Integrating 1 hen into a flock of 4

[ChickaBob]

Hi everyone.

I have room in my coop for 1 more hen and only 1 more. We are just a little shy of eggs in the winter for the 2 of us with the 4 hens.

I know the rule of thumb is not to integrate 1 hen but multiples so they have their own buddies, but that won't work for us.

My main question is would it be better to raise a little 3 day old and maybe cage them outside in the run during the days for a while so the other hens get used to her or do you think it would be better to bring an older one in that is already laying?

Some other factors, my 4 girls right now are all really really nice. There has never been any real bullying. They all get along great. And the run is basically half the back yard. they have tons of space and roosts and boxes to play and hide in.

3 day old vs egg ready?

Thanks!

 

[NatJ]

I know the rule of thumb is not to integrate 1 hen but multiples so they have their own buddies, but that won't work for us.

My main question is would it be better to raise a little 3 day old and maybe cage them outside in the run during the days for a while so the other hens get used to her or do you think it would be better to bring an older one in that is already laying?

Raising one chick alone is not good for the chick. So I would either raise several chicks and then sell the others when you integrate yours into the flock, or else look for an adult hen to add.

For an adult hen, it is a good idea to keep her separate from your flock for a bit before you introduce her-- this gives you a chance to notice and treat things like parasites, or if she has a really nasty disease you can choose to dispose of her while hopefully the rest of your original flock will stay safe.

Once you are sure the new one is healthy, you can just put her in with the others and watch what happens. Sometimes that works, sometimes not. If things go badly, grab her again and go with the next option.

If just putting them together doesn't work, or if you don't want to risk that, you can cage the new one in the run with the others, so she and they can get used to each other (like what you suggested if you get a chick.)

Keep the new one caged for at least a few days, possibly up to a few weeks.

Once the new one and the older ones seem comfortable around each other, try letting her out to join them in the run. You may need to intervene if they try to bully her, or you might need to cage her at night if they won't let her in the coop, or maybe both. Some amount of pecking and chasing is normal and unavoidable, but you do not want actual injuries.

Alternately, rather than letting the new hen out with the old ones, you could put one of your old hens in the cage with the new one. This makes a one-on-one situation, and does not let 4 gang up on one. If that goes well, after a few days you can put a second old hen with the new one, leaving just two separate. At this point, it probably makes sense to have two old hens in the cage, and the new hen in the coop & run with the other two old hens (the one she already shared a cage with, plus one more.) After a few more days, release the other two old hens. This idea breaks up the introductions, and helps keep the new hen from getting overwhelmed by all the other ones at once.

Some other factors, my 4 girls right now are all really really nice. There has never been any real bullying. They all get along great. And the run is basically half the back yard. they have tons of space and roosts and boxes to play and hide in.

The run sounds good. When introducing a new hen, it really helps to have multiple sources of feed and water, out of sight of each other. That way if a hen chases the new one away from one feeder, she can go on the other side of a box and eat from a different feeder, rather than going hungry.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

There are a few options/approaches, but one of them is not a single chick. How old are your laying hens? How much "laying," do they have left ?? Good advice already given but I'll add that I'd think about adding 2 chicks and re-homing a layer. Many people are happy to take a laying hen even if older.... I get hatchery hens and they do not lay consistently anymore at about 3-4years old.

 

[ChickaBob]

Raising one chick alone is not good for the chick. So I would either raise several chicks and then sell the others when you integrate yours into the flock, or else look for an adult hen to add.

For an adult hen, it is a good idea to keep her separate from your flock for a bit before you introduce her-- this gives you a chance to notice and treat things like parasites, or if she has a really nasty disease you can choose to dispose of her while hopefully the rest of your original flock will stay safe.

Once you are sure the new one is healthy, you can just put her in with the others and watch what happens. Sometimes that works, sometimes not. If things go badly, grab her again and go with the next option.

If just putting them together doesn't work, or if you don't want to risk that, you can cage the new one in the run with the others, so she and they can get used to each other (like what you suggested if you get a chick.)

Keep the new one caged for at least a few days, possibly up to a few weeks.

Once the new one and the older ones seem comfortable around each other, try letting her out to join them in the run. You may need to intervene if they try to bully her, or you might need to cage her at night if they won't let her in the coop, or maybe both. Some amount of pecking and chasing is normal and unavoidable, but you do not want actual injuries.

Alternately, rather than letting the new hen out with the old ones, you could put one of your old hens in the cage with the new one. This makes a one-on-one situation, and does not let 4 gang up on one. If that goes well, after a few days you can put a second old hen with the new one, leaving just two separate. At this point, it probably makes sense to have two old hens in the cage, and the new hen in the coop & run with the other two old hens (the one she already shared a cage with, plus one more.) After a few more days, release the other two old hens. This idea breaks up the introductions, and helps keep the new hen from getting overwhelmed by all the other ones at once.




The run sounds good. When introducing a new hen, it really helps to have multiple sources of feed and water, out of sight of each other. That way if a hen chases the new one away from one feeder, she can go on the other side of a box and eat from a different feeder, rather than going hungry.

Thanks for the info.
Older hen it is.
Being raised alone was a big concern of ours as well, just forgot to mention it.

I will probably throw up a new fenced in area maybe 8x4'. Leave a cage with some straw at night for the new one to go in and let her hang there for a few days. and go from there.

We like the idea of raising our own like the first batch.
eventually i will try and get a 2-3 stagger so no one is ever alone!

thanks

 

[aart]

Integrating a single bird can be hard to do.

What concerns me here is that you say ......

I have room in my coop for 1 more hen and only 1 more.

Does that mean that your coop is maybe verging on too small already?

 

[tlcmurphy]

Integrating a single bird can be hard to do.

What concerns me here is that you say ......

Does that mean that your coop is maybe verging on too small already?

I read it as being a responsible chicken owner and stopping at 1 more hen instead of getting 4 more.

I’ve got only 3 hens now and a coop that is a good size for 4 max. When I tried to add 1 adult hen, it went well until it didn’t. Feathers flew and blood was shed until I rehomed the new girl for her safety. I would still like 4 hens, but will wait until one of my current girls goes to the Big Coop in the sky, then add 2 more.

 

[aart]

I read it as being a responsible chicken owner and stopping at 1 more hen instead of getting 4 more.

I’ve got only 3 hens now and a coop that is a good size for 4 max. When I tried to add 1 adult hen, it went well until it didn’t. Feathers flew and blood was shed until I rehomed the new girl for her safety. I would still like 4 hens, but will wait until one of my current girls goes to the Big Coop in the sky, then add 2 more.

A minimally sized coop is not great for any combo of integration.

 

[tlcmurphy]

A minimally sized coop is not great for any combo of integration.

My main issue at the time was that I wasn’t free ranging the girls at all. I had the new hen separated in the second run, but when I allowed them to be together there was not enough space for her to get away.

I did it wrong, and don’t want someone else to repeat my mistake.

 

[ChickaBob]

Integrating a single bird can be hard to do.

What concerns me here is that you say ......

Does that mean that your coop is maybe verging on too small already?

I contemplated adding 2 more and decided 2 would be to crowded

 

[ChickaBob]

There are a few options/approaches, but one of them is not a single chick. How old are your laying hens? How much "laying," do they have left ?? Good advice already given but I'll add that I'd think about adding 2 chicks and re-homing a layer. Many people are happy to take a laying hen even if older.... I get hatchery hens and they do not lay consistently anymore at about 3-4years old.

I get hatchery hens as well. My girls are young still. A year and a half.
I do not think I have it in me to give one away lol.
I would be more inclined to just keep the original 4 and deal with a few less eggs in the winter then lose one of the crew.