Introducing New Hen

[louisebarnhill]

I have four 24 week old hens who have been together since they were 9 weeks old. I want to add 2 more 10 to 15 week old hens to the coop. My coop has a large fully enclosed yard and the coop is 8ft by 6ft. The yard is 8x10 so I'm sure I have enough room for a total of 6 girls. BUT...how do I bring in the 2 new girls without a good way to separate them? The girls free range all day and go in the coop at night. If I leave they get confined to the coop/yard combo.I'm afraid the current four will hurt the new ones...any ideas on how to bring in the new ones would be appreciated.

 

[feathermaid]

As a chicken keeper, it's always best to have a separation system in place. You will always need it, whether to introduce new flock members, isolate a mean bully, separate an injured bird or have an outdoor brooder space.

Without separation, your current hens would likely attack the newcomers. And if they're already laying could become upset and stop for a while. A good way to introduce each other is during free range time when there's lots of space to run away, and also placing the new pullets on the roost at night next to the other hens. But the time inside the run unsupervised, they should be separated. It's a lot of work to integrate new chickens safely and peacefully. The best way is the "see but don't touch method". It's simple as attaching poultry fencing and blocking off a corner, or maybe the space under the coop?

You could keep them temporarily in a large wire dog crate.

Maybe after a few days, you could try setting up some hiding places inside the run... like a sheet of plywood leaning against the wall, and lots of additional perches. Obstacles to break line of sight. And extra food and water stations. Then watch to see what they do all together, be ready to separate again if necessary. Some pecking will be expected. I'm talking about real aggression that draws blood. But separation for the first few weeks is usually best.

Quarantine beforehand is also a good idea.

 

[louisebarnhill]

WOW! Maybe I should just be happy with my four girls...I do have an 8x10 unused dog run with a roof I could put them in right next to the hens. Then they would be side by side say for at least a week? My hens used it before we bought the new coop a few months ago so it is very safe as far as predators.
Thanks for the advice. I’m new at chickens and tend to overdo and overthink everything.

 

[Rick M]

That's what I would do is use the dog run right next to the one your hens currently use. The see but but no touch method works well or has in our case and that would also let the new girls realize where home is when you do let them out to free range with the other girls.

 

[louisebarnhill]

 

[Pork Pie]

Here's some additional links:

#16

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1098683/introducing-new-chickens-to-old-flock#post_16895615

Good luck

 

[Shadrach]

I have four 24 week old hens who have been together since they were 9 weeks old. I want to add 2 more 10 to 15 week old hens to the coop. My coop has a large fully enclosed yard and the coop is 8ft by 6ft. The yard is 8x10 so I'm sure I have enough room for a total of 6 girls. BUT...how do I bring in the 2 new girls without a good way to separate them? The girls free range all day and go in the coop at night. If I leave they get confined to the coop/yard combo.I'm afraid the current four will hurt the new ones...any ideas on how to bring in the new ones would be appreciated.

You have of course organised a quarantine space for them haven't you?
Once the quarantine is over, then worry about integration.

 

[feathermaid]

WOW! Maybe I should just be happy with my four girls...I do have an 8x10 unused dog run with a roof I could put them in right next to the hens. Then they would be side by side say for at least a week? My hens used it before we bought the new coop a few months ago so it is very safe as far as predators.
Thanks for the advice. I’m new at chickens and tend to overdo and overthink everything.

The dog run would work perfect. But I have always been too afraid to bring in new birds that weren't just hatched babies. There's always the possibility older birds could bring an unseen illness and infect your whole flock. That's why quarantine far away from your original birds is recommended first --for like 6-8 weeks! And then the introduction period after that. Of course, some people do skip it and get lucky (while others get a whole flock of dead birds instead of a few extras). 10-15 wks isn't adult, but still old enough to be possible carriers of ??? To me, it's not worth the stress.

Anyway, you do have enough space to add more birdies... you could get 2 or 3 day old chicks in spring. Babies are fresh (so to speak) and aren't a disease threat. They're actually very easy to integrate at a young age and it's so rewarding to watch them grow. The only downside is you have to wait a long time for eggs.

I raised mine with the Mama Heating Pad method inside the coop... no heat lamp. They do need a separate brooder space though. Here's what I did:

I used the space under the roosts as a brooder and only had to block off one side. First was a hardware cloth screen, where "see but don't touch" starts from the beginning. Then a couple weeks, I changed the barrier to have 3.5" spaces so chicks could come out and mingle but run back to safety and the big ones couldn't get in. Older hens are also usually more tolerant of babies than full size birds coming in to steal their resources. So by the time these babies were 5 weeks old, they were done with supplemental heat and roosting with my big girls.

Please do read the links Pork Pie and I left for you earlier,
and this too!
Kick The Heat Lamp: Better, Safer And Healthier Options To Heat Your Brooder
Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

 

[louisebarnhill]

I have decided to not add any new hens to my flock. I may consider a few chicks in the spring but my fear has been the 4 layers would kill them. I would of course separate them but for how long do they need to be separated? I have also from a different question decided to cease all snacks except an occasional handful of berries and kale and carrots. Can I ask you about adding oyster shells, I do now, if they are getting a complete layer feed and free range during the day...

 

[feathermaid]

There is an old notion that new chicks/chickens can't be added to an existing flock unless they're all the same size -so they can defend themselves. Bullpucky! Adding chicks is so easy. You just have to do it right. Sure, if you threw some baby chicks right in with big strangers they wouldn't fair well at all... but I promise, if you brood them so everyone can see each other, for 3-4 weeks, they will just seamlessly blend together. (with normal pecking order)

Read this thread to gain confidence... though it's very long, I've only read half of it.
Mama Heating Pad

And these will be helpful too:
Integrating new birds at 4 weeks old
Foldable wire dog crates- a good tool for every chickeneer

As far as feeding, I like free choice layer with oyster shell and grit on the side.

But when I added my chicks, because they were different ages and all ate from the same feeders, I switched to All Flock Raiser. The separate oyster shell provides all the calcium for the layers but the chicks don't eat it until they need it. My babies are now 18 wks and I'm switching back to layer any day. I just leave the oyster shell available and let the hens decide if they need it or not.

I learned the hard way about giving treats -- you are wise to limit them. I have a compost bin that my chickens had free access to. I put all my kitchen scraps there every day, including bread and pasta. They loved it!! The highlight of their day. Then early this summer one of my hens suddenly acted strange, then died... she hadn't been laying for months. I tried to do my own necropsy and found an inch thick layer of visceral fat! She didn't appear fat when she was alive. But she was. And I apparently killed her with my stupid kindness.

So needless to say, no more kitchen scraps. I give some occasional fruits/veggies but that's it. They free range daily so I'm sure they find enough bugs and greens. For the winter, I've got some scratch grains and dried sunflower heads to offer about every other day... for added energy and warmth.