New coop, more chickens?

[Cucumber]

Hi guys, newbie here so be gentle 

We have a small chicken coop with attached run currently for our three girls: A coucou, a blacktail and an amber. We've had them since April this year. Previously we had three hens at our old house but dreaded mr fox got to them

I felt bad that we haven't been able to give e new girls free range of the garden so have converted a garden shed (6'x8') for them to live in and built a run alongside on an unused bed, the run is roughly the same size as the shed. Currently no cooks in the new run.

My main query stems from the fact that we are 'rescuing' three more hens (a skyline, a ginger nut ranger and a black maran)...

Should I wait until its dark and put all six hens in to the new coop one night and keep an eye on them over the weekend or is that going to cause feathers to fly?

Any help or advice would be greatfully received. I did try to search but couldn't really see anything the same as this query

Thanks

Neil

 

[HEChicken]

Hi Neil,

. Where are you from? Of the breeds you mentioned, the only one of heard of is the Marans - it would be interesting to see pictures!

When bringing new birds in, you should quarantine them for 30 days to ensure they are not carriers of some disease. That also will give you a chance to treat them for lice/mites if necessary, so that they don't pass those on to your flock either.

I have found space to be my friend when integrating new birds. As long as they have a place to retreat when the original birds get too bossy, they usually wind up integrating okay. Adding them at night wouldn't hurt but perhaps be around early the next morning to see how it all is going.

Oh, and if you can set up multiple feed and water stations, that's a good idea too. One thing the dominant birds will try to do is keep the new ones from food and water, so if there are multiple places for them to find sustenance, there is less chance of that happening.