Introducing two new hens...Here's the situation..

[60's Chick]

We have a large chicken coop with a space that can be partitioned off. Attached to the coop is an enclosed pen. Attached to that is 6 acres where they free range. We are getting back into chickens and recently bought a flock of 4 1-year old virgin hens and a rooster who get along swimmingly! They are in the coop at night and then we let them out to free range during the day. My daughter is moving from Albuquerque and gave us her two VERY tame 3 yr old pet hens. We brought them to our place yesterday and seperated them within the coop last night. This morning we let the older flock out and let the new ones our of their pen within a pen and into the outside enclosed pen.

The rooster is not the friendliest thing in the world. And these two pet hens have never been around a rooster. So now, what? We are hesitant of leaving the two new ones in the pen while the others free range because we don't want them laying eggs around the property. On the other hand, if we put them back into their small pen within the pen, they won't have the JOY of free ranging!

Also, this rooster is not the friendliest, well, not to us, he LOVES his hens, if you know what I mean.

Suggestions PLEASE!

Thanks, Susie

 

[Judy]

As long as no one gets pecked to the point of bleeding, I would just put them together and let them sort out their pecking order. Many people separate them for a few weeks, but so they are living within sight of each other, to minimize cleashes when they are mixed. The only reason to be concerned about mating is that sometimes a rooster will have favorites, and those hens can lose feathers on the back from being overmated. You can put a saddle on any hen this happens to, to protect her bare skin til her feathers grow back.