Introducing new chickens to the flock

[phmezz]

I've been keeping chickens for about a year now and I think I finally won my battle with raccoons, fox and coyote. Anyway, I have purchased twelve chickens and now I am left with three. I'm learning that chickens are food for a lot of animals, not just people. I attempted to add 2 sex links (now the total is up to fourteen) late last fall. My three chickens (2 rhode island reds, 1 barred rock) pecked them to death. Chickens can be cruel!

Anyway, anyone have suggestions on introducing new pullets to an established coop? I've read you have to keep them isolated and introduce them slowly as they get large enough to defend themselves. I'd like to avoid building a new coop just to temporarily house new pullets but I don't want to just sentence my new chicks to death.

I've heard of the pecking order but didn't think it was so vicious.

 

[nivtup]

I would only introduce them when they are full sized.

Keeping them within viewing distance for a week or two helps.

 

[gryeyes]

You can use something temporary, like a dog house, in which to house them for two weeks. If your run is big enough, set up the doghouse (or whatever) in the run, then put up chickenwire or garden fencing with garden stakes around it. Provide a feeder and waterer in that space with the newbies.

In two weeks, you can take down the temporary fencing and let them mingle. By then, they will have "met" the others and pecked through the fence, chest-bumped, squawked, all that stuff, and the newbies will not be "stranger chickens" in their midst any more. There will still be some chasing, feather pulling and squawking, but it should be manageable. Keep the separate waterers and feeders, though, for a bit, so the established birds can't block the newbies from eating or drinking (which they will do for a while, just because they want to show they have more status).

Good luck!