Introducing another chicken to the "flock"

[toolmaster]

Howdy all -
I had 3 hens up until recently, when a fox nabbed one of them. I'd like to have 3 hens, as that gave me enough eggs to occasionally give a dozen away. Do I need to raise a chick from a baby to get the 2 hens to accept her, or can I just put another hen in with them?

Albert

 

[math ace]

Either way there will be an issue. If you raise a chick - - - you can not put the chick in with the full grown hens until it grows up. So, you will have to introduce it as a full size pullet and be prepared for a week - 2 weeks of feather pecking etc due to the esbalishing of pecking order.

There are quite a few threads with tips on how to introduce new birds on here. Just do a search and you will come up with more ideas than you want . . . .

 

[chicken+quail=luv]

I think it would be easier to introduce a full grown pullet to the flock. Like Math Ace said, get used to them pecking at the hen in order for them to be in charge of her.

 

[toolmaster]

Thanks guys - I guess I'll just keep watch when I put another one in.

 

[embkm]

Unless there is a reason why you can't have 4 hens, get 2 grown pullets. Preferrably from the same place. That way all hens have a "buddy" and it won't be 2 against 1, picking on the new girl. There will still be some pecking order fights, but it should calm down pretty quickly.

 

[math ace]

Quote:
I agree with this too. When I introduced two new ones they literally had each others back. They would stand tail feather to tail feather and take on anybody from the existing flock who wanted to challenege them.

I have found the greatest thing you can do to increase to harmony and decreade the fighting during the introduction period is to make sure there are plenty of "hiding" spaces for the picked on one to go to for safety. Also, increase the number of feeders and waterers during the introduction. The alpha hens will control some and the submissive ones will have some.

 

[little white]

I had three hens and lost one... Went out and got a full grown hen from a farmer nearby, kept her in quarantine for a month, and then introduced her to the flock.
What happened was very interesting, and not at all what I expected. Wrote about it in my blog here: http://ScratchAndPeck.blogspot.com