You say you don't have a second coop, that presents some challenges. Ideally, you'd start by quarantining the newcomer for a couple of weeks to be sure she's healthy and isn't bringing sickness, mites, lice or scaly leg mites in to your birds. You'd quarantine at a distance and keep your shoes and clothing isolated as well. Once quarantine is over, you'd put her in a situation where she can see, smell, hear and be proximal to your chicks, but not in actual physical contact with them - so no pecking or bullying could occur. Separated by fencing would be ideal, and feeding scratch or treats along that fencing helps with getting acquainted. After a week or two of that with no issues, you'd let them share the same space, and voila, integration is complete. How you accomplish all this given your situation, I have no idea.

Thank you! We actually have a large dog pen close to the coop that would work to keep them separate. We also have a secondary 8 x 4 coop run that can be closed off from the main run. The only problem is that it is full sun and it’s very hot where we live right now, but I can throw a tarp over it temporarily and make it work. Then she will be right next to the other chicks.

Thank you for your help.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

You're welcome! Those certainly sound like workable solutions. Please let us know how it goes. Welcome to BYC, by the way, and - we do love pictures around here!

 

[Debbie292d]

Since this is your neighbor's chicken, I presume you two go back and forth to each other's places about weekly, thus, you are in a rare situation to be able to avoid quarantining if you choose.

As for fitting this chicken in with your others, I'd put it in a pen where they can all see each other for a few days. She's probably twice the size of yours, but yours are soon going to be adult-sized anyway. I'd sure take her!

 

[Mrs. K]

Also, Mrs. K, my husband and I both have a Master’s degree and I teach science. We don’t just jump into anything like raising chickens without researching and discussing possible outcomes and best practices, especially when it comes to animals or pets.

I did not mean to offend you and I tried to make that clear that I could be totally wrong about your set up.

The thing is, the amount of space one has, is a big part of the integration issue. And the information in the pre-fab kits is misleading.

I do agree with the post above, that if you are neighbors and have been to look at each other's chickens, quarantine is a moot point and you don't need to do it.

Mrs K