Introducing new chickens to my flock

[bigz1983]

Hey everyone,

I bought some golden campiness back in July and the lady I bought them from owns a hatchery.

I told the hatchery owner I wanted 1 golden campine rooster and 3 hens and she sold them to me for $40. Well she told me they were just that. They all ended up being rooster's.

I called her back and asked if I could get a refund or if she would take them back/exchange them for hens. She told me she couldn't take them back for fear of disease.

She told she could give me replacement hens but I would need to wait because all she had left were little chicks.

So finally one year later she gave me 3 golden campine replacement hens but they are younger still peeping but they have there feathers in.

While I was waiting for the replacement hens I traded one of the 4 roosters she told me were hens for a ISA brown hen. I kept one of the roosters and gave the other 2 away.

So now I have one golden campine rooster and one ISA brown hen and I'm trying to get the 3 golden campine replacement hens to live with the golden campine rooster/ISA brown hen.

But the rooster/ISA brown hen are mean and we had to separate the replacement campine hens put them in a cage to keep them from getting killed.

My coop isn't very big 4'x8' and it sucks that the campine rooster/ISA brown hen are being so mean. How do I get them to get along? Do I need to wait until the replacement campine hens are fully grown to put them in with the bigger hen/rooster? Should I just get rid of the rooster/ISA brown hen?

 

[Tlmcq]

Take it slow...start by adding run space next to where your others are so they can see each other but separated for safety for about 2 weeks. You could also try letting them free range together if you don't do runs. The idea is to get them used to each other safely...there will be pecking and picking, just not to severe. No one should be injured or drawing blood with pecking...they have to establish their place in flock. After couple weeks you can try integrating again if still too rough keep socializing them in safety and try again in week or so...it takes time for them accept other flock mates and a bit of confidence on new ones part to keep from getting beat up.

 

[bigz1983]

Take it slow...start by adding run space next to where your others are so they can see each other but separated for safety for about 2 weeks. You could also try letting them free range together if you don't do runs. The idea is to get them used to each other safely...there will be pecking and picking, just not to severe. No one should be injured or drawing blood with pecking...they have to establish their place in flock. After couple weeks you can try integrating again if still too rough keep socializing them in safety and try again in week or so...it takes time for them accept other flock mates and a bit of confidence on new ones part to keep from getting beat up.

That's the problem my 3 little juvenile campine hens were injured by the adult rooster/ISA brown hen. The back of the one of my juvenile campine hens was bleeding and we have been putting vasoline on it.

I put the juvenile campine hens in a cage that is inside the coop run and put some boards around it to help protect them from the weather. Should I just leave them in the cage all summer and maybe by fall they will be large enough to defend themselves against the adult rooster/ISA brown hen?

 

[Tlmcq]

It shouldn't take all summer but yes that is a way to keep them safe but in same area..if possible you can also have an are where the lil guys can run into if needed but the big ones can't fit thru...this allows the smaller ones to go in and out of big guy area but run to safety if needed. Not sure if this is feasible with your set up or not.