little blue coop
In the Brooder
- Sep 16, 2020
- 14
- 35
- 44
Introducing a nervous chicken to the flock
I have a flock of 5 hens who have been together as chicks. We got them when they were three days old, and they are used to being handled and very friendly. Our chickens have never free ranged because it's not allowed per township regulations for our size property.
Our neighbor left his chickens out one night and lost all but one chicken. His chickens were not used to being handled, and free ranged. (We didn't care.) So he's done with chickens and caught the lone hen in a box and brought her over to us.
The new chicken is in a 10x10 dog run which is set up alongside the original run, and we blocked off the opening between the two. We put the top of a large doghouse in the dog run so that she has shelter and a place to sleep at night.
The new chicken is very nervous. When we put her in her area yesterday, she just kept nervously pacing, and trying to get into the original run with the other chickens. This morning she is just as nervous and distressed. When I went into the run just to check the feed situation, she was totally freaked out. I assume at some point she will calm down enough to eat and drink.
Previously, when one of our hens was being mercilessly picked on, we put up the dog run to keep her safe and separated and slowly reintroduced her to the flock by putting one other chicken in the dog run with her every day, switching chickens day by day. This worked and we now have peace in the original flock. I was thinking of doing the same thing with the new chicken. We are patient with this process, but if the new hen doesn't integrate, we will have to cull her. We will not be keeping just one chicken in the 10x10 dog run indefinitely.
Has anyone else dealt with a situation like this?
I have a flock of 5 hens who have been together as chicks. We got them when they were three days old, and they are used to being handled and very friendly. Our chickens have never free ranged because it's not allowed per township regulations for our size property.
Our neighbor left his chickens out one night and lost all but one chicken. His chickens were not used to being handled, and free ranged. (We didn't care.) So he's done with chickens and caught the lone hen in a box and brought her over to us.
The new chicken is in a 10x10 dog run which is set up alongside the original run, and we blocked off the opening between the two. We put the top of a large doghouse in the dog run so that she has shelter and a place to sleep at night.
The new chicken is very nervous. When we put her in her area yesterday, she just kept nervously pacing, and trying to get into the original run with the other chickens. This morning she is just as nervous and distressed. When I went into the run just to check the feed situation, she was totally freaked out. I assume at some point she will calm down enough to eat and drink.
Previously, when one of our hens was being mercilessly picked on, we put up the dog run to keep her safe and separated and slowly reintroduced her to the flock by putting one other chicken in the dog run with her every day, switching chickens day by day. This worked and we now have peace in the original flock. I was thinking of doing the same thing with the new chicken. We are patient with this process, but if the new hen doesn't integrate, we will have to cull her. We will not be keeping just one chicken in the 10x10 dog run indefinitely.
Has anyone else dealt with a situation like this?
