Introducing 2 new hens to small flock of 3

[freerangemom]

We have 3 lovely girls about a year and a half old. Two stick together but the third has only one eye and she has been forced to keep to herself. They don't hurt her as long as she stays away from them. We have only had the for about 3 weeks. Told they are cross between RIR and White Leghorn. We want more eggs, so we found a woman rehoming 2 young (about 6 months old) girls who were having trouble integrating into their flock (they were getting pecked a bit).

I'm hoping they will integrate well with our girls and not hurt my "special needs" chicken. I'm looking for suggestions on how to appropriately introduce them and set them up for success. Any thoughts would be hugely appreciated. Thank you.

 

[monathequeen]

Hi,
Since the new chicks are 6 mo. old, they are more than old enough to be with the new flock.

Now here are the steps to having a successful new flock.

1- you need to quarintine the "NEW" chicks for two months before you introduce them in case of any desease they may have brought with them.
you will have to monitor the new chicks for any kind of illness.

2- after a few months, if they seem to be healthy, ...eating normaly, no abnormal droppings, no signs of wasting, abnormal bleeding. ect...ect..
they should be fine to intagrate them.

I feel that anytime after that is ok to put them w/ the other birds. There will be some fighting at first as this is completely normal for the chickens to establish a pecking order...if the fighting is minimal, let it continue for the pecking order to be established...the weaker one will back down and the mother hen wil have won !!

If there is a blood bath and the chicks have been beaten to the point of damaged wings, extreme feather loss and bloody patches, seperate them ASAP and decide what to do next...they will almost always settle down with eachother....it takes time but be sure to keep a eye on the process....good luck.

 

[Chickiebabe]

After you have made sure the new birds are healthy and you add the new birds to the old ones try doing it in the morning and provide an opportunity for some cover for the new chickens that will get the most pecked on. Perhaps you could put a tree branch in the corner of the pen to give them a chance to "get away" if they need cover. You could hang a cabbage in the pen to give the older birds something to Peck on and amuse themselves with so they won't think so much about the new chickens. You might also provide some great treats they don't usually get to keep them busy eating for an extended time. Keep them occupied and busy with something on their minds that interests them more that picking on the new birds.

 

[VictoriaTwead]

A cabbage on a string! What a brilliant idea!

I'm getting some young chickens soon, and adding them to my elderly chickens, so I'm reading this with huge interest.

Victoria

 

[freerangemom]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I feel much more confident now. I'll let you know what happens!