Neighbor and chicks

[csaylorchickens]

So I got 6 buff orpingtons that are 4 weeks old now. I currently have 4 faverolle hens just over a year old. I plan on keeping 3 of the 6. My neighbor wants one. They have one barred rock that's been by itself for almost 2 years now. Last time the introduced a chick at 13 weeks and they thought it was a hen but was a rooster. Their barred rock pecked it's butt bare and raw they had to separate them. I was wondering they want the Chick after its feathered but I think that's too soon? It's a mean hen so I feel 16 weeks would be the best because she would be big enough to defend herself at 6 weeks she would get beat up.
What do you think? I was even going to suggest adding 2 instead of one so the transition would be better.

 

[csaylorchickens]

I feel at 6 weeks the adult hen would kill it

 

[chickslaugh]

You have a right to be concerned. The most success people have had with introducing chickens together is when they are the same size. Chickens can't tell age, but they can tell size. 6 weeks is way to young to introduce to a full grown hen. Besides this option, is the option of introducing little couple day old chicks to a broody hen. If it were me I would just wait until the birds are roughly the same size, like you said the chick can defend itself. Hope I could've helped in some way.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Did they separate the last bird for an induction period (in a cage or separated by a fence)? Or did they just plop it into the coop and expect things to work out?

I would also wait until the birds are older before gifting them one (though I agree two would be better) and suggest they go with a see but not touch introduction for a couple of weeks before letting them mingle. Poor hen, been alone for two years, I'd be grumpy to if I'd been deprived of company that long :/

 

[csaylorchickens]

Did they separate the last bird for an induction period (in a cage or separated by a fence)? Or did they just plop it into the coop and expect things to work out?

I would also wait until the birds are older before gifting them one (though I agree two would be better) and suggest they go with a see but not touch introduction for a couple of weeks before letting them mingle. Poor hen, been alone for two years, I'd be grumpy to if I'd been deprived of company that long :/

I am not sure if they separated it or not? They seem to like chickens but I don't know if they did research on introducing a new flock. Maybe what I can do is find an article about introduction maybe from chicken chick website, and give them a print out about introduction of a new member to the flock a week before I give them the chick? They were talking about just making a whole other coop and keep them separate all the time?

 

[csaylorchickens]

But that's not good either then 2 lonely chickens

 

[csaylorchickens]

You have a right to be concerned. The most success people have had with introducing chickens together is when they are the same size. Chickens can't tell age, but they can tell size. 6 weeks is way to young to introduce to a full grown hen. Besides this option, is the option of introducing little couple day old chicks to a broody hen. If it were me I would just wait until the birds are roughly the same size, like you said the chick can defend itself. Hope I could've helped in some way.

Yeah so I'll stick with 16 weeks old unless they have a separate pin set up till it's big enough maybe that's their plan which would be great get the Chick at 12 weeks put it is a divided pin till 16 weeks or so then let them free range together for a few weeks and then in one coop by 18 weeks