More chickens or not?

[Rock17]

Interesting. It sounds like you have had unpleasant experiences with ISA Browns. I have no doubt you saw what you saw. But I'll offer a different perspective.

ISA Browns are commercial laying hybrids. They are typically kept in commercial flocks in relatively close quarters with a large number of other ISA Browns. If they were all as mean and vicious as what you saw they would be unsuitable for a commercial flock.

My perspective is that each chicken is an individual with its own personality. Each flock has its own dynamics. If you read enough stories on here you will find stories where Silkies, Wyandottes, ISA Browns, Marans, and all other breeds can be either terrors or are the sweetest nicest chicken ever. I do think the flock they came from makes a difference. Inheritance is a factor. From limited experience with different breeds and from reading stories on here I do not put much if any faith in the breed indicating the personality of any individual.


A 20 square feet coop (about 4' x 5') for 10 chickens? Granted some of them are bantams so they might take less room. By the magic numbers many on this forum believe in your coop is already overcrowded but your run has plenty of room for more.

In England your climate is probably pretty mild. They will probably have access to the run most days so they should not be locked in the coop only by weather. It looks like you joined the forum this year so I don't know what experience you have keeping chickens in winter where you are. You may be fine this winter or you may be overcrowded. I would not recommend adding any chickens until you have gone through a winter.

With that coop I'd be very reluctant to add any chickens without providing more room even if you make it through the winter OK. Integration usually takes more room than they need to live together after they are integrated.

In any case, I agree with the others. I would avoid adding any single chicken. Sometimes you may have no choice, say you hatch a single chick or whatever. My minimum number if I have a choice is three. That's so if one dies they still have a buddy. Adding a single chicken can be a lot harder and more dangerous.

I have 2 coops

 

[Rock17]

Interesting. It sounds like you have had unpleasant experiences with ISA Browns. I have no doubt you saw what you saw. But I'll offer a different perspective.

ISA Browns are commercial laying hybrids. They are typically kept in commercial flocks in relatively close quarters with a large number of other ISA Browns. If they were all as mean and vicious as what you saw they would be unsuitable for a commercial flock.

My perspective is that each chicken is an individual with its own personality. Each flock has its own dynamics. If you read enough stories on here you will find stories where Silkies, Wyandottes, ISA Browns, Marans, and all other breeds can be either terrors or are the sweetest nicest chicken ever. I do think the flock they came from makes a difference. Inheritance is a factor. From limited experience with different breeds and from reading stories on here I do not put much if any faith in the breed indicating the personality of any individual.


A 20 square feet coop (about 4' x 5') for 10 chickens? Granted some of them are bantams so they might take less room. By the magic numbers many on this forum believe in your coop is already overcrowded but your run has plenty of room for more.

In England your climate is probably pretty mild. They will probably have access to the run most days so they should not be locked in the coop only by weather. It looks like you joined the forum this year so I don't know what experience you have keeping chickens in winter where you are. You may be fine this winter or you may be overcrowded. I would not recommend adding any chickens until you have gone through a winter.

With that coop I'd be very reluctant to add any chickens without providing more room even if you make it through the winter OK. Integration usually takes more room than they need to live together after they are integrated.

In any case, I agree with the others. I would avoid adding any single chicken. Sometimes you may have no choice, say you hatch a single chick or whatever. My minimum number if I have a choice is three. That's so if one dies they still have a buddy. Adding a single chicken can be a lot harder and more dangerous.

I have gone through one winter with my own chickens, though I have lots of experience with other peoples chickens both in the summer and winter

 

[fluffycrow]

Interesting. It sounds like you have had unpleasant experiences with ISA Browns. I have no doubt you saw what you saw. But I'll offer a different perspective.

ISA Browns are commercial laying hybrids. They are typically kept in commercial flocks in relatively close quarters with a large number of other ISA Browns. If they were all as mean and vicious as what you saw they would be unsuitable for a commercial flock.

My perspective is that each chicken is an individual with its own personality. Each flock has its own dynamics. If you read enough stories on here you will find stories where Silkies, Wyandottes, ISA Browns, Marans, and all other breeds can be either terrors or are the sweetest nicest chicken ever. I do think the flock they came from makes a difference. Inheritance is a factor. From limited experience with different breeds and from reading stories on here I do not put much if any faith in the breed indicating the personality of any individual.


A 20 square feet coop (about 4' x 5') for 10 chickens? Granted some of them are bantams so they might take less room. By the magic numbers many on this forum believe in your coop is already overcrowded but your run has plenty of room for more.

In England your climate is probably pretty mild. They will probably have access to the run most days so they should not be locked in the coop only by weather. It looks like you joined the forum this year so I don't know what experience you have keeping chickens in winter where you are. You may be fine this winter or you may be overcrowded. I would not recommend adding any chickens until you have gone through a winter.

With that coop I'd be very reluctant to add any chickens without providing more room even if you make it through the winter OK. Integration usually takes more room than they need to live together after they are integrated.

In any case, I agree with the others. I would avoid adding any single chicken. Sometimes you may have no choice, say you hatch a single chick or whatever. My minimum number if I have a choice is three. That's so if one dies they still have a buddy. Adding a single chicken can be a lot harder and more dangerous.

I understand your perspective, but I do not think commercial egg factories care about the well-being of their birds enough to make what you are saying a valid concern for them. As long as they are laying, they don't care in what condition the birds are in. Not to mention, debeaking is another "precaution" in their eyes.

Out of all the ISA browns I've had over the years, only one was not overly aggressive. You are right, breed doesn't always deliver the same temperament, much less in the case of a production mix like this. I've had enough ISA browns to notice a pattern. Granted, none of mine were ex-battery hens, which might be what OP is looking at.

Regardless, my response was to OP'S second question, on whether or not an ISA brown would be a good fit with their other birds. Nothing is written in stone with animals, but it would be unfair not to mention the temperament I've observed with the ISA browns I've had over the years, and with many different group dynamics

 

[Rock17]

Discription of perticular birds temperament: friendly, perky and bold

 

[Rock17]

Was wondering if a more bold and agressive chicken would work better being introduced to a flock as a singular with two or more weeks of see no touch

 

[Rock17]

Introducing 2 birds has worked well for me in the past