Introducing new member to flock: question about crate/pen

[Wild_Flower]

Hey y’all
So I’m needing to introduce a Silkie cockerel to my existing tiny flock of two Silkie pullets (the pullets are 10 months old and the cockerel is roughly 5 months old). Now I normally wouldn’t introduce just one lonely little chicken but this sweet boy was a rescue and was all on his own. I’ve read that some folks put their newbies in dog crates and place them in the run so they can all get to know each other with a safe barrier between them, so my question is what size crate would be suitable for my little guy? I don’t have a huge space in their run at the moment (I gained a new project when I gained this new flock member! Lol) so I can’t really have anything too big but at the same time I don’t want him squished into a teeny tiny cage.
Any suggestions/tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[artbykarenehaley]

Oh how exciting! I bet he's cute. Please tell us the size of your run and coop so we know what we have to work with, that will help us help you.

Also if you're not too busy you're welcome to show us some pictures of your chooks. It won't help with your question I just like how fuzzy silkies are.

 

[Wild_Flower]

Oh how exciting! I bet he's cute. Please tell us the size of your run and coop so we know what we have to work with, that will help us help you.

Also if you're not too busy you're welcome to show us some pictures of your chooks. It won't help with your question I just like how fuzzy silkies are

Oh sorry, I didn’t even think about adding pics Whoops
So the run is 7ft long and I think like 4.5ft wide. I added a couple of photos of the girls eating watermelon because they’re just too cute

 

[Ridgerunner]

Those ages make it interesting. Are the girls laying yet? If they are laying they are going to act more like adults than immature pullets. The 5-month-old cockerel may still act like a chick but it is also possible he is into puberty with the hormones strongly affecting his behavior. It is unlikely but possible he has matured enough to act more like a mature rooster. Highly unlikely, but I had a dual purpose cockerel at 5 months that did. Usually it's more like 7 months.

Different things can happen when you put them together, depending on maturity levels and individual personalities. One possibility is that they get along great, no issues at all. One is that the more mature girls beat him up if he invades their personal space but leave him alone as long as he stays away. It's possible one or both girls go into seek and destroy mode and hunt him, but that's unlikely. If he is far enough into puberty he may try to force mate them so he can establish his dominance. Your run will be big enough when they are all integrated but integration usually takes more room. You probably have enough room.

At those ages the way I'd approach it would be to treat him as if he is still a chick and not in the throes of puberty. House him across wire from the girls where they can see each other but cannot hurt each other. It needs to be predator safe. Your run looks like it probably is but that is your call, you are looking at it and you suffer the potential consequences. Also consider weather, mainly rain at that age. He's old enough cold doesn't matter but don't cook him in the heat. After a week or so I'd let him out when you can observe. See how it goes and make any decisions based on what you see.

How big does it need to be? Not very, especially if he is a bantam. Room for food and water, maybe a "nest" to provide shelter from weather or maybe the sun though most people do not use a nest. You'll need access to manage food, water, and probably poop. Many people use the wire dog cages, not the plastic crates. If you elevate it, maybe on bricks, the poop falls through and may make it easier to manage. Or make your own shelter. You could probably get by for a bantam with a 2' x 2', it's only for a week hopefully, but I'd probably want it a bit bigger.

While bad things can happen when you integrate and you need to be prepared for them, most of the time it actually goes pretty well. Good luck!

 

[Wild_Flower]

Those ages make it interesting. Are the girls laying yet? If they are laying they are going to act more like adults than immature pullets. The 5-month-old cockerel may still act like a chick but it is also possible he is into puberty with the hormones strongly affecting his behavior. It is unlikely but possible he has matured enough to act more like a mature rooster. Highly unlikely, but I had a dual purpose cockerel at 5 months that did. Usually it's more like 7 months.

Different things can happen when you put them together, depending on maturity levels and individual personalities. One possibility is that they get along great, no issues at all. One is that the more mature girls beat him up if he invades their personal space but leave him alone as long as he stays away. It's possible one or both girls go into seek and destroy mode and hunt him, but that's unlikely. If he is far enough into puberty he may try to force mate them so he can establish his dominance. Your run will be big enough when they are all integrated but integration usually takes more room. You probably have enough room.

At those ages the way I'd approach it would be to treat him as if he is still a chick and not in the throes of puberty. House him across wire from the girls where they can see each other but cannot hurt each other. It needs to be predator safe. Your run looks like it probably is but that is your call, you are looking at it and you suffer the potential consequences. Also consider weather, mainly rain at that age. He's old enough cold doesn't matter but don't cook him in the heat. After a week or so I'd let him out when you can observe. See how it goes and make any decisions based on what you see.

How big does it need to be? Not very, especially if he is a bantam. Room for food and water, maybe a "nest" to provide shelter from weather or maybe the sun though most people do not use a nest. You'll need access to manage food, water, and probably poop. Many people use the wire dog cages, not the plastic crates. If you elevate it, maybe on bricks, the poop falls through and may make it easier to manage. Or make your own shelter. You could probably get by for a bantam with a 2' x 2', it's only for a week hopefully, but I'd probably want it a bit bigger.

While bad things can happen when you integrate and you need to be prepared for them, most of the time it actually goes pretty well. Good luck!

I tried doing “soft introductions” where I’d bring the girls in to be near his pen just so they could see him and size him up. Then I moved on to outdoor play dates where they were still separated. I then moved on to putting him in the outdoor playpen with Pickle (the girl with more spots) because while they’re both docile she’s the more docile of the two, and that went really well. Then I made the mistake rushing it and trusting things would be fine and went ahead and put Goose in with them. She went into attack mode and they got into a few scuffles. I was able to break them up easily but then she jumped on him and ripped some feathers out (his cries were heartbreaking) so I put an end to it right then. I know it can get kinda heated while establishing pecking order but I know now that I need to go about a different way. I’m still new and still learning

 

[Wild_Flower]

Those ages make it interesting. Are the girls laying yet? If they are laying they are going to act more like adults than immature pullets. The 5-month-old cockerel may still act like a chick but it is also possible he is into puberty with the hormones strongly affecting his behavior. It is unlikely but possible he has matured enough to act more like a mature rooster. Highly unlikely, but I had a dual purpose cockerel at 5 months that did. Usually it's more like 7 months.

Different things can happen when you put them together, depending on maturity levels and individual personalities. One possibility is that they get along great, no issues at all. One is that the more mature girls beat him up if he invades their personal space but leave him alone as long as he stays away. It's possible one or both girls go into seek and destroy mode and hunt him, but that's unlikely. If he is far enough into puberty he may try to force mate them so he can establish his dominance. Your run will be big enough when they are all integrated but integration usually takes more room. You probably have enough room.

At those ages the way I'd approach it would be to treat him as if he is still a chick and not in the throes of puberty. House him across wire from the girls where they can see each other but cannot hurt each other. It needs to be predator safe. Your run looks like it probably is but that is your call, you are looking at it and you suffer the potential consequences. Also consider weather, mainly rain at that age. He's old enough cold doesn't matter but don't cook him in the heat. After a week or so I'd let him out when you can observe. See how it goes and make any decisions based on what you see.

How big does it need to be? Not very, especially if he is a bantam. Room for food and water, maybe a "nest" to provide shelter from weather or maybe the sun though most people do not use a nest. You'll need access to manage food, water, and probably poop. Many people use the wire dog cages, not the plastic crates. If you elevate it, maybe on bricks, the poop falls through and may make it easier to manage. Or make your own shelter. You could probably get by for a bantam with a 2' x 2', it's only for a week hopefully, but I'd probably want it a bit bigger.

While bad things can happen when you integrate and you need to be prepared for them, most of the time it actually goes pretty well. Good luck!

Oh and yes, both girls are already laying.