Introducing A New Chicken !!FAST!!

[Helenambm10]

I'm getting new chickens soon and want to add them to my new flock except I don't have a separate pen to put them until their all nice and cozy. All I have is a cage with plenty of room for both hens, food, and water. I can't keep them in that cage until they get all buddy-buddy, I need a solution. I don't wanna rush it or be a terrible owner but I don't know what to do.

 

[Mrs. K]

how many birds do you have now? What are their ages? How much space is your set up, measurements.

Do you have hide outs in the run and coop, places where birds can get out of sight of other birds, but not get trapped.

Without a doubt, sometimes this can be very tough, a single bird is the hardest integrations, but a lot will depend on your answers.

Mrs K

 

[Helenambm10]

how many birds do you have now? What are their ages? How much space is your set up, measurements.

Do you have hide outs in the run and coop, places where birds can get out of sight of other birds, but not get trapped.

Without a doubt, sometimes this can be very tough, a single bird is the hardest integrations, but a lot will depend on your answers.

Mrs K

Ok so to answer your questions. I currently have 7 hens, I’m trying to introduce 2-3. My hens are 22 weeks, the new hens are 20 weeks. My run is 14ft by 20ft. My coop is elevated so they could hid under there along with little tunnels and caves and such placed around the run.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

So what you can do is put the hens in the cage in the pen for a full day and then place them on the roost bar at night. This is the short short version of integration and I've done it but it's insufficient for a smooth transition. Your pen is small so you may have to catch them and throw them into their cage during the day to keep them safe if they're having too much trouble. I didn't have to do this cause I have 800sqft in my pen.

If you can free range them together for a few days it could seriously help. Just put them on the roost bar every night and they'll all catch on fast. The real trick is that if things start getting bloody you need to get them separate (see-but-not-touch) again. So you either need the cage or to supervise a LOT.

 

[rosemarythyme]

You could try getting some chicken wire and partitioning off a section of the run, at least during the day, and do that for a few days before having them mingle? Having obstacles available does help - make sure that none of them form a dead end. Do you have multiple feeders? Food is probably one of the top things they'll fight over.

 

[aart]

My coop is elevated so they could hid under there along with little tunnels and caves and such placed around the run.

How big is the coop itself?
How long are the roosts?
Pics would help.

'Fast' integration can go well....or not.
Best of cLuck!

 

[Cragg Klefor]

Good luck, I hope it goes well. Risky without quarantine .. fingers crossed for you.

 

[Mrs. K]

2-3 is way better than one. Do it when you can be home. Another trick is to let the original birds out into the yard, and lock them out of the coop/run set up with the newbies inside the set up. This allows the newbies to explore and figure out the set up at their own pace, without being chased for their lives. Just before dark, let the old girls back in just before dark, the urge to roost will be mostly stronger than the urge to fight, kind of sort of.

The new birds, after being in there most of the day, will naturally go into the coop, and sometime they will wake up together and be fine. If not, if they could spend the day roaming the yard, this time with the coop/run open to everyone, you just might be fine.

There is a chance this won't work at all, and a lot does depend on available space, the smaller the space, the worst it will go. Adding platforms and roosts in the run, along with hide outs, allows birds to use more of the vertical space which with hideouts can really help.

Wishing they will all just be nice won't work at all.

Mrs K

Actually, 280 square feet, should really help. This is going to sound crazy, but I have also gone in and "rearranged the furniture" when adding new birds. Kind of confusing to all. Seemed to help. They are basically the same size and same age, this might go pretty good.

 

[Claud123]

i impulsively bought a new chicken a few days ago, i put it in the coop at night and all seemed fine but when i let them out in the morning the five existing hens were attacking her. i separated them again but this time she was in the original pen and they went on the grass around it. non of the other chickens were bothered about her but one has not left the fence where she was stood the other side and keeps trying to get through or attack her. Anyone know how i can solve this?

 

[Mrs. K]

You might try a couple of things:

• feed along the fence line
• Separate the mean bird in a dog crate for a couple of days, let the new one work it out with the rest.
• Pin-less peepers if she is still aggressive

I have found that putting the new bird inside, like you did and the locking the rest out is very helpful. Do not let them in until it is nearly dark, they will be wanting to go to roost nearly as bad as wanting to fight.

If the wicked one is real aggressive at this time, lock her up in the crate in the coop tonight. So that she does not wake up in the early morning and start to attack, as the milder ones will follow her lead.

Do make sure you have hide outs in the run, small pieces of plywood, chairs, ladders, saddle horses, pallets, and roosts. Set up at least two feeding spots, but set them up so as a bird eating at one, cannot see a bird eating at another. A while back I showed my own run, the post was labeled clutter, I think.

Mrs K