Introducing new pullets to current flock of pullets

[Chxlove]

Still very new to the backyard chicken game. Our current mini flock of 4 pullets and 1 cockerel is between 5 and 6 weeks old. My husband and I then got our coop and run ready and realized how much space we really have and were thinking of adding more girls. There is a swap coming up next weekend. I've read about introducing pullets to a flock of adult hens, but not pullets to pullets. If I'm buying pullets around the same age, will they still need to be separated by fencing for a while before they can be introduced? And since we're not buying from a store or something where diseases are more common, do we still need to quarantine? Now I'm wishing we would've known and just gotten a bunch of chicks all at once instead of dealing with this It's sounding like a much bigger undertaking than I thought.

The other thing I wondered that might help us, is our current flock has not transitioned outside to the coop yet. We're behind I know, but it's been cold here so we're slowly adjusting the temp in the room to help so it's not a 50° jump. Anyway, we wanted to get them outside by next weekend, so what if they got into the coop/run at the same time as the newbies? Would that help or still they need to be separated?

Thanks in advance as always!

 

[MissE]

Yes, new birds need to be quarantined, especially ones you pick up at a swap. These are often times someone else's culls. You don't know the health of the flock they came from, or what they picked up at the swap itself.

For introduction, do it the same as you would with adults. Look but don't touch for a period of time, then supervised interaction. They will probably adapt better, especially if they all go to a new to them space at the same time.

Keep all birds separate for a minimum of two weeks. Then look but don't touch with everyone in the coop at the same time.

 

[MissE]

And chicken math starts early sometimes. Take your time with introduction, and the reward later will be worth it.

Welcome aboard!

 

[Mrs. K]

I am going to suggest you wait. Instead of having all your chickens within weeks of each other age wise, it is better to have a few at one age, a few more 6 months to a year later and eventually another 6 months to a year old, later on. It is so tempting to fill the coop, right at the beginning, but it is better to wait.

And measure your coop, what seems like MORE than enough room, when they are chicks, often is NOT enough room, when they all grow up. Over crowded birds have ugly behaviors. And free- ranging, or being raised together does not compensate for not enough room.

AND birds gotten at a swap can be exposed to many birds from different places, all possible diseases.

Mrs. K

 

[rosemarythyme]

I am going to suggest you wait. Instead of having all your chickens within weeks of each other age wise, it is better to have a few at one age, a few more 6 months to a year later and eventually another 6 months to a year old, later on. It is so tempting to fill the coop, right at the beginning, but it is better to wait.

And measure your coop, what seems like MORE than enough room, when they are chicks, often is NOT enough room, when they all grow up. Over crowded birds have ugly behaviors. And free- ranging, or being raised together does not compensate for not enough room.

AND birds gotten at a swap can be exposed to many birds from different places, all possible diseases.

Mrs. K

x2 all of this. If eggs are important to you, you'll get much better production if you stagger the ages of your birds. I have 1, 3 and 5 year olds.

I'd also be wary of getting birds from a swap meet or auction. I would 100% quarantine if you're going that route vs getting chicks from a large hatchery or reputable breeder.

Enjoy the birds you have, and evaluate the space you have to work with once they grow up. Maybe you don't have as much as you think (if you have measurements, it could help us evaluate).

 

[Chxlove]

These are all great points I hadn't thought of. In the coop they have over 160 sq ft alone, the run is another 120. I guess the other reasoning to get a few more is because we ended up with a male and I know 1 roo to 4 hens is not a great udea unless we get lucky and he's a lazy boy. I think we'd get only enough to make the odds for the girls safer, so maybe 5? Do you all still think though it would be smarter to wait a couple years?

 

[Chxlove]

OR...maybe I buy from a reputable place instead, like Valley Hatchery which I saw advertised on here. I was scared of having these babies shipped through the mail but I never thought of how a swap could be worse since you really don't know what you're getting. I only want to do what's best for my girls (and boy). I'm not worried about egg amounts at this point because we'll have enough with what we have currently.

 

[Mrs. K]

Well you do have enough space. But I would still recommend waiting as I said. Chickens (IMO) do much better in a multi-generational flock. Older birds, younger birds, and chicks.

And, not to rain on your parade, but it sounds like your are just getting started, and roosters can be darn tricky, and roosters raised with just flock mates can really get out of hand, and more hens really do not help with that. Just have a plan B for the rooster. Some work and some do not.

Mrs K

ps - I reread your post. I don't think you should wait YEARS to add birds, just 6 months. Even I cannot resist that chicken math...Years? never.

 

[Lady Clucks-a-Lot]

I kept chickens for 3 years now, and I just got 3 more new chicks. When I let the chicks play outside with the flock, my lead chicken, GreyWhite, is just plainly scared out them. But my other 3 chickens KIND-OF attacked my pullets by biting them pretty hard (probably very hard for a chick whose only 8 weeks old), so I suggest you to maybe put them together, very closely, but have a wire or a net between them so that they live together, but they won't be able to attack each other.