Introducing my hen to new chicks?

[siobhan47]

Hiya! My hen has been alone for a few weeks (had to say goodbye to her rooster offspring) so two days ago I got two female chicks to combat her loneliness. I am very new to all this so unsure how to go about introducing them to her? I only have one coop and at the moment I am letting Mama (my hen) free range during the day and keeping the chicks locked in the coop. At night when they have to share I am keeping the chicks in a cat cage in the coop, so Mama can see them and chat to them but not get at them. She has never been introduced to any new chickens before. I have let them share the coop once and she pecked them. I know that is normal but they are only six weeks old so obviously I don't want them to be injured. I work in a preschool and that's where the chickens are, so I don't want to let them out to free range until they are older (too many children with grabby hands). I don't know when I should let them all mix together in the coop?


Here they are Dad is a Buff Orpington and Mum is an Orpington cross. Haven't thought of any names yet!

 

[bobbi-j]

I would wait until they're closer to her size. Chickens aren't particularly fond of chicks that aren't theirs.

 

[Rocky Rhodes]

I would wait until they're closer to her size. Chickens aren't particularly fond of chicks that aren't theirs.

X2 Chickens can be brutal on newbies. I would wait until they are big enough to free-range with your adult hen and let her get used to them where they have plenty of room to flee from the aggression she is sure to exhibit.

 

[siobhan47]

X2 Chickens can be brutal on newbies. I would wait until they are big enough to free-range with your adult hen and let her get used to them where they have plenty of room to flee from the aggression she is sure to exhibit.

Ok great. So for now I should keep doing what I'm doing? Mama is about a year and a half old. The reason I got chicks is because I wanted to tame them, otherwise I would have gotten older ones that would be easier to settle.