How to best add 1 adult hen to my flock?

[MIchickenlady]

Hello!
I live within village limits and only 6 hens are allowed. I have a backyard flock of 5 hens & want to add 1 adult hen.
How should I go about doing this? Advice??
I have 2 coops. The main coop- The Chick Inn, and a small secondary coop my hubs built from a shipping crate-used to integrate my 3 younger hens with 2 older hens last year.
The coops are next to each other, with their own runs, divided by dog kennel fence. My plan is to feed & water them all along the fence, they can see each other and the new bird can be quarantined.
How long should I keep the new hen alone? I worry about extreme bullying to the point of injury. I recently rehomed a mean hen.
Any thoughts and advice welcome!! Thanks bycers

 

[MIchickenlady]

Hello!
I live within village limits and only 6 hens are allowed. I have a backyard flock of 5 hens & want to add 1 adult hen.
How should I go about doing this? Advice??
I have 2 coops. The main coop- The Chick Inn, and a small secondary coop my hubs built from a shipping crate-used to integrate my 3 younger hens with 2 older hens last year.
The coops are next to each other, with their own runs, divided by dog kennel fence. My plan is to feed & water them all along the fence, they can see each other and the new bird can be quarantined.
How long should I keep the new hen alone? I worry about extreme bullying to the point of injury. I recently rehomed a mean hen.
Any thoughts and advice welcome!! Thanks bycers

View attachment 2252397View attachment 2252397

Also, is this enough of a quarantine? The fence separation? If the new bird had anythingI would think it could be transmitted through the fence...but I want them to be able to see each other...so I'm not sure how to integrate??

 

[Mrs. K]

No it is not adequate for quarantine, but very few back yard set ups can do quarantine, and if she is already in there, too late, so don't worry about it.

Instead of introducing 1 to 4, try it this way. After a couple of days, add a single bird to her, on her side of the fence. Do not use the lowest of the five birds, but a middle bird if you can figure that out, but if not don't sweat it. Anyway, that will be a one on one fight, not 5 on 1. They will probably chest bump, and may chase a bit, and squawk. But unless one gets the other in the corner, and relentlessly attacks to the point of blood, leave them be for a couple of days.

Now generally, you will have a top bird, and sometimes they can be mean. Might be you got rid of her. After the pair has calmed down, say 2-3 days, then at night, flip them. Put the pair in the big set up, and with one of the other hens, put the others in the little set up. So you should have the pair, + 2 of the original birds in the bigger set up, the other originals in the little set up. You might leave this two days or less depending on how it goes.

This does a couple of things that I have found very effective, I do realize it sounds like a bunch of fiddling around. But it lets the new bird explore where you want her and her buddy, they are two against two, and it lets the original birds see her in that coop, and sky doesn't fall. I leave mine in there all day.

Then as close to dark as you can, put them all together in the run/coop of where you want them all to be. Might be a bit of scuffling and bluster, but I would expect this to be minor.

Do get down early the next morning, to be sure. If you have one that is real mean, she can stay in the little set up for a couple of more days.

Mrs K

 

[MIchickenlady]

Yes, all great tips I had not thought of and I will do as you suggested.
I have not brought home a new hen yet, I'm going to look at some tomorrow from a craigslist ad and wanted to have my game plan ready.
What would you consider to be a proper quarantine in a situation like mine? I have another side yard that is fenced I might be able to fix up a temp coop....would that be better than the lil coop next to the main coop for quarantine?
You helped a lot, thank you!!

 

[rosemarythyme]

What would you consider to be a proper quarantine in a situation like mine? I have another side yard that is fenced I might be able to fix up a temp coop....would that be better than the lil coop next to the main coop for quarantine?

Proper medical quarantine would be something like 30 days, with the second set up over 100 ft away, with clothing and shoe changes in between. Very difficult if not impossible to pull off in a typical suburban yard, so if it's not possible to do it and you're willing to accept the risks of skipping it, might as well skip it entirely.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...nderestimated-part-of-raising-chickens.67097/

Other option is to start with chicks from a reputable source as they're the most unlikely vectors for disease. However I really would advise against trying to raise and integrate a lone chick, it's just tough on them as they'll be something of an outcast until point of lay.

 

[MIchickenlady]

Thank you SO much for this info!!
Not exactly what I wanted to hear, since it does complicate things but I want to know the truth about the right way to go about integrating an adult into my small flock. So thank you for taking the time to reply and include that article.
Now I am a bit torn, I could get a few day old chicks and use my little brown coop then rehome all but one after they get bigger since I'm only allowed to have 6 hens...or continue looking for one adult hen knowing I need to keep her separate for at least 4 weeks.
All great info though!! Much appreciated

 

[aart]

I could get a few day old chicks and use my little brown coop then rehome all but one after they get bigger since I'm only allowed to have 6 hens

That could work....
...or just stick with the 5 for now.