Introducing a third hen

[LE808]

Hi all, I've currently got 2 buff sussex chickens that are at POL and I would love to introduce a third, preferably a light sussex at the same age. The only thing is everything I have read tells me that they should only be introduced in pairs. Has anybody got any experience of this? I'm happy to stick with the two if its a bad idea but would be really interested to hear your thoughts.

 

[Whittni]

If you can add the new birds in a pair, do so. You can introduce a single bird but she'll likely be picked on pretty bad by your hens. The only single chickens you should introduce would be a single chick that hatched alone, a rooster or a hen being sold alone. So if you can get two, go for it that way the new one has a friend.

 

[cafarmgirl]

If you can do more then one new bird I'd highly recommend it. Integrating a single newbie into a small flock can be a nightmare. I have done it in the past and I will not do it again. Now I only integrate groups of three or more.