I found a chicken... how do I introduce her to my flock?

[pattee]

I found a chicken a very nice one probably about a year old. I've tried to find her home but to no avail... My flock is a year and a half.... what's the best way to introduce her to the rest of the hens (molting by the way)
Thanks~

 

[abanjaf]

When I introduced 3 new chickens into my already established flock, I sectioned off the chicken coop with chicken wire (my coop is 15x10x7) so that they were separated but yet could see each other and interact. After about a week of that, I started letting them out together in the evenings in the yard (can't let them out all day, too many hawks here). Did that for a few days without problems and then finally removed the partition. There was some initial pecking order decisions going on, but for the most part it went pretty smoothly. I wish you the best of luck and would love to hear how it goes
Jessi

 

[pattee]

I will I'll let you all know what happens...
I do have an outside inclosed area that I'm keeping her in so far the only chicken that has challenged the new one is my polish... weird I thought it would be the top bird... all the other chickens are going about their own business...

The interesting thing is last week I had to let one of my hens go and now this one shows up and so I was hoping if I put in the coop at night while they were roosting they'd just think oh thats the same ole same ole.... probably not huh?

 

[vnploveschickens]

You should quarantine her before letting her anywhere near your flock. You don't want to endanger your own flock.

Keep her far away, so they don't even breathe the same air. Good luck!

 

[ShrekDawg]

probably just let them see each other for a while but not touch each other/be in the same pen (i.e. seperate) for a while then slower start letting them interact more and more until they are fully integrated. and vnploveschickens is right you should seperate/quarentine her for a while before you introduce her to the others because you never know what diseases she may be carrying (stray chicken here), I would also get her checked out or at least seperate/isolate her and watch her for a while (i.e. maybe a few days or so) and make sure she's not sick and then carry out/carry on with the intro plan. do you think it's possible she may be the same chicken you had to release? and btw why did you have to let her go? and I think the others would probably know hte difference and I would not reccomend that but maybe? i don't know about that sorry.

 

[pattee]

Aw no I wish she was the same chicken....
I wrote about her on another post... she was a hermaphrodite chicken (I support transgendered chickens!

) She lost all her feathers and the flock was pecking her to death so I took her to the feed and seed... about 5 days later they said they had a good home for her.... but..... her new feathers that were coming in were rooster feathers. I guess it happens!

This chicken I'm sure is from the neighborhood... She's an americana and beautiful and healthy looking...

I guess I worry most about that darn polish! And she's not even friendly.... oh no don't tell me I have another transgendered chicken!

 

[ShrekDawg]

aww that's sad sorry and I didn't know chickens could be transgender. well I guess she's not a stray then since she's so healthy and stuff. well good luck.

 

[chookchick]

Here's what I would do--keep her very separate from your flock for now. Pick a mellow chicken from your flock to put in with her for a few weeks. This will do several things--she will have company while she is in isolation so she is not so stressed and lonely, you will figure out if she is a carrier of some disease before you infect the entire flock, and she will have a buddy when she is introduced to take some of the heat off. When they have been together for several weeks, try free-ranging everyone together, supervised at first, until they are all comfortable with each other.