Introducing new chickens

[Marisa14]

They r actually not that cute... (in my opinion) they are kinda scruffy looking but I think we r gonna wait a bit

Haha! I’m sure they will get cute!! I have Orpingtons and I am just in love with them

 

[Linda L]

I have two left of my barred rocks (because of predators) and now I've got new chicks I'm afraid of putting with the two.

 

[Linda L]

I have two left of my barred rocks (because of predators) and now I've got new chicks I'm afraid of putting with the two.

 

[Marisa14]

I have two left of my barred rocks (because of predators) and now I've got new chicks I'm afraid of putting with the two.

Oh, that’s so sad losing them like that! I’m a bit scared too but one I’m getting is the same age as my existing chickens and the other is about 4 months old so they might be ok

 

[Mrs. K]

I think you have plenty of room to add two new birds. It looks like a lovely set up for a small flock.

What I would suggest is to clutter up that run. If you think about it, anywhere a chicken is in that run can be seen from any other point of view. Set up some little walls, some platforms that chickens can get under or on top of, pallets are easy to use, where a chicken can get out of sight of the others, and then set a feed station, where when eating at one station, a bird cannot see who is eating at another.

ps - often times they do look scruffy looking as they are growing faster than their feathers. If they have bright eyes and are active, it is a good sign.

Mrs K

 

[Erika Koehn]

Haha! I’m sure they will get cute!! I have Orpingtons and I am just in love with them

Ya I bet... I don’t exactly know what breed mine r because they were hatched by my neighbor.... no not by him but you know what I mean... he has about 30 chickens ( I think) and so these two chicks are a mix breed

 

[Marisa14]

I think you have plenty of room to add two new birds. It looks like a lovely set up for a small flock.

What I would suggest is to clutter up that run. If you think about it, anywhere a chicken is in that run can be seen from any other point of view. Set up some little walls, some platforms that chickens can get under or on top of, pallets are easy to use, where a chicken can get out of sight of the others, and then set a feed station, where when eating at one station, a bird cannot see who is eating at another.

ps - often times they do look scruffy looking as they are growing faster than their feathers. If they have bright eyes and are active, it is a good sign.

Mrs K

Thanks so much... that is great advice! I will get some obstacles etc ASAP! My friend said they are looking a bit scruffy at the moment because they are moulting. That’s ok though they will get cute again soon!

 

[elmo]

I lost my beloved Goldie (gold laced Wyandotte) the other day and now all I’m left with is daisy, my black Orpington and Lexie, my white Orpington. A friend of mine has a blue and a lavender orpington she said I could have... I’m a bit worried about how they will go with my other 2??

Sorry for your loss.

Chicken social behavior can be surprisingly complex. If you had two best friends and one of them died or moved away, would you accept a random third person as a friend to replace her? Maybe, depending on the person. Maybe not.

Well, in my experience, chickens are just like that. Daisy and Lexie might eventually welcome a new third chicken with open wings, or they might not. I think the best approach is the "look don't touch" method. You can search on this forum for detailed descriptions of how it works. Basically, you let the hens see each other for a period of time without physical contact. Then when they've gotten acquainted this way, you let them mingle under supervision. See how it goes.

We have a flock of ten and nine year old hens who hatched and grew up together. Some individuals are just enemies. I split the flock into two groups, putting the "mean girls" in their own separate pen. Each chicken has her own personality; all we can do is observe and try to manage housing so that the flock is as stable and stress free as possible for most members.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

[Marisa14]

Ya I bet... I don’t exactly know what breed mine r because they were hatched by my neighbor.... no not by him but you know what I mean... he has about 30 chickens ( I think) and so these two chicks are a mix breed

Haha! Yes, I know what you mean... my friend has 40 or 50!! She has them in breeding groups and sells the eggs. I already have a black and a white Orpington. The two I’m getting are lavender and light blue. I will get a dark blue and a splash in the spring. So exciting!!

 

[Marisa14]

Tha

Sorry for your loss.

Chicken social behavior can be surprisingly complex. If you had two best friends and one of them died or moved away, would you accept a random third person as a friend to replace her? Maybe, depending on the person. Maybe not.

Well, in my experience, chickens are just like that. Daisy and Lexie might eventually welcome a new third chicken with open wings, or they might not. I think the best approach is the "look don't touch" method. You can search on this forum for detailed descriptions of how it works. Basically, you let the hens see each other for a period of time without physical contact. Then when they've gotten acquainted this way, you let them mingle under supervision. See how it goes.

We have a flock of ten and nine year old hens who hatched and grew up together. Some individuals are just enemies. I split the flock into two groups, putting the "mean girls" in their own separate pen. Each chicken has her own personality; all we can do is observe and try to manage housing so that the flock is as stable and stress free as possible for most members.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

that makes perfect sense, thanks so much!!