Integrating a new chicken.....

[RobotChicken]

Well, new chicken laid an egg today, I suspect it is the last one I will see for awhile:

 

[blondiebee181]

Interesting thread...I just picked up a Silver Laced Wyandotte from an old friend on Tuesday who is about 5 years of age. My 4 pullets are about 3 1/2 months. "Silver" used to have another buddy at her old residence but apparently the other died quite a while ago and she had been alone for a long time when I got in touch with her owner who thought she'd be happier with some companions. I wasn't worried about diseases since she had been by herself for so long...should I be? I also was able to integrate her quickly. I let her out to in the backyard when we got home for about 15 mins. so the other girls could see her, then I let the rest of them out to say hi. There was a little ruffling of feathers but mostly my younger ones kept to themselves (they were all raised together from chicks) When I put them back in the run, I kept Silver fenced off from them with a little extra chicken wire for most of the day. Towards evening, they seemed to be okay so I let her in with the girls. No serious face-offs so I left them until it was time to coop. My girls went in but Silver seemed confused and I had no idea how to seperate her inside the coop. Things had been going well so far, so I decided just to put her in. She stayed inside and layed down on the floor of the coop. In the morning, no casualties....in fact she layed an egg out in the run that afternoon (getting her to use a new nest box is a whole other thing) The next night she again slept on the floor. My pullets are slowly getting used to her but they are still freaked by her, and she does sort of lunge at them if they get too close to her, like she might peck them if they got close enough but so far no one is a bully. Is this pretty normal? Will they get to the point where they can hang out together or will Silver always be kind of a loner? The reason I ask is because it was kind of the point for her not to be lonely anymore...she is such a pretty hen too and very easy to handle.