Introducing new hens to the flock

[henipeni]

Hello: I'm a newcomer at this chicken/ egg adventure. My husband and I agreed to starting this journey back about 2 years ago and finally purchased 6 red production chicks (1 day old) on March 27 this year. Dana built a brood box and we kept it in the office here at home. Then about 2 months when the weather warmed up he built an A frame 8' run while starting on the coop. We had a cement floor poured and built a lovely hen house where the girls are now living. We put up a 6 ' fence all the way around the place with a netting cover that keeps preditors and sun rays out.

Now what happens next was not in the plan. I went to my country store to pick up some feed and the lady talked me into taking 5 more chicks, Americana's. Well that was a step back in time I find out and the red hens are pretty puffed out over the newcomers. So the question now is how do I get these little maybe 6-8 week old girls into the flock? I have them in the A frame in the garage for the time being. They were pretty scared when I brought them home and a couple were pecked up pretty bad so we got thru that and they look better now. So there's the stage I am on, what would you suggest? Thanks for listening to me go on and on.

Hey, for where I am in the big picture I think we have come a long way since March 27. Oh, and a hawk came down and sat on the A frame when the big girls were about 6 weeks old. So we know what we are up against with preditors. We live on 1/2 acre about 10 miles away from OKC. Any help you can give me is much appreciated. Vicki

 

[ChooksChick]

Hiya! I have a small column in which I write about various chicken stuff that might be of help to you- the link is in my signature. I recently wrote an article about integrating new birds into the flock- that may help you. I'll help if you have more questions!

 

[rocketdoctor]

Quote:
chooksChick, Can you give us the exact link to the article you talk about introducing new chickens to an existing flock I am interested as well. but couldn't find it on your blog and it doesn't have a good index to find any previous posts (you might want to take an add or two off and add a way to show previous post subjects).

 

[henipeni]

Hi to you, thanks for replying to my message about introducing new chix to the flock. I tried to find your article on 3 of your links and didn't find the piece. I'm still up and trying to find out about this. Hope you are too. Thanks, Vicki

 

[ChooksChick]

Sorry guys- here's the link: Introducing new birds to the flock

 

[spottedtail]

Congrats on pouring a concrete floor!
Very wise.
Not many newcomers have the foresight to do that.

spot

 

[Firebomb_k]

Pooring a concrete floor is nice and all......but in some areas the tax man looks at that as a permenant building which means you get taxes for it,,,,, as apposed to a moveable building.

 

[jossanne]

Your older girls are still quite young. It should be quite easy to integrate two groups of such close ages. Let them get used to each other through a wire fence first. Then let them at it, and they'll work it all out.