Introducing new chicken

[cathy155]

Hello everyone

I recently posted two pictures of my wellsummers to check they are girls . They about 6 weeks old and I would like to add a new girl. I was wondering if it is best to wait until they are older and add a adult chicken or add a new one of a similar age now? And will they fight?

Any advice is much appricated

Thank you
Cathy

 

[Mrs. K]

adding one hen to an established flock is often a disaster. The entire flock will know that this hen is a stranger, and everyone one of them will attack the hen, the age of the flock does not matter.

It is best to add about equal amounts of new hens as the original flock. They will still fight, and they will hang in two separate groups for quite awhile, but there is not just one hen taking all the abuse.

When adding hens adding the same size is a good idea, but I don't think it will matter if you do it now or later.

I am not a proponent of adding one, 3-4 is much better. But even then, there are going to be a lot of fighting going on.

MrsK

ps - wait, do you only have two hens? If so, adding two more should work, kind of. Make sure you have enough room, and add a couple of food dishes, and waterers. And a couple of hideouts - just card board boxes, pallets up on cinderblocks, different levels to your run, will help

 

[jak2002003]

I am often adding new hens and rooster to my flock - they are just pet bantams. I have never had any problems.......guess I must be lucky! Here is my method:

Keep the new chicken - or chickens - in a large dog cage / crate, or similar wire cage.

In the cage put a roost, food and water. Then keep the cage in the other chickens run in the daytime, and then put it in the coop at night. (make sure the cage has shelter from strong sun or rain).

Once you hens are settled in and used to you feeding them etc, - about 1 week, then just let them out with the others.

There will be some chasing and a little fighting to see who is boss, but each little fight should be over in seconds. Then everything should be OK.

Keeping the new ones in the cage allows all the chickens too get used to each other, but keeps the new ones safe.

I found if you let new ones into you flock straight away the new ones are freaked out and will run around and are not confident, so the other chickens will pick on them more. The bigger the run and space for the chickens the better, as well as adding some things for the new ones to hide behind like the dog crate, large plant pots, logs, etc.

I recommend you put your new ones into quarantine for a time to make sure they won't have any diseases to spread to you other birds, but that's up to you.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

It is better to add them when young, a nd close to the same age. You can add one at a time. If you are worried about it, find your most dominnent chicken and take that one away, add the new chicken at night. Replace the dominent chicken the next night. See how it goes. It is best to add more than one at a time but no need to add a new flock. Chickens always have 'arguments' as my granddauhter likes to say, typically a minor thing that doesn't last long. The more chickens you have the more they segregate into different groups, if you add one mature hen to a flock it may not ever buddy up and be left out of group activities.

 

[cathy155]

Thank you for all your advice !

As I only have two chickens I was worried they wont lay as I heard you need three or more to lay? Not sure if this is true? So I thought I would add a new one . Originally I had 6 eggs in the incubator but only two hatched.

Thanks Cathy

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

No, they will lay. You shouldn't have any problems adding another chicken, they like company and will be happy to be a flock instead of a pair. Good luck.